MANCHESTER, N.H. – Rosemarie Giarrusso (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) scored the game-winning goal in the second period as the Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team took down Castleton State College 1-0 Saturday afternoon at Thomas F. Sullivan Arena.

Through one period, the game remained scoreless and shots on goal were even as each team took 11. The Hawks were 0-2 on extra skater opportunities, while the Spartans were 0-1. At the close of the first stanza, Nina Gozzi (Suffield, Conn.) was slammed into the boards resulting in a power-play opportunity to start the second period of play.

At the beginning of the second, prior to puck drop, Castleton was issued a bench minor for protocol that led to a 5-on-3 opportunity for the Hawks. Saint Anselm blasted several shots at net, but were unable to sneak any past Castleton net minder Paula Stephens.  

The Hawks finally broke it open at 7:47 of the second period when Franny Nicholson (St. Paul, Minn.) sent a pass to Giarrusso, who broke free from the pack into a breakaway and deked Stephens as she beat her to the right side.

The third frame featured eight penalties, but no scoring although Saint Anselm held a 12-7 advantage in shots.

Janice Michaud (Westwood, Mass.) made 24 saves and earned her first shutout of the year and second of her career. Stephens made 36 stops in the loss.

Saint Anselm held a 37-24 advantage in shots, including 26-13 edge in the last two periods.

The Hawks return to action Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. when they play host to Williams College at Thomas F. Sullivan Area. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).