MANCHESTER, N.H. – Four Cadet goals through two periods proved to be the deciding factor as the Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team fell to #4 Norwich University,4-0, Saturday afternoon in ECAC Women's East ice hockey action at Sullivan Arena.
The Hawks descend to 15-3 overall and 8-2 in the conference, while the Cadets improve to 14-3 for the season and remain perfect at 10-0 in the league.
Norwich wasted no time to jump on the scoreboard as Meghan Papago worked the puck up the left boards and fought her way to the net, before sliding the puck five-hole on Saint Anselm junior goaltender Lindsey Brown (Mounds View, Minn.).
Tori Charron doubled up the Norwich lead when she buried the puck home into the right side of the net, past a diving Brown at 9:28. Brittany Sharman sent the initial shot on net from the high slot, after receiving the puck from Taylor Cross.
The Hawks had a couple of chances, however, throughout the middle of the second period. Their first chance came 1:40 into the second stanza when junior Sabrina Iannetti (Lynn, Mass.) skated away from the pack on a breakaway, before her backhanded shot at the right post was stuffed by Norwich goaltender Taylor Fairchild.
At 9:40, Saint Anselm found themselves knocking once again as freshman Alison Quinn (Canton, Mass.) made a quick pass from behind the goal line to senior Courtney Winters (Swampscott, Mass.), in the low slot, but the chance was broken up before Winters could get a shot off. The final Hawk chance came with 6:30 on the clock as freshman Alison Butler (Danvers, Mass.) sent the puck off the crossbar.
Momentum changed at 15:13 of the second in favor of the Cadets, however, as Norwich scored their third and fourth goals of the game, putting them ahead 4-0 heading into the final break. Charron went top-shelf on Brown after receiving a pass from Emily McKinnon, giving Norwich its third goal, before Pagano connected with Kaycie Anderson, putting the Cadets on top, 4-0.
Brown made 11 saves, while freshman Hannah Synnott (Montclair, N.J.) provided four in relief. Fairchild stopped all 31 shots she faced to earn the win. Despite the loss, Saint Anselm held a 31-19 edge in shots on goal. The Cadets were 1-for-6 on the power play, while Saint Anselm was 0-for-3 with the extra skater.
The Hawks return to action Friday, Jan. 31 at 3:30 p.m. when they travel to Manhattanville College. The next home contest for Saint Anselm is Friday, Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. when the Hawks play host to Holy Cross. 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 and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
