Potsdam, NY - With two goals in a span of just 2:36, Mercyhurst College ended the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team’s modest two-game winning streak to open the season as the Golden Knights dropped their home-opener to the Lakers 2-1 Friday afternoon at Cheel Arena in front of 378 fans.
The Golden Knights dropped to 2-1 on the season while the 8th-ranked Lakers improved to 2-1. The two teams will face off against one another again at 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 15th.
The first period saw limited chances for both teams as Mercyhurst out shot the Golden Knights 8-4. Three of Clarkson’s shooting attempts came on its two power play opportunities.
After a protocol penalty put the Knights down a player for the first two minutes of the second period, Mercyhurt had four shots on the power play and appeared ready to break the scoreless tie. Clarkson quickly turned the play around in its favor as freshman Marie-Jo Gaudet (Sherbrooke, QUE) scored her first collegiate goal. The puck was played in to the Knights’ offensive zone off the boards where Gaudet picked up the puck, skated in with a player on her left slide and slapped the puck between the left post and Lakers’ goaltender Laura Hosier’s glove side.
Clarkson held the lead for the next 11 minutes before a penalty ended the Knights’ advantage. One minute into a Lakers’ power-play chance, freshman Valerie Chouinard scored her second goal of the season from inside the right circle at 13:20. Junior Michelle Bonello and sophomore Stephanie Jones each picked up assists. Mercyhurst didn’t wait much longer as the Lakers scored their second goal just two and a half minutes later at 15:56. Clarkson goaltender Kira Hurley (Pickering, ONT) stopped the initial shot, but Samantha Shirley poked the second attempt over the goal line for a 2-1 Mercyhurst lead. Sophomores Sherilyn Fraser and Kristen Erickson each earned assists on Shirley’s second goal of the campaign. The Lakers controlled the play in the period with a 12-4 shot advantage along with the 2-1 goal lead.
The Golden Knights were awarded a five-on-three power play early in the third period thanks to two Mercyhurst penalties in a span of 26 seconds, but could muster only three shots on goal during the two-man advantage before the game returned to even play. Neither team came through with any more goals, though Clarkson appeared ready with an equalizer, but a two-on-one break came up empty, as the pass was just wide.
Hurley finished with 27 saves for Clarkson while Hosier made 12 saves for the Lakers. Clarkson finished trailing in shots 29-13. The Lakers went 1-for-6 on the power play and the Golden Knights were scoreless in five power-play attempts.
