HAMILTON, N.Y. - Sophomore
Riley Walsh set the Union College women's hockey program's new single-season Division I points record with her 25th point of the season in Union's loss to #4 Colgate, 3-2, at Class of 1965 Arena Friday night.
With Union down 2-0 just past the midway point of the third period, Walsh scooped up a loose puck at the top of the slot in the offensive zone, carried towards net, and deposited her team-leading 11th goal of the year gloveside high to break the record and bring Union back within one.
It's already been a historic year for the sophomore, who became the first player in the program's Division I history- and just second ever- with multiple 20-point seasons after reaching the benchmark with a pair of assists in Union's New Year's Day victory at Saint Michael's.
Walsh's goal breathed some life into what at that point had been a fairly quiet night with quantity, but not quality, of shots, as Union would go on to outshoot the Raiders 14-8 in the final period.
The difference maker would come less than two minutes later, as sophomore Tessa Holk broke loose and found the back of the net on a shorthanded breakaway for her third goal of the year to give Colgate the cushion they lost just a couple minutes before.
Union wouldn't go down without a fight however, as junior
Ashley Adams won a one-on-one puck battle above the left circle in Union's offensive zone and went top shelf for her first of the year to bring the Garnet Chargers back within one with 4:31 left.
The Garnet Chargers continued their ferocious battle down to the final buzzer, with junior
Maren Friday's shot going just wide with three seconds left, but wouldn't be able to find the tying goal.
Another major highlight to Union's night was junior goaltender
Sophie Matsoukas. While Matsoukas' 24 saves wouldn't pop anyone's eyes, the junior made about half a dozen of highlight reel saves throughout the contest to keep Union in the game.
Arguably the best one came with six and a half minutes left in the second. Kas Betinol's shot from the circle deflected off senior
Meredith Killian and sent the puck in the opposite direction as it was originally heading, but Matsoukas got just enough of it with her outstretched glove to keep it from going over the line- and then had the wherewithal to reach to her side and tuck the puck up against her body.
Union had a troublesome first period, committing three penalties in the opening 20 minutes, but Matsoukas made seven saves on the penalty kill apart of her 12 first period stops to cement a scoreless opening frame.
Colgate broke open the scoring just over seven and a half minutes into the second, as Elyssa Biederman fought her way through traffic to get to the doorstep for her 12th goal of the season. The Raiders would add an insurance goal with four minutes left in the middle frame, as Danielle Serdachny kicked a loose puck amongst a pile of bodies at Matsoukas' left post that found its way over the goal line to make it 2-0.
Union's comeback would come just short, even as the Garnet Chargers killed off all four of their penalties against the nation's second-ranked power play that came into the game with a remarkable 37.8 conversion percentage.
Colgate outshot Union 37-26 in the contest.
Union will continue on their road trip to Ithaca, when they take on #6/#7 Cornell at Lynah Rink at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday for the team's final road game of the regular season.
