Box Score
Photo Gallery

HAMILTON – The Colgate women's hockey team returned home to Starr Rink on Saturday night after a three-game road swing and earned its first tie of the season with a 2-2 draw against Vermont.

Colgate (3-12-1) received goals from Katelyn Parker and Nicole Gass, who both notched their first of the season. Cat Quirion and Taylor Volpe also added helpers on the goals. Ashlynne Rando earned the start in net, making 26 saves in the contest.

Vermont (7-7-3) saw Sarah Campbell and Brittany Zuback tally markers in the game while Madison Litchfield pushed aside 23 shots.

Each time the Catamounts posted a goal, the Raiders responded with one of their own. Vermont took the early 1-0 lead but Colgate answered a few minutes later to knot the score. Then again the Catamounts notched a goal but with less than two minutes to play in regulation the Raiders found the equalizer to send the game into overtime. Neither team recorded a goal in the extra five minutes of play to end the game tied at 2-all.

Campbell's tally in the opening two minutes of action started the scoring. The played originated after Campbell won the faceoff in the Colgate zone. She played the puck back to Gina Repaci, who shot one towards net from the point. After a Rando save, Campbell was able to slide in the rebound for the early 1-0 advantage.

Despite being down a goal, Colgate would not let up, however, as seven minutes later the Raiders knotted the score at 1-1. Quirion wrapped around the goal from the defensive position and fired one from the back post. While Quirion's shot was initially saved by Litchfield, the Catamount's netminder could not fall on the rebound quick enough as Parker finished the play off by smashing it into the net.

Colgate opened up the middle frame with a man-up opportunity after a Vermont tripping penalty in the closing seconds of the first period. Colgate riffled off two good looks from Katie Case and Rachel Walsh but both missed the target.

At the 15:48 mark of the second period Colgate was called for checking, which awarded Vermont a power play. The Catamounts recorded the go-ahead goal wth 20 seconds remaining in the extra man opportunity. Victoria Andreakos sent the puck over to Dayna Colang, who tried her luck from the top of the right faceoff circle. The puck took a deflection off of Zuback and into the back of the net.

In the opening minutes of the final period, Colgate fired four shots off before the Catamounts could settle back into play. Two of those came from the stick of Taylor Craig but the Raiders could not find the back of the net.

Less than a minute later Liz Trautz saw an opening and drove one on frame, but a glove save from Litchfield kept the Raiders out of the net.

With 1:17 remaining in the third period, Colgate pulled the goalie to allow for an extra skater. The decision ended up paying off as the Raiders again tied the score to send the game into overtime. Colgate worked the puck around before Volpe found Gass at the point. The sophomore took a shot that deflected off a Vermont player and into the back of the net past the lower left pad of the goalie.

In overtime the Raider had an opportunity to grab the win after Melissa Kueber  found herself on a breakaway. While skating towards goal, Kueber was tripped, which awarded Colgate a penalty shot. Kueber stepped up to try her luck on net but Litchfield made an incredible save to push the puck away from net to keep the Catamounts' alive.

Neither team was able to notch the game-winner as the game ended in a draw.

These two teams faceoff again on Sunday for the final contest of this two-game set. The match is scheduled for a 2 p.m. puck drop in Starr Rink.