University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Fall to No. 5 St. Lawrence, 5-4
10/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. (Oct. 16) - The University of Connecticut women's ice hockey team (0-2-0) fell to No. 5 St. Lawrence (2-0-0), 5-4, on Saturday afternoon at the Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn. The Huskies held the lead twice in the game, but the Saints came back both times to take the win and sweep the series.
Freshman Liz Gallinaro (Amherst, Mass.) wasted no time collecting her first goal as a Husky, putting UConn up 1-0 just 24 seconds into the game. Gallinaro brought the puck up from the blueline and sailed a one-timer past Saints goalie Meaghan Guckian on her glove side. The Saints came back to tie the game at 11:39 with a goal by Rebecca Russell, and then took a 2-1 lead just over four minutes later with their fifth power play goal of the series, scored by Crystal Connors. St. Lawrence completed the period with a 11-10 edge on shots.
Connecticut started the second period with a 5-on-3 advantage, but was unable to capitalize. The Huskies were able to tie up the game at 2-2 on a power play later in the period when sophomore blueliner Natalie Vibert (Thunder Bay, Ontario) tucked the puck into the net at 9:03. Seniors Megan McLeod (Livonia, Mich.) and Shannon Connolly (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) each collected an assist.
The Huskies then took the lead for the second time in the game at 12:16. Gallinaro fired a shot on goal, with freshman Jaclyn Hawkins (Manotick, Ontario) stuffing in the rebound during a flurry in front of the Saints' net. The goal was Hawkins' third of the weekend and moved to score to 3-2. The lead was brief though as St. Lawrence's Kim Kadatsky knotted the score to 3-3,where it would stand heading into the second intermission, just under two minutes later. UConn out-shot St. Lawrence 13-12 during the second period.
St. Lawrence came out swinging to open the third stanza, knocking in two goals in the first five minutes for a 5-3 lead. The Huskies refused to back down though. Junior Janelle Armitage (Kinsella, Alberta) received the puck off a faceoff and walked it into the goal at 16:35 to cut the Saints' lead to one. UConn goaltender Kaitlyn Shain (Calgary, Alberta) was pulled for the final 1:22 while the team was on a power play, but the Huskies were not able to score on the two-man advantage and the final score stood at 5-4.
The game was another physical one, with each team notching nine penalties. The Huskies went 1-for-8 on the power play, with St. Lawrence going 1-for-9. The Saints had a 31-27 advantage in shots. Connecticut scored nine goals on the weekend, the most they have scored in a series since tallying nine against Niagara Jan. 4-5, 2003.
Connecticut opens Hockey East play next weekend, facing No. 7 New Hampshire on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m. in Durham, N.H.
