NEW HAMPSHIRE DROPS 3-1 DECISION TO ST. LAWRENCE

Freshman defenseman Alexis Crossley scored a goal for the Wildcats

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's hockey team fell to St. Lawrence Friday night by a score of 3-1. The loss drops the Wildcats to 3-5-0 on the year while the Saints improve to 3-5-0 overall.

The first period saw an equal amount of offense from both sides with each team registering nine shots. Wildcat netminder Vilma Vaattovaara (Veikkola, Finland) was perfect through the period as was SLU goalie Carmen MacDonald. Junior Jessica Hitchcock (LaSalle, Ontario) tallied a pair of back-to-back shots that were ultimately denied by MacDonald. Through the first 20 minutes of play, the score remained leveled, 0-0.

New Hampshire jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second period when blueliner Alexis Crossley (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) tallied her fourth goal of the season at the 10:40 mark on a power play. Kristina Lavoie (Fonthill, Ontario) and Kristine Horn (Utica, Mich.) each tallied an assist on the play. The Saints responded with a goal of their own when Rylee Smith netted her first of two goals on the night with 1:20 remaining in the period. Amanda Boulier tallied her first of two assists of the evening while Kelly Sabatine also recorded her first of two. At the end of two periods, the score was tied 1-1.

SLU took a 2-1 lead just over four minutes into the third period when Smith netted her second goal of the night. Boulier and Sabatine again assisted Smith on the play. The Saints upped their lead to 3-1 with a goal by Kailee Heidersbach. Heidersbach received the pass from Michelle Ng and skated down the ice with it. As she approached the net, she sent a shot to the top right corner of the net, beating Vaattovaara. At the end of the game, St. Lawrence held on for a 3-1 victory.

Vaattovaara received the decision in net for the Wildcats after making 29 saves on the 32 shots she faced. Her record now stands at 3-5-0. MacDonald received her third victory of the year for SLU when she made 24 saves on 25 shots.

The two teams will battle again Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Whittemore Center. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.