The women’s hockey team (1-9-1, 0-5-1 ECAC) continued its non-conference schedule over the winter break with games against Niagara and Findlay. The Red also participated in the Theresa Humes Tournament in Montreal hosted by Concordia, coming away with a third place finish in the eight-team draw.
The icers squared off against Niagara (10-9-3) at Lynah Rink for its final game of 2002 on Dec. 8. Senior Sanya Sandahl got the start in goal, but the Purple Eagles got on the board early as Jennifer Goulet notched a goal from the low slot 33 seconds into the game. The score remained 1-0 after the first period, as the Red outshot Niagara 7-6.
At 12:46 in the second period, Melissa Hamilton collected a rebound and put it past Sandahl to put the Purple Eagles up 2-0. Senior Liz Connelly replaced Sandahl in net shortly afterward, as head coach Melody Davidson had planned to have each goalie play a half of the game.
The Red had its share of scoring chances in the second period, with two breakaways and a shot that dinged off the right post.
Neither team put up a goal in the third stanza, but Niagara held the advantage in shots with 13 to Cornell’s four. Jennifer Mascaro stopped 20 shots for the Purple Eagles to earn her first shutout of the season. Sandahl and Connelly each made 13 saves for the Red.
After the exam break, the Red traveled up to Montreal on Jan. 3 for the Theresa Humes Tournament. The icers opened the tournament against the University of Quebec, Trois-Rivieres. Freshman Jen Munhofen opened the scoring for the Red at 1:52 of the first period, but UQTR would tie the game on a power play goal 3:10 into the second period.
Senior captain Brooke Bestwick and Munhofen set up the Red’s next two goals, with senior Lindsay Murao scoring on the power play at 10:52 of the second period and freshman Andrea Skinner adding a tally of her own less than two minutes later.
UQTR would score the next three goals, one coming at 15:33 in the second, and two more in the first 10 minutes of the third period. Bestwick tied the game with an unassisted goal at 14:58 and then assisted on sophomore Pearle Nerenberg’s goal at 16:26 to give the Red a 5-4 lead. UQTR tied the game again 30 seconds later, and the game headed into overtime with the score five all.
Skinner would clinch the game for the Red in the extra session, scoring on a breakaway at 3:59 of the overtime period. Sandahl stopped 22 of 27 shots for the Red, while UQTR’s Marie Andree Joneas stopped 59 of 65 shots.
“I was happy with the scoring chances we generated,” said head coach Melody Davidson.
“Sanya was steady in goal, but I thought she could have been a little more consistent,” she said.
The Red faced off against the Quebec Under-18 team in the semifinals the following day. Freshman Flora Vineberg made her first start this season for Cornell. Team Quebec scored on the power play at 11:48 in the first period, and the Red tied the game on a goal by senior Erin Ellis at 6:59 of the third period. Valeria Choutnard notched the game winner at 10:44 of the third period.
Vineberg and Francheska Perron of Team Quebec each stopped 23 shots in the game. Team Quebec advanced to the championship game against host Concordia and came away with a 5-4 win.
With the loss, the Red played Middlebury in the third place game on the final day of the tournament. The icers jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period as Munhofen and Murao found the back of the net at 1:37 and 9:02 respectively. Middlebury scored a goal in the second and third periods to tie the game and force an overtime period. Both teams had three shots during the 10-minute extra sessions, but neither found the back of the net, and the game went to a shootout.
“We have a shootout drill during the first practice every week, so the team was prepared,” said Davidson.
Munhofen scored on the Red’s first attempt, but Middlebury put one by Connelly to even the shootout at one. Junior Briana Jentner scored Cornell’s second goal of the shootout, but Middlebury’s final shooter beat Connelly to send the game to sudden victory shootout format.
Nerenberg scored on her attempt to seal the victory for Cornell as Connelly stopped Middlebury’s attempt.
“All three contests were tight, edge of the seat games,” said Davidson. “[The tournament] was a good test for us.”
The Red traveled to Ohio last weekend for a two-game set against Findlay at Clauss Ice Arena. Vineberg started her first NCAA game for the Red. The Oilers got on the board late in the first period, as Nicole Richardson netted her second goal of the season. Melissa Oliver scored another goal for Findlay at 6:41 of the second period, and Cori Forbes would add the Oilers’ third score in the third period to give Findlay the 3-0 win. Erin Blair recorded her first shutout of the season in goal, stopping 17 shots. Vineberg made 32 saves for the Red.
“It was a typical road game on Saturday. The team had bus-legs, and we lacked intensity and smartness,” said Davidson.
On Sunday, Connelly started in net for the Red, while Blair started again in goal for Findlay. Neither team scored in the first two periods, as the Oilers outshot Cornell 17-10. Freshman Caitlin Warren scored on the power play at 4:33 of the third period and added an assist on Bestwick’s power play goal at 11:49. Connelly’s shutout bid was ruined, as Hilary Foord scored with the extra attacker at 19:46.
“We came to play on Sunday. We normally put together a great 40-minute effort, and today we were able to score a power play goal in the third and come back and score another one,” said Davidson.
With the win over Findlay, the icers snapped a 12-game winless streak dating back to last season’s ECAC playoffs. The Red will play its first home games of 2003 this weekend, as it faces off against No. 10 Mercyhurst on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Lynah Rink.
Archived article by Jonathan Auerbach