After opening the season with a pair of home victories against Vermont, the Red dropped two straight at Lynah this weekend to the Wayne State Warriors. Cornell fell victim to Wayne State’s efficient power play Friday night in a 4-1 defeat and suffered a heartbreaking, 5-4, overtime loss Saturday afternoon.
Cornell sophomore forward Liz Zorn opened the scoring Friday night, giving the Red a 1-0 advantage nearly eight minutes into the first period. However, the lead did not last long. Warriors’ junior forward Lindsay DiPietro knotted the game at 1-1 on a power play goal near the end of the first period after Cornell sophomore goaltender Jenny Niesluchowski was whistled for tripping.
The Warriors maintained possession of the puck in the Cornell zone for most of the second period and finally scored the go-ahead goal when junior forward Sam Poyton ripped a shot inside the left post.
However, Melissa Boal, another junior forward for the Warriors, provided insurance for Wayne State with a pair of goals before the final whistle, leading her team to 4-1 victory.
The Red’s ineffective power play killing abilities may have been ultimately to blame for its first loss of the season. All but one of the Warrior’s goals came via the power play.
Niesluchowski deflected 36 of 40 shots, while Wayne State senior goaltender Valery Turcotte blocked 17 of 18 Cornell shots.
It appeared that a different Red team showed up for Saturday afternoon’s contest against Wayne State, exploding onto the ice and lighting the lamp early and often. Although Cornell jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period of play, defensive miscues allowed Wayne State to tie the game in regulation.
The Red scored back-to-back goals in the sixth minute of the initial period as sophomore forward Liz Zorn and freshman forward Rebecca Johnston both found the back of the net.
Cornell sophomore forward Laura Danforth gave the Red a 3-0 edge in the final minutes of play in the first period. Senior forward Brittany Forgues supplied what appeared to be icing on the cake with an insurance goal in the second period. The Red enjoyed a 4-0 advantage into the middle of the second stanza.
However, Wayne State roared back, scoring three unanswered second period goals in the span of five minutes. The porous Cornell defense quickly regrouped and was able to stifle the Warriors’ potent offensive attack. However, Wayne State’s DiPietro tied the game at 4-4 with 6:46 remaining in regulation.
The momentum carried over into overtime for the Warriors, who cashed in early on the power play when Boal scored the game-winning goal at the 1:37 mark of the extra session.
Niesluchowski blocked 30 of 34 shots, while Turcotte saved 17 of 18 Cornell shots.