| Prd | Time | Team | Score | Type | Scored By | Assists |
| 1st | 0:25 | MER | 1-0 | EV | Felila Manu (1) | Paige Voight/2 |
| 1st | 7:22 | STC | 1-1 | PP | Alexandra Makaric (1) | Christa Moody/2, Brittney Anderson/2 |
| 1st | 18:14 | STC | 2-1 | EV | Julia Tylke (1) | Brittney Anderson/3, Molly Illikainen/1 |
| 2nd | 2:00 | MER | 2-2 | PP | Dominique Kremer (1) | Jackie Pieper/1, Paige Voight/3 |
| 2nd | 8:14 | STC | 3-2 | EV GW | Hannah Potrykus (1) | Brittney Anderson/4, Alyssa Erickson/1 |
| 2nd | 17:05 | STC | 4-2 | EV | Payge Pena (1) | Alexandra Makaric/1, Hanna Brodt/2 |
| 3rd | 0:31 | STC | 5-2 | PP | Alyssa Erickson (1) | Lexi Slattery/3, Molly Illikainen/2 |
| 3rd | 2:58 | STC | 6-2 | EV | Suvi Ollikainen (1) | Molly Illikainen/3, Julia Tylke/1 |
| Scoring | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| St. Cloud State | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Merrimack | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Shots on Goal | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | SOG |
| St. Cloud State | 11 | 9 | 6 | 26 |
| Merrimack | 9 | 5 | 9 | 23 |
| Team Stats and Records | PP | PIM | SHGF |
| St. Cloud State (2-0-0) | 2/3 | 3/6 | 0 |
| Merrimack (0-2-0) | 1/3 | 3/6 | 0 |
| St. Cloud State Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Taylor Crosby (W, 1-0-0) | 60:00 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 21 |
| Merrimack Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Kate Kowalchuk (L, 0-1-0) | 42:52 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| Samantha Ridgewell | 17:02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Empty Net | 0:06 | 0 |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Despite winning battles and impressing in their opening games, the Merrimack College women's ice hockey team fell to the St. Cloud State Huskies in the concluding game of their weekend series, 6-2 on Saturday afternoon at Lawler Rink.
The Basics
Score: St. Cloud State 6, Merrimack 2
Records: Merrimack (0-2-0) | St. Cloud State (2-0-0)
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
The Warriors took the ice in the first period and started attacking right out of the gate, determined to notch their program's first-ever win. Just 25 seconds into the game, freshman defensemen Felila Manu (Anchorage, Alaska) fired a shot from the point that found the top-corner of the net for her first-career goal and the first goal of the game. Freshman forward Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.) would find Manu all alone at the point for the assist.
As the game began to progress, it became clear that much like Friday night's game, special teams would play a big factor in the contest. Within the first five minutes of the game, each team would take a checking penalty, but neither side would capitalize on their first power play opportunity. But when Merrimack took a second penalty at 7:22 in the first, the Huskies would make the Warriors pay and tie the game at 1. As time in the first period wound down, Julia Tylke would add another for St. Cloud and give them a 2-1 lead headed to the first intermission.
The Warriors would get the opportunity to respond, as the Huskies would take another penalty just 27 seconds into the second period. The most-efficient power play in the nation through two games would score yet another man-advantage goal, as freshman defenseman Dominique Kremer (West Fargo, N.D.) would crash the net and put a loose rebound in to bring the game back to a tie with her first career score.
After Kremer's goal, the Huskies would fight back score two unanswered goals in in the middle period, including one with less than three minutes until intermission. After falling behind by two goals yet again, the Warriors picked up the intensity and physicality of the game only to be given another penalty with under one minute in the period.
With that penalty carrying over to the final period, the fresh legs of the Huskies power-play were able to capitalize for the second time in the game and fifth time in the two-game series to extend their lead to 5-2 early in the third.
The Huskies sixth score and final goal of the game would come just shy of the 3:00 mark of the third period, giving the Warriors a high hill to climb in the final 17 minutes. Merrimack would get another power-play opportunity in the third and would execute it well. Despite crisp passes, hard shots on net and plenty of offensive zone time, the Warriors were unable to find the back of the net again.
Inside The Numbers
- Voight would notch quality assists on both of Merrimack's goals, improving her team leading totals to 1-3-4 to start the inaugural season.
- Special teams would play a huge roll for both squads in their opening games. The Warriors went a nation-best 5-9 on the power play in the series, with six of their five goals coming on the man-advantage. On the flip side, Merrimack went 5-10 on the penalty kill as the Huskies scored nearly half of their goals on the power play.
- Despite the six goals, the Warriors greatly improved in the defensive end, cutting St. Cloud's shot total from the first game to the second almost in half.
Up Next
The Warriors gear up for the program's first-ever road trip as they head to Robert Morris next weekend for a two-game series in Pennsylvania. Puck drop for the first game on Friday set for 7:05 p.m.