POTSDAM, NY – After a scoreless first period, the Dutchwomen could not contain the high-powered Clarkson offense. The Golden Knights netted three goals in a span of eight minutes in the second period in an eventual 6-0 loss at Cheel Arena Friday afternoon.

The fourth-ranked Golden Knights improved to 6-1-0 overall and 1-0-0 in ECAC Hockey, while Union fell to 2-3-0 and 0-1-0 in league play. Union will be looking to rebound from the loss as the Dutchwomen will take on St. Lawrence tomorrow afternoon beginning at 2:00.

Though much of the first period was played in the Union defensive end, the Golden Knights were unable to get many solid scoring opportunities. The Dutchwomen tied up the Clarkson offensive players behind the net and though the Knights got some shots off, half of them were blocked before they reached the Union net. The best scoring chance came for the Dutchwomen late in the period when Christine Valente took a shot from the slot. Clarkson goaltender Erica Howe was able to make a save from the seat of her pants and then snagged another attempt, this time while upright, from the middle of the right circle just a few seconds later.

Clarkson started the second period quickly down a player as the Knights were whistled for an interference call, but Union was held to just a single shot with an extra-skater. Called for another interference penalty with five seconds remaining in the first penalty, Clarkson continued to hold off all Union charges for close to a full four minutes, and even had a pair of shots come from Danielle Skirrow, one of which was a one-on-one with the Union goaltender Shenae Lundberg.

Shortly after the two penalty kills, Clarkson's offense opened up the game with three second-period goals. Junior Vanessa Gagnon started the play making when she skated deep into the Union zone below the right circle and sent a pass across the slot to linemate Shelby Nisbet who rattled a shot top shelf at 6:51 to make the score 1-0. Less than three minutes later, Nisbet would earn an assist with a ricochet to her right wing Olivia Howe, who flipped in a shot at 9:12 for a 2-0 Clarkson lead. Freshman Erin Ambrose was awarded, along with Nisbet, with an assist.

Late in the second period the Golden Knights struck again when senior Danielle Skirrow picked up a loose puck from behind the net following a missed shot from Hailey Wood, and slipped a shot past Lundberg on her stick side at the 14:38 mark of the frame. Wood and sophomore Christine Lambert scored helpers on Skirrow's fourth goal of the year.

A mix up at the start of the third put the Knights down a player to start the period, but once again, Clarkson was able to shut down the Dutchwomen power-play, pushing its penalty kill to 92% on the season. The Knights added on to their lead midway through the final frame. Skirrow sent a pass out to the point to Ambrose, but the freshman only got a piece of the puck and it skipped back up to Skirrow near the bottom of the left circle. From there, the senior chipped a pass across the slot to Christine Lambert, who finished off the play with her first goal of the season at 10:09.

A scrum in front accounted for Clarkson's fifth goal of the game. Jamie Lee Rattray and Brittany Styner exchanged chances in front of the Union cage, and finally a shot/pass made its way across the crease to an open Carly Mercer, who flipped the puck into an open net on Lundberg's glove side at 16:36. Both Rattray and Styner earned assists on the play, extending Rattray's season-opening point-scoring streak to seven games.

Styner tacked on one more goal late on Lundberg's stick side to increase the lead to six and end the game with a Golden Knights win.

Howe was called upon to make 16 saves in the game for her third shutout and fifth victory of the young season, while Lundberg made 30 saves. Clarkson out shot Union 36-16, and went 1-for-1 on the power play. The Dutchwomen were held scoreless in their four chances with an extra skater.