BOX SCORE
NEW HAVEN, CT – The Union College women's ice hockey team fell to Yale 3-2 on Friday in overtime at Ingalls Rink. Despite goals from senior Molly Kate Devin and sophomore Ashley Johnston, the Bulldogs battled back to force the extra period. Just two minutes in, sophomore forward Jackie Raines knocked in the game-winning goal to give Yale the victory.
Union is now 3-8-1 overall with a 1-3-1 mark in ECAC play, while Yale moves to 1-7 and 1-4.
The Bulldogs were hurt by four penalties in the first period and were outshot 14-1 in the opening frame. They managed to kill off the first three successfully, limiting the Dutchwomen's Grade-A chances, but they also could not generate offensive opportunities. When senior forward Aleca Hughes was whistled for tripping at 11:46, the squad lost one of the Bulldogs' best penalty killers.
After a pair of saves by senior netminder Genny Ladiges, who made a total of 29 on the evening, the Dutchwomen finally broke through when Devin tipped in a shot from the point by sophomore Maddy Norton. Norton was set up by forward Lauren Cromartie, giving the senior an assist, as well. Union now held the lead with 7:28 left to play in the first period.
At that point Union had a 9-1 shot advantage, which expanded to 14-1 by the end of the frame. The Bulldogs reversed that trend in the second period, starting just 30 seconds in when junior Jamie Gray challenged senior goaltender Kate Gallagher with a shot on net. Gallagher, however, made the save and Yale went on to outshoot Union 15-6 in the second.
The Bulldogs kept up the offensive pressure and eventually drew a Union penalty. That enabled Yale to even the game 1-1 on a power play goal by Raines, assisted by freshman Stephanie Mock and junior Alyssa Zupon at 3:09. It was the sophomore's third of the season.
But three minutes later, sophomore Ashley Johnston was wide open for a shot from the left point that eluded Ladiges to put Union back up, 2-1. Penalties then dictated the flow of the game, with four whistles in the final nine minutes of the period. That included 27 seconds of 5-on-3 for the Bulldogs, where sophomore Jenna Ciotti and Mock sent shots just wide.
Gallagher then made another stop on Ciotti right on the doorstep, and she immediately gathered in the rebound and sent it just high. With both teams back at full strength, Mock slid a pass through the crease with 30 seconds to play but no Yale sticks were there to poke it in.
It did not take long for the Bulldogs to tie it in the third, as Hughes' snipe in transition from just inside the blue line -- set up by passes from junior Natalie Wedell and sophomore Ashley Dunbar -- knotted the affair at 2-2 just 77 seconds into the final frame.
Hughes also played a key role when Yale had to kill off one last penalty with 5:30 to play. After a long clear to start the kill, she fought off a pair of Union players at the Yale blue line as the Dutchwomen tried to re-establish the puck in the Yale zone. Ciotti then drew a penalty on Union, bringing the power play to an end.
Ladiges had to make a nice save on a shot by forward Emma Rambo during the 4-on-4 with four minutes to play, and then right as Yale went on a brief power play she kicked aside a slapper from Norton. A stick save on Devin with 90 seconds left helped send the game into overtime.
A penalty on the Dutchwomen 30 seconds into overtime gave Yale a golden opportunity, but the Bulldogs struggled to set up in the offensive zone. Finally, Raines sent a long pass from the Yale zone down the right side of the ice. Mock was able to chase it down in the corner, poke it away from a Union player, and then wrap around behind the net. She sent it in front and Raines was right outside the crease to back-hand it in for Yale's first win of the 2011-12 season.
While Raines now has the team lead in goals with four, Mock leads the Bulldogs with four assists. Devin's goal was her second of the season, while Johnston was able to bury her first. Gallagher ended the evening with 21 saves.
The first victory after seven losses was made more emotional for Yale by two of the guests the Bulldogs had in the stands: the parents of Mandi Schwartz, the center who passed away in April after more than two years spent battling cancer. Rick and Carol Schwartz had made the trek from Wilcox, Sask., to see the Bulldogs play for the first time since Mandi's death, and the team was well aware of their presence.
The Dutchwomen are back in action tomorrow, November 12th, when they take on Brown in Providence, RI at 4:00 p.m.
