MANCHESTER, N.H. - Four different Hawks scored goals as the Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team posted a 4-0 victory over the College of Saint Benedict Saturday evening at Thomas F. Sullivan Arena. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 8-4-0 overall (4-4-0 ECAC) on the season while Saint Benedict falls to 4-8-2 (1-3-2 MIAC) on the year.
Courtney Winters (Swampscott, Mass.) opened the scoring at 13:50 of the first period, placing Saint Anselm on the board by a 1-0 margin. Defenseman Molly Corl (Georgetown, Mass.) wristed a shot on goal following a turnover that was redirected by Winters for her eighth goal of the season. Rosemarie Giarrusso (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) was also credited with an assist on the goal.
Bridget Sylvester (Randolph, N.J.) scored her first goal of the season at 4:00 of the third period, doubling the Saint Anselm advantage. Franny Nicholson (Saint Paul, Minn.) fired a shot on goal that was turned aside by Blazers goaltender Jenna Traut. On the doorstep, Sylvester flipped the puck past the sprawling Saint Benedict goaltender for the strike.
Giarrusso recorded her fourth goal of the season at 10:22 of the third period, lifting the Hawks to a 3-0 lead near the midpoint of the final stanza. Corl, positioned in the left wing corner with the puck, fired a pass across the crease that was forced home by Giarrusso, scoring on the power play for Saint Anselm.
Tiffany Herron (Clinton Township, Mich.) scored her team-leading 10th goal of the season, an unassisted goal, at 12:01 of the third period to add an insurance goal for the Hawks. With the Blazers on the power play, Herron blocked a shot by a Saint Benedict player and skated up the ice in transition. Unopposed on a breakout, Herron skated up the slot and deked Traut, sliding her out of position and scoring on the exposed cage to reach double-digit goal totals.
Freshman goaltender Janice Michaud (Westwood, Mass.), playing in her first collegiate game, collected the shutout victory (1-0-0) by turning aside all eight shots on goal that she faced. Traut (2-5-0) drew the loss, allowing four goals on 38 shots on net in the Blazers' defeat.
Saint Anselm was 1-for-2 on the power play. Saint Benedict was 0-for-2 with the extra skater.
NOTABLES: The Hawks were the only team to post a 2-0 record in the 2012 Saint Anselm College Invitational this past weekend…Including this afternoon's victory, Saint Anselm has a 5-0-0 record all-time against the Blazers of the College of Saint Benedict…The Hawks have not lost in regulation dating back to Nov. 19, 2011, a 6-0 defeat at the hands of nationally-ranked Norwich University…Cumulatively, the Hawks outshot their opponent by a 38-to-8 margin this afternoon…Forwards Tiffany Herron and Courtney Winters each recorded a goal in tonight's game, maintaining their tie for the team-lead in points with 14…Forward Rosemarie Giarrusso has recorded at least a point in her last five games, posting three goals and five assists for eight points (3-5=8) during that span...Freshman defenseman Franny Nicholson posted her first collegiate point in tonight's game, assisting Bridget Sylvester's third period tally…Freshman goaltender Janice Michaud, in her first collegiate contest, collected the victory and the shutout...In the first game of the afternoon, the College of Saint Scholastica posted a 4-3 victory over Salve Regina University.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday, Jan. 10 as they travel to Bowdoin College to take part in a 4:00 p.m. non-conference contest. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by friending us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
