It was a bitter sweet ending to three illustrious careers yesterday as Cornell women’s ice hockey seniors Patricia Kemp, Danielle Biladeau and Erica Olson made their final appearance on the ice of Lynah Rink.
In their four-year stand, these three women have accumulated a total of 83 goals and 115 assists. Olson also set career highs for goals, points and assists this season. Her offensive prowess ranks her 16th on the all-time goals scored list with 45.
“[The seniors] will certainly be missed,” commented head coach Carol Mullins. “The three have left a good legacy.”
On Saturday the Red fell to Princeton 5-2. The Tigers used a three-goal second period to seal the victory. For the Red, Anita Khar and Olson scored for Cornell.
However the seniors’ legacy was finalized in an impressive performance by Kemp and Olson during their final day in Cornell uniforms. The duo led the Red (10-18-1, 7-16-1 ECAC) to an exciting 4-2 victory over Yale (3-23-2, 2-21-1) yesterday. This win increased the Red’s all-time series lead over Yale to 39-1.
Olson opened all scoring when she took a pass from Kemp at 6:05 in the first period, during a power play. Sophomore Brooke Bestwick also added an assist on the play. Kemp then turned around and added her own goal, this time off a pass from Olson at 14:41.
For the third goal of the game, junior Sarah Olivier hit sophomore Lindsay Murao just 31 seconds into the second stanza. Finally at 16:04 in the same period, Olson added her second goal and the final Cornell goal of the game.
Yale tried to rally by beating Cornell sophomore Sanya Sandahl twice, but was unable to mount any true comeback.
Sandahl finished the game with 12 saves. This excellent performance came after Saturday’s 14 save effort, which put Sandahl past Alanna Hayes for tenth on the Cornell single season saves list with 457.
After the game, Biladeau praised the team, stating “The girls did a great job today.”
Unfortunately for the Red, Biladeau’s observation came from the sideline, where she was forced to watch yesterday’s game as well as various other contests during the season because of an injury. Her presence was severely missed on the ice.
In an emotional last skate around the ice, tears could be seen in the eyes of the seniors who had dedicated so much to their sport and their team.
Kemp may have expressed it best when she spoke about her past four years on the team.
“It’s been a great experience, a great four years. Every semester just gets better. It’s great to graduate with so many friends on the team.” She added: “The win was a nice way to go out.”
A victory in their final contest was truly a great way to end three wonderful careers. The players’ legacy leaves an indelible mark in the minds of Cornell women’s hockey fans, manifested by their numbers.
Although Cornell bids farewell to three phenomenal seniors, a strong core of younger players will be returning to try for even bigger and better things next season.
Archived article by Kristen Haunss