BOX SCORE
SCHENECTADY, NY – Freshman Camille Corbin and senior Lauren Cromartie each scored on Saturday in the 2-2 tie against ECAC opponent St. Lawrence University. After a late goal in the first period by Saints junior Kelly Sabatine, the two forwards tallied their goals in the second frame to give the Dutchwomen a 2-1 lead.
With less than three minutes left in the game, freshman Amanda Boulier tied the match at two, forcing the overtime period. After a scoreless 65 minutes, both squads moved to 1-2-1 in the ECAC Hockey Conference. Union is now 3-7-1 on the season while the Saints move to 4-3-3.
Union senior Lauren Hoffman initiated an offensive attack early on in the first period, firing the first shot of the game after winning the faceoff. St. Lawrence's forwards would quickly retaliate, with sophomore Rylee Smith stealing the puck from junior Nicole Bartlett and creating an impressive scoring opportunity.
The Dutchwomen put their special team skills to the test, as they killed back-to-back penalties in the first 10 minutes of the game. Sophomore Ashley Johnston, who blocked three shots, had an excellent defensive game, as did forward Emma Rambo. The junior stole the puck from St. Lawrence's defense on the penalty kill, firing a breakaway shot at sophomore goaltender Caitlyn Lahonen. Lahonen, who made 21 saves on the evening, deflected the puck wide.
Sophomore Stefanie Thomson also made sharp defensive decisions in Union's zone, allowing Bartlett to take the puck down the ice at the four-minute mark. This set up Hoffman and freshman Alex Tancrell-Fontaine to take back-to-back shots on Lahonen.
Just minutes later, Sabatine received a feed from forward Karell Emard in front of Union goaltender Kate Gallagher. Sabatine sprawled out in front of the net as she took a shot, burying the puck into the left corner. Sophomore Mel Desrochers also received an assist. The Saints ended the first period with a 1-0 lead.
The second frame found numerous scoring chances for both teams. Junior Brooke Fernandez challenged Gallagher with a powerful shot after receiving a pass from senior Alley Bero in the back corner.
Union, however, would take over the last six minutes of the period. After fending of the Saints in their defensive zone, the Dutchwomen rushed down the ice towards Lahonen. Senior Dania Simmonds took a shot from the top left corner, trying to find a way through several bodies. The puck found Corbin's stick, giving the freshman her second career goal and tying the match 1-1.
After momentum-building shots from junior Rhianna Kurio and Bartlett, Cromartie would tally her second goal of the season at the 7:06 mark in the third period. The senior acquired the puck off of a Saints defenseman, and quickly wrapped around the net to go five-hole on Lahonen. The Dutchwomen now had minutes left to play with a 2-1 lead.
The Saints then gained an advantage as Union went on the penalty kill with six minutes left to play. Only ten seconds later, Bero took a hooking penalty, forcing four-on-four play. The tension only grew as senior Molly Kate Devin took a checking penalty at the 4:54 mark, prompting St. Lawrence to pull Lahonen for an extra attacker.
Freshman Kelly McGrath and Bero returned to the ice, cutting the Saints advantage from six-on-three to six-on-four. Union nearly potted an empty-net goal as Devin returned to the ice, but the shot drifted to the right of the net.
Just as the Dutchwomen were facing a six-on-five advance, Cromartie was called for tripping with less than three minutes to play. Now back to a two-man advantage, Desrochers managed to locate Boulier in a cluster of bodies. The freshman put a shot past Gallagher at the 2:12 mark to tie the game at two.
Despite facing numerous shots in the extra period, Gallagher and Lahonen held strong. Both teams end the game with their first conference tie. The Saints outshot Union 54-23, with Gallagher making 52 saves on the evening.
Union travels to Yale and Brown next weekend, continuing their ECAC Conference play. The Dutchwomen face the Bulldogs on Friday, November 11th, at 7:00 p.m. and taken on the Bears at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 12th.
