BOX SCORE

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - With less than two minutes left in overtime, sophomore Taylor Volpe scored the game winning goal to put Colgate up 2-1 over the Union College women's hockey team. It was the forward's seventh goal of the season, and helped move the Raiders to 8-11-1 and 3-5-1 in the ECAC. The Dutchwomen are now 3-16-2 overall and 1-8-1 in conference play.

After 60 minutes of an even paced and heated game, Colgate gained an advantage when Union took a penalty 72 seconds into the extra frame. The Dutchwomen were able to force the puck into the Raider's defensive zone several times during the man-disadvantage, but Volpe scored a powerplay, back-door goal with two seconds left on senior Chelsey Heinhuis' penalty. Senior Amanda Kirwan fed to Volpe from the left of the net for the assist.

The match was a defensive game from the beginning, with both squads taking only a combined eight shots in the first period. Although, plenty of time was spent in both defensive zones throughout.

Sophomore Mac Purvis had the first chance of the game for the Dutchwomen, sending a shot towards Colgate netminder Kimberly Sass from the top of the slot. Kirwan was there to block, however, keeping the score 0-0. Blocked shots would be a common feature of the contest, as both teams each had 19.

The Raiders would be first to go on the powerplay at the 8:55 mark. Junior Jenna Klynstra was denied by sophomore Maddy Norton with a blocked shot early on, and the Dutchwomen went on to kill the penalty.

Union had the advantage minutes later when sophomore Megan Wickens took an interference call. Freshman Christine Valente nearly took the lead for the Dutchwomen when she gained the rebound off of a blocked shot taken by Norton. The rookie skated around the Raiders' defense to attempt a backhand directly in front of Sass, but the senior quickly covered for the save.

The second period began with the Dutchwomen down by one skater, as senior Dania Simmonds was called for a penalty with seconds remaining in the first. The powerplay did not go as planned for the Raiders, with sophomore Ashley Johnston blocking a shot and sending the rebound towards senior Emilie Arseneault. The veteran charged down the ice on one of her several breakaways, but was denied by Sass.

Back at even strength, Union's defense continued to excel. Sophomore Stefanie Thomson was a playmaker, making smart decisions along the boards to force the puck into Colgate's defensive zone. Simmonds was also key in keeping the puck in Union's possession.

Senior Lauren Cromartie took the puck all the way down the ice at the 14 minute mark, dropping a pass back through junior Jeannie Sabourin and then to Valente. Valente quickly took a slap shot, but it was deflected wide. Minutes later, Norton would gain another opportunity with a shot from the top of the slot. However, Sass was there to make the save.

The Raiders would have the next best chance of the game, gaining back-to-back powerplays halfway through the period. Volpe nearly scored on a pass from freshman Melissa Kueber, but netminder Kate Gallagher was solid in goal. The senior pushed the puck away from the corner with her stick at the last moment for the save.

Union would have an offensive surge in the final minutes of the middle frame. Sabourin and freshman Bryanne Panchuk were consecutively stopped by Sass, who then made a save on another breakaway from Arseneault. Cromartie would feed to freshman Alex Tancrell-Fontaine for a slap shot, and the senior attempted to gain the rebound off of the save, but was immediately tied up.

As time ran out, the Dutchwomen were called for another penalty with only seconds remaining. Valente had an excellent defensive game, blocking two shots in a row to keep the game scoreless going into the second intermission.

The Dutchwomen were able to kill off the remaining time of their penalty, despite intense slap shots from sophomore Shannon Doyle and freshman Miriam Drubel. However, Gallagher was unable to fend off Brittany Phillips as Union returned to even strength. The junior fired a shot from the right and sent the puck sailing over Gallagher's shoulder to make the game 1-0.

The Raiders gave up some of their momentum minutes later, taking back-to-back penalties. On Union's second powerplay, Panchuk fired a shot from the top right corner and found senior Lauren Hoffman at the circle. The senior sent the puck towards Sass' right, were junior Rhianna Kurio was waiting for the rebound. Kurio went top shelf to tie the game 1-1 with 10:27 left to play.

Penalties would contintue to plague the game, however, and the Dutchwomen soon found themselves on the negative side of a 5-on-3. Union's defense battled to clear the puck and managed to kill off both penalties to keep the contest tied.

The final minutes of the game were played 4-on-4 with a skater from each squad in the box. Despite going into the overtime period at even strength, the Dutchwomen would again be shorthanded to give Colgate the advantage. Volpe scored at the 1:50 mark to gain the ECAC win.

Gallagher made 29 saves in the game, while Sass stopped 25 shots. The Dutchwomen outshot the Raiders in the third period 14-10, but Colgate had the advantage overall with 31-26.

The Dutchwomen are back in action on Tuesday, January 10th, when they travel to the University of Connecticut. The final non-conference match of the season begins at 7:00 p.m.