Potsdam, NY – With opportunistic goal scoring and an impressive overall defensive effort, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team earned its first playoff victory in five tries against St. Lawrence University, shutting out the Saints 5-0 in ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal action Friday afternoon at Cheel Arena.
The Golden Knights, ranked sixth in the country, improved to 21-9-5 overall with the victory, while the Saints dropped to 15-13-7 on the season. Clarkson looks to gain the sweep when the two teams faceoff at 2:00 pm on Saturday.
It didn’t take long for Clarkson to produce a scoring chance, though the opportunity would come up empty for the Knights. Just 30 seconds into the contest, the Knights had a shot on goal and the puck rebounded to the opposite side of the net, but Clarkson was unable to redirect the carom into the empty right side of the goal. Over the next eight minutes of action, both teams would skate without a whistle as neither possessed the puck for a long enough period of time to put much pressure on the opposing team’s defense.
Ten minutes into the period, it appeared as if Clarkson might break the ice with a goal as sophomore Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE) took a pair of shots from just outside the crease. The puck flipped out to the slot to senior Dominique Thibault (L’Orignal, ONT), who quickly wristed the shot into the goal, but one of the referees whistled the play dead on a cover-up by the goalie just a split second before Thibault’s shot.
Clarkson and St. Lawrence ended the first period having played an even frame, with both teams putting nine shots on the opposition’s net.
The Golden Knights started the second period on the power play, but soon found themselves down a skater after a hook was called on senior Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT). Clarkson survived on the penalty kill, as the Knights blocked several shots with their leg pads and by diving down to the ice surface.
A few moments after the St. Lawrence power play chance concluded, Clarkson jumped on the scoreboard when sophomore Kali Gillanders (Kyle, SASK) picked up a loose puck behind the net with little pressure on her. Gillanders attempted to find a teammate out front in the slot or by the right circle, but the pass deflected off a defender back to her stick, and she was able to slide the puck past St. Lawrence goaltender Maxie Weisz and over the goal line. It was the first-liner’s third goal of the season, an unassisted marker at 3:49.
Audio Gillanders Goal
Though St. Lawrence would have a few scoring chances in the period, the Saints shots seemed to find the mid-section of Clarkson goaltender Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY). Clarkson’s defense continued to help out Dahm by deflecting the Saints’ chances by putting their bodies in the way of otherwise open attempts on goal.
Late in the second period, Clarkson picked up a key score, providing a two-goal cushion going into the final frame. Senior Genevieve Lavoie (Delson, QUE) sent a pass from near the end line back out to Danielle Skirrow (Trenton, ONT). The freshman wing then passed the puck into the slot to a wide open Thibault, who simply let the puck ricochet off the tip of her stick and into the net past a sprawling Brittony Cartier. The goal was Thibault’s 20th of the season.
Audio Thibault Goal
In the third period, the Knights picked up another insurance goal on a pretty behind-the-net pass from Gillanders. The sophomore found the puck behind the net and quickly saw a wide-open Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT) in the slot. Selina easily flicked the pass into the top of the net at 6:25. Junior Melissa Waldie (Newmarket, ONT) started the play and also earned an assist.
Audio Selina Goal
Trailing by three goals, St. Lawrence pulled Chartier for the extra-attacker, hoping to get back into the contest. The strategy worked for several minutes as Clarkson struggled to possess the puck enough to make any attempt on the open goal. However, after two and a half minutes with an extra skater, the Saints had no choice but to re-insert their goaltender when they were penalized for interference with 7:31 remaining. Following a successful penalty kill, St. Lawrence was able to try its hand with two additional skaters as Clarkson was whistled for a penalty with just over five minutes to go in the contest.
In the next few minutes, Clarkson could scarcely get the puck out of their defensive zone as St. Lawrence continuously put pressure on the Knights. However, when the puck finally did make it out of the zone, Clarkson connected, as junior Daris Tendler (Verwood, SASK) picked up a loose puck to score her fifth goal of the season. Gillanders earned her third point of the game with an assist.
Audio Tendler Goal
The Knights completed the rout with another goal just 36 seconds later when sophomore Gabrielle Kosziwka (Limehouse, ONT) wristed a shot past a third St. Lawrence goaltender, her fifth goal of the season, with the assist going to senior Ashleigh Moorehead (Clinton, NY).
Audio Kosziwka Goal
Dahm made 19 saves for her ninth shutout of the season, while the triumvirate of Weisz, Chartier, and Nikki Bongaerts made 25 saves, with Weisz making 14 saves and Chartier stopping 11 shots. Clarkson out shot St. Lawrence 30-19 in the contest, and both teams were scoreless in three chances on the power play.
