NEWPORT, R.I. -- The Saint Anselm women's hockey team travelled to Newport, R.I. this evening to take on the Salve Regina University Seahawks in ECAC East Conference play.  In a rough, penalty-ridden game, the Hawks came out on top, defeating the Seahawks 5-1.  The win lifts the Hawks to 13-9-1 (11-5-1 ECAC East), while the Seahawks fall to 12-8-3 (9-5-3 ECAC East).

Drew Chernisky opened the scoring for the Seahawks, netting a goal just two minutes after the opening puck drop to give Salve Regina a quick 1-0 lead.  However the Hawks responded quickly with two goals in the next three minutes to go up 2-1. Freshman Rosemarie Giarrusso (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) scored first for the Hawks at 3:33 in the first period, assisted by Aly Zappen (Huntington Beach, Calif.).  Sarah Ellins (Greeley, Colo.) then drove in an unassisted goal at 4:13 to give the Hawks the lead.

Midway through the second period, Zappen knocked in a power-play goal, assisted by Ellins and Molly Corl (Danvers, Mass.) and at 15:43 in the second, Michelle Lacombe (Delafield, Wisc.) netted an unassisted goal on a breakaway drive to give the Hawks a 4-1 lead.  Ellins then netted her second goal of the game at 2:28 in the third to secure a 5-1 Saint Anselm victory over the Seahawks.

Seahawks goaltender Rebecca Simmons made a total of 40 saves in the game and allowed all five goals to take her sixth loss of the season, and Amy Zappen (Huntington Beach, Calif.) turned aside 21 shots to pick up her seventh win.

The Hawks return home next Friday, February 19th, when they take on last night's competition, the Manhattanville College Valiants, in ECAC East play beginning at 7:00 pm.