Knights Get Back on Track with 2-0 Win at Colgate

Erica Howe recorded her second shutout of the season and 17th career whitewash in the win at Colgate - photo by Jim Meagher

Box Score

Senior Erica Howe (Ottawa,ONT) was called upon to make just 11 saves in a dominating effort by the Clarkson University Women's Hockey team as the Golden Knights broke out of a three-game winless skid by shutting out Colgate 2-0 at Starr Rink in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon to salvage a split in ECAC Hockey action in Central NY over the weekend.

On Friday, the Golden Knights lost their league opener, 6-3, to defending conference champion Cornell at Lynah Rink in Ithaca. Ranked fifth in the country entering the weekend Clarkson stands at 6-2-1 overall. The Green and Gold return to Potsdam opening a six-game home stand at Cheel Arena next weekend hosting Brown and Yale.

"I thought tonight was a great total team effort," stated Clarkson co-head coach Matt Desrosiers. "We did a great job bringing energy from the opening face off that we were able to sustain the entire game. A lot of times in games like that where you are carrying the play and generating quite a few scoring chances you can tend to lose focus in certain areas of the game especially on the defensive side of the puck. We wanted to make sure we maintained our focus throughout the entire game and we did that tonight."

Howe needed to make just two saves in the first period, added four more in the second stanza and finished with five stops in the final frame to earn her second shutout of the season and 17th career whitewash. The Knights outshot Colgate (2-6) 46-11 en route to handing the Raiders their second straight shutout on the weekend. On Friday, Colgate lost at home to St. Lawrence 3-0.

Senior Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, ONT) scored the only goal the Knights would need at 8:11 of the first period. Rattray finished off assists from classmates Britney Styner (Calgary, ALB) and Vanessa Gagnon (St. Constant, QUE) for her second goal of the weekend and fifth of the season.

Clarkson continued to pressure in the second period, but despite a 20-to-4 shot advantage in the stanza, still held just a one-goal lead entering the third.

Sophomore Shannon MacAulay (Mt. Herbert, PEI) gave the Knights some breathing room with her third goal of the year at 3:58 of the final period. Seniors Vanessa Plante (Riviere-du-Loup, QUE) and Carly Mercer (Exeter, ONT) assisted.

Clarkson went 0-of-4 on the power play, while Colgate was 0-of-3 with the extra skater.

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