BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Six different players contributed in the scoring effort as the No. 1 seeded Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team was victorious over Saint Michael's College, 6-1, in the opening round of the ECAC Women's Open Tournament Saturday afternoon at the Wonderland of Ice. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 18-4-4 overall on the season and move on to the ECAC Open Championship game for the fourth-straight season.

The No. 4 seeded Purple Knights will drop to 4-20-1 on the season with the defeat.

Saint Anselm was first to score just 5:21 into the game when first-year Alex Kazmer (Crystal Lake, Ill.) picked up a pass from junior defenseman Andi Foss (Elko, Minn.) and sent the puck past Saint Michael's goaltender Erin Stevens. Sophomore forward Tiffany Herron (Clinton Township, Mich.) was credited with an assist for initiating the sequence.  

The Hawks doubled their lead at the 11:53 mark when senior captain Ciara Petry (Poolseville, Md.) potted her third goal of the season as she connected with a pass from junior forward Michelle Conway (Medford, Mass.). Foss was picked up a helper on the play – her second of the night.

To open the middle period, freshman Sarah Geisinger (Willoughby, Ohio) netted the Hawks' third goal of the game on a pass from senior Rosemarie Giarrusso (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.). Sophomore Franny Nicholson (St. Paul, Minn.) also picked up an assist on the sequence.

The Purple Knights answered, however, at the 10:38 mark when Courtney Burnett contributed their only tally of the game, making it a 3-1 game. Melissa Hallisey and Kristen Spulecki were credited with setting up the play.

Conway potted a goal of her own at 13:28 when she met up with a pass from Foss and pushed the puck past Stevens for her second point of the afternoon.

Courtney Winters (Swampscott, Mass.) was next to strike for Saint Anselm to close out scoring in the second stanza as she put the puck in the back of the net after receiving a dishes from Herron and Kazmer at the 15:31 mark. Winters became the fourth member of the Saint Anselm women's ice hockey 100-point club with her goal.

The Hawks iced the game in the final frame with a goal from Giarrusso at 1:19, bringing the contest to its final score of 6-1. Foss tallied her fourth point of the game with her pass to Giarrusso.

Saint Anselm netminder Lindsey Brown (Mounds View, Minn.) stopped 7 of 8 shots on goal, while Stevens made 30 saves. The Hawks held a 36-8 advantage in shots on goal.

No. 1 Saint Anselm will face-off against either No. 2 Holy Cross or No. 3 Sacred Heart tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. in the decisive round of the 2013 ECAC Open Championship at the Wonderland of Ice. Be sure to follow the latest news regarding this year's ECAC Open Tournament by following the Hawks on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).