ITHACA, N.Y. (1/12/07) – Sophomore Elayna Hamashuk (Nepean, Ont.) backstopped the Colgate University women’s ice hockey team to a 6-0 shutout over Cornell on Friday, Jan. 12 at Lynah Rink.  The 6-0 victory is the largest margin of victory in series history. 

 

Hamashuk made 20 saves in her second career shutout, while senior defender Tara French (Truro, N.S.) paced the Raiders with three points, off of two goals and an assist.

 

Sophomore Sam Hunt (Calgary, Alta.) had the first strike at 12:04 of the first frame. Cornell won a face off low in its end but French stripped them of the puck and sent it up the left side boards to Ashley Bradford (Burnaby, B.C.).  Bradford cut the puck in to Hunt who went top shelf on Beth Baronick.

 

French gave Colgate some cushion before the period ended, scoring with just two ticks left on the scoreboard on an open net.  Freshman Nicole McDonald (Calgary, Alta.) had the initial shot from the top of the right face-off circle that Baronick had to slide to the right side of the net to stop.  The puck popped free from Baronick's pads and onto the paint where French had the clear chance to seal the Raiders’ second goal at 19:58.

 

Colgate’s penalty-killing unit was unstoppable in the first going 3-3.  The Raiders continued to clear the puck and had short-handed chances on net, while the Big Red couldn’t get anything set up.  Colgate finished the frame with a 14-2 shot advantage.

 

Hamashuk got tested early in the second as the Big Red started to lay on some offensive pressure, but she came up with some big saves for the Raiders keeping Cornell off the scoreboard.

 

Colgate quickly made it 4-0 with two goals within one minute and 21 seconds.

 

Colgate pounded the net with a 4x3 advantage and finally snuck one by as the Raider penalty expired at 16:30.  French had a slap shot from the point that found its way through traffic and to the back of the net, for her second marker of the contest.  Hunt and Elin Brown (Calgary, Alta.) earned the assists.

 

Just under two minutes later, sophomore Kiira Dosdall (Fairfield, Conn.) ripped a shot from the point that was redirected by freshman Katie Stewart (Exeter, Ont.) out front.  Hunt was credited with the feed to Dosdall after winning the puck along the boards.

 

Carly McNaughton (Lethbridge, Alta.) got her name in the scoresheet with a tally at 19:07 of the second.  Brown won the puck in the Cornell zone and raced up the near boards, finding freshman Evan Minnick (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) along the way.  Minnick sent a cross-ice pass to McNaughton who tapped in the goal.

 

Freshman Marissa Dombovy (Webster, N.Y.) added the final goal of the game at 14:40 of the third when she connected with classmate Beth Rotenberg (Toronto, Ont.). Rotenberg was tied up with a defender battling for the puck just outside the crease.  Rotenberg sent the puck behind her to Dombovy who was all alone and had the open shot at the net.

 

Baronick made 26 stops for Cornell as shots stood in favor of the Raiders 32-20.

 

Colgate improves to 9-10-1 on the season and 8-3 in the league, while Cornell falls to 2-15-1 and 2-9 in the league.

 

Colgate and Cornell will battle it out again tomorrow as the home-and-home series continues.  The puck drops at 4 p.m., at Starr Rink.