Potsdam, NY – Sophomore center Kelsey Johnson scored with just 37 seconds remaining in overtime as Yale University outlasted the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team 2-1 in ECACHL action Friday night at Cheel Arena.
The Golden Knights dropped to 6-7-5 overall on the season, including a 2-4-1 mark in the ECACHL. Yale, the top team in the conference, moved to 10-7 on the season with an 8-2 mark in the ECACHL. The Golden Knights, who were previously unbeaten (5-0-3) at home this season, will face Princeton University at 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs controlled play in the first period, outshooting the Golden Knights by a margin of 12-2, but was unable to score for the first 19 minutes of the game. Yale finally broke through with a power-play goal at the 18:57 mark in the period when sophomore Sheila Zingler scored her fifth goal of the season on a shot right in front of the net. Classmate Christina Sharun and Nicole Symington each picked up assists on the goal.
Clarkson evened the play in the second period thanks to numerous power-play opportunities. The Golden Knights owned the best scoring chances in the period, especially midway through the period. Clarkson enjoyed a narrow 9-8 shot advantage in the second stanza.
In the third period, the Golden Knights tied the score when Melissa Marshall (Oak Lawn, IL) scored her first goal of the season at the 6:03 mark. Marshall slid in a shot underneath Yale goaltender Sarah Love on a rebound off her own shot from inside the right circle. Yale had a 7-4 shot advantage in the final 20-minute frame.
In overtime, neither team could muster a shot until the final minute when Yale produced a shot from a tough angle that was quickly rebounded by the Bulldogs. Just a few seconds later, a similarly tough shot was initially stopped by Clarkson goaltender Stephanie Hansen (Calgary, ALB) only to trickle just over the goal line.
For the game, the Bulldogs out shot Clarkson 29-15. Hansen stopped 27 shots for the Golden Knights while Sarah Love made 14 saves for Yale.
