Box Score
Schenectady, N.Y. – The visiting Brown Bears wasted little time jumping all over the host Dutchwomen, taking a 1-0 lead just 2:09 into the game on a goal by Myria Heinhuis. Brown would add two more goals in the opening period en route to a 6-0 ECACHL road win at Messa Rink. The loss snapped a four-game unbeaten streak at home for Union, which fell to 3-13-1 overall, 0-9-0 in league play.
Heinhuis got the scoring started early when she took a feed from Haley Moore from inside the left face off circle and beat Union netminder Alex Zirbel (Clearwater, FL) with a wrist shot to the top right corner of the net. The rookie goaltender kept the Dutchwomen in the game early, stopping 18 first period shots, including a dandy kick save on Brown's Lindsey Glennon with 14:40 remaining in the first. However, a minute later Brown solved the Union defense for its second goal on a mark by Frances Male. Moore would add the final first period tally at 9:59, giving Brown a 3-0 lead. The Dutchwomen's lone serious scoring opportunity was thwarted with just over three minutes left in the period when Gabi Winter's (Calgary, ALB) breakaway shot was kick saved by Brown goaltender O'Hara Shipe.
Brown held a 21-2 shot advantage in the opening twenty minutes, and peppered Zirbel to the tune of 62 shots in all for the night. The Bears' smothering defense limited Union to just 8 scoring opportunities.
The two teams skated to a scoreless second period, although Brown's Keaton Zucker just missed the Bears' fourth goal at 12:32 when she hit the pipe with shot in front of net that fell straight down to the ice for Zirbel to cover. Union managed just one scoring chance in the period when junior Elise Nichols (Pittsfield, MA) missed just wide left with a wrist shot at 18:36. The Bears held a 16-4 shot advantage for the period, while the Dutchwomen went 0-for-4 on the power play.
The third period began much the same as the first, with Brown's attacking offense striking quickly. Margaret Ramsey provided the dagger to Union's hopes of a comeback when she put home a rebound shot in front of net off a flurry of shots for the game's lone power play goal. Zucker was credited with one of her four assists on the play. Ten minutes later Moore added her second goal of the night to make it 5-0 off another Zucker feed. Savannah Smith closed out the scoring at 19:44 for the 6-0 final.
The two teams combined to go 1-for-12 on the power play, with the Dutchwomen finishing 0-for-7 on their man-advantage opportunities. Zirbel stopped an impressive 56 shots in defeat for Union, while her counterpart Shipe collected her third shutout on the season and stopped all 8 shots between the pipes for the Bears (8-8-2; 6-2-1).
Union is now 3-3-1 at home on the season. The two league foes are set for a 4:00 p.m. tilt tomorrow at Messa Rink.
