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HAMILTON, N.Y. (11/26/11) – Junior Brittany Phillips scored her first career hat trick and added an assist to lead the Colgate women's hockey team past Vermont 5-1 on Saturday afternoon in the first matchup of the two-game set in Starr Rink.
 
Phillips had four points from three goals and one assist while classmate Jenna Klynstra also had four points from four assists. Sophomore Taylor Volpe added the game-winning goal and an assist for the Raiders while sophomore Rachel Walsh also scored a goal.
 
After a slow start to the game in which only two shots were taken, both of which came from Colgate (6-9-1, 2-4-1 ECAC Hockey), a hooking penalty on Vermont allowed the Raiders an extra skater at the beginning of the fourth minute. Colgate soon capitalized seconds later at the 4:08 mark when Phillips received a pass from Volpe and blasted it into the back of the net to give her team a 1-0 lead. Junior Jessica Hootz was also credited with an assist. As the game progressed, the Catamounts found their offensive rhythm with a trio of power play opportunities. They came close to scoring in the 13th minute when a shot made its way past senior goalie Kimberly Sass but hit the pipe. However, at the end of the first 20 minutes of play, the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Raiders.
 
In the second period Colgate played a very attacking game. An early penalty on Vermont once again allowed the Raiders to find their shooting momentum, forcing Kelci Lanthier to make some impressive saves. Then, at the 1:54 mark, a powerful shot from Phillips off a pass from Klynstra was mishandled by Lanthier and dropped in front of Volpe. Volpe then knocked it into the back of the net to score Colgate's second power play goal. The Raiders continued to hold the shooting advantage throughout most of the period and then, at the 15:46 mark, netted their third goal when Klynstra passed the puck to Phillips who then carried it down the center of the ice and fired it past the goalie into the top right corner of the frame. Senior co-captain Amanda Kirwan also had an assist in the play. Phillips then tallied her third goal of the game less than four minutes later when she skated in from the left side, went along the edge of the crease and then slipped the puck around the goalie to put the score at 4-0. Klynstra and senior Kristi-Lyn Pollock had assists in the goal. Colgate outshot Vermont 15-4 in the second period.
 
In the final 20 minutes of play, Vermont came out playing an offensive game as it searched for its first goal. The Catamounts held the shooting advantage in the first seven minutes of the stanza. However, a series of Vermont penalties allowed the Raiders to find their attacking rhythm once again midway through the period and find a fifth goal at the 12:52 mark. After previously having a goal by freshman Miriam Drubel called back by the officials at the 9:20 mark, Colgate made up for it when Klynstra picked up a pass from sophomore Megan Wickens and shot it on net. Walsh then pounced on the rebound from the save and slid it into the goal to increase the Raiders' lead to five goals. Vermont was eventually able to find its first goal with 22 seconds left in the game to deny Colgate the shut out and put the final score at 5-1. The Raiders held a 34-20 shooting advantage in the game.
 
Kimberly Sass had 19 saves for Colgate while Kelci Lanthier had 29 stops for the Catamounts. The Raiders scored on two of their seven power play chances while Vermont went 1-for-6 on the extra skater advantage.
 
Colgate will resume play tomorrow (Nov. 27) with a second matchup against Vermont at 2 p.m. in Starr Rink. This will be the Raiders' final game of the 2011 portion their schedule.