Another strong third-period effort helped to lift the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team to a 4-2 victory over 6th-ranked Mercyhurst College before 300 fans at Cheel Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Four different Golden Knights scored in the win and sophomore Eve Grandmont-Berube (Drummondville, QUE) made 19 saves as Clarkson completed the weekend sweep over the highly-rated Lakers to close out its opening home stand of the season on a very successful note. On Friday, the Green and Gold skated to their first win of the season with a 5-2 triumph over Mercyhurst (3-3-0).
Tied 1-1 after two periods, the Knights broke open the tight contest in the third, outscoring Mercyhurst 3-1 over the final 20 minutes. Senior Marie-Jo Gaudet (Sherbrooke, QUE) began the outburst with a power-play marker at 8:59. Gaudet finished off a passing combination from junior defenseman Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT) and freshman Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE) when her shot from the bottom of the left circle slipped by the Lakers goaltender for her team-high fifth goal of the season and third of the weekend.
Gaudet played a prominent role in Clarkson’s fourth goal when she set up sophomore Melissa Waldie’s (Newmarket, ONT) second goal of the year with a perfect centering pass through the slot while on a 2-on-1 rush at 12:16. Junior Genevieve Lavoie (Delson, QUE) also assisted on the eventual game-winner.
With 1:32 left in regulation and trailing 3-1, Mercyhurst pulled the goaltender for the extra skater, and the moved paid off when Jesse Scanzano stuffed a shot in from the right side during a scramble to lift the Lakers to within one with 55 seconds remaining.
Mercyhurst’s rally attempt was denied, however, when Clarkson’s captain Kimberly McKenney (Smiths Falls, ONT) scored into the empty net with seven seconds left on the clock to make it a 4-2 game.
Fresh off its first win of the year from Friday night, Clarkson came out strong to start Saturday’s contest and out shot the Lakers 20-9 in the opening 20 minutes. Eusepi gave the Knights their first, first-period goal of the season when she scored from the blueline on a shot through a screen at 12:42 for a power-play marker and her first goal of the 2008-09 campaign.
Mercyhurst evened the score on Vicki Bendus’ power-play marker at 13:38.
After a scoreless second period, in which Mercyhurst held a slight 5-2 shot advantage, the Knights took control in the final fame. Clarkson has outscored the opponents 10-1 in the third period the through the first six games of the season.
Clarkson out shot Mercyhurst 34-21. The Knights went 2-of-8 on the power play and killed off three of the Lakers’ four extra skater opportunities.
The Knights, at 2-3-1 overall, begin a four-game road trip at Niagara next weekend.
