The women’s hockey team beat Vermont on Friday to earn its third straight win. But on Saturday, No. 2 Dartmouth made sure the streak ended right there.
Cornell (3-3-0, 3-3-0 ECACHL) defeated the Catamounts, 4-2, at Lynah Rink, as sophomore forward Halina Kristalyn scored two goals and an assist. But the undefeated Green proved to be a much tougher challenge, and Dartmouth (7-0-0, 6-0-0 ECACHL) beat the Red, 8-2. Vermont (2-12-1, 0-6-0 ECACHL) scored first Friday, at 4:31 of the second period. But the Catamounts’ lead was short-lived, as Kristalyn found the net at 4:57. She was assisted on the power-play goal by senior forward Pearle Nerenberg and junior forward Jen Munhofen.
“We just wanted to get the puck to the net. We knew we need a lot of shots to win,” Kristalyn said.
At 11:08, freshman forward Sarah Johnston was called for tripping. Despite being down a player, senior forward Maryann Nowak was able to score at 12:50. Sophomore forward Caroline Scott had an assist on the short-handed goal.
Cornell would lead for the rest of the game. Kristalyn scored again, at 14:36 of the second period for her third goal of the year. The Red went up, 4-1, in the third period, when Scott earned her second goal of the year. Vermont would score the last goal of the night, late in the final period.
“[Vermont’s] a pretty solid team,” Kristalyn said. “But they’re a team that we should beat.”
Cornell junior goalie Flora Vineberg had 22 saves, while Vermont’s Kami Cote had 19.
Vermont may currently be at the bottom of the ECACHL standings, but Dartmouth leads the league. On Saturday, the well-balanced Green showed why it is one the nation’s best teams. Three Dartmouth players scored multiple goals, and the powerful Green defense allowed only 17 shots.
“They’re a great team,” Kristalyn said. “But I don’t think it was an ‘8-2 game.’ They took advantage of any mistake [or] penalty.”
Dartmouth scored on three of its eight power play opportunities, and the Green had 38 shots on the day. Forward Tiffany Hagge had eight shots and five points.
Dartmouth opened the scoring at 1:43 of the first period. Cornell was able to pull even at 13:36, when senior defender Lara Kelly scored a power-play goal. It was the first goal of her collegiate career. She was assisted by Kristalyn and Scott.
But the Green broke the tie at 16:59. Dartmouth’s leading scorer Katie Weatherston scored her first goal of the night, and the Green did not look back. Dartmouth scored three goals, before Cornell junior forward Vicki Hodgkinson managed a power-play score at 14:24 of the second period. But Dartmouth responded with three more goals in the final period.
Cornell goalie Beth Baronick had 30 saves. Dartmouth goalie Kate Lane had 15.
The Red will travel to meet Wayne State next weekend, in Detroit, Mich. The two-game set will be Cornell’s first non-conference action of the year. The Warriors are currently 4-6-2, and they have played only two games at home.
Archived article by Ted Nyman
Sun Staff Writer