MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's ice hockey team concluded its regular season with a 4-2 win over Saint Michael's College on Saturday.

With the win, the Hawks enter the New England Women's Hockey Alliance playoffs with a 14-12-3 and 11-6-3 in conference play. The Purple Knights fall to 3-22-1 with a 1-18-1 mark against the league.

The Hawks are the third seed entering the NEWHA playoffs and will host the Purple Knights, who are the sixth seed, on Tuesday, Mar. 1 from Sullivan Arena. The NEWHA First Round tilt is slated for a 7 p.m. opening puck drop.

Prior to the start of the contest, the Hawks honored their five senior student-athletes in Sarah Cahill (Salt Lake City, Utah), Kendra Currier (Middleton, Mass.), Blue Fancy (Orleans, Mass.), Kelly Golini (Tewksbury, Mass.), and Erin Meyers (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Golini posted two goals to lead the Saint Anselm offense and has now scored in five of the last six contests. Sophomore Abigail Blair (Grand Island, N.Y.) and freshman Madi Ressler (Brighton, Mich.) tallied the two other Hawks goals. Six student-athletes including Meyers and freshman Tyra Turner (Andover, Minn.) registered two helpers each in the contest.

Golini got the Hawks on the board just 2:06 into the game as she buried a rebound chance off of shot attempts by Meyers and Ressler, giving Saint Anselm an early 1-0 lead.

Saint Anselm grabbed its second goal of the contest, this one coming on the power play at 4:58 of the second stanza. Blair collected a pass at the bottom of the right faceoff circle from junior Gabrielle Huson (Edina, Minn.) and one-timed a shot on goal from a difficult angle. Her shot attempt beat Purple Knights netminder Leah White which gave the Hawks a 2-0 edge.

Golini netted her second goal of the game at 10:11 of the second frame. Turner found sophomore Brinna Martin (St. Michael, Minn.) with a cross-ice pass. Martin fired a shot on White, which was turned aside, but Golini corralled the rebound and buried the shot attempt. Saint Anselm held a 3-0 lead following Golini's second goal.

The Purple Knights cut the Hawks lead to two when Angelina Ruiz redirected a cross ice pass from Grace Canterbury at 14:49 of the second period.

Saint Michael's netted back-to-back goals in the contest as Ella Saracco made it a one-goal game just 6:04 into the final stanza. She redirected a pass from Mikaela Langbacka, beating junior goaltender
Allie Kelley (East Berne, N.Y.) on her left, pushing the score to 3-2 at 6:04 of the third period.

Ressler regained the Hawks two-goal cushion when she wristed home a shot from the top of the slot on the power play at 14:18 of the final frame.

Saint Anselm posted three power play goals in five opportunities while Saint Michael's was scoreless in its two power play chances. The Hawks last netted at least three power play goals on Feb. 23, 2019 in a contest against Saint Michael's.

Kelley made 13 stops on 15 shots on goal for Saint Anselm while White stopped 45 of 49 shots on target in goals for the Purple Knights.