POTSDAM, N.Y. – The No. 5 Colgate women's hockey program picked up a big 3-1 win at No. 10 Clarkson Monday evening for the Raiders' sixth win against a top-10 opponent this season. With goals scored by three different Raiders, Colgate remains undefeated in ECAC action with a record of 4-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Clarkson scored at the 4:18 mark of the first period to give the Golden Knights an early lead, but it was all Colgate for the next two periods as Clarkson struggled to gain any offensive momentum. The Raiders answered minutes later as sophomore
Danielle Serdachny capitalized on Clarkson's penalty to tie the game with a power play goal.
Just 1:38 later, senior
Malia Schneider scored her second goal of the season to give the Raiders the lead for the first time in the game on a highlight reel play. At the end of the first period, Colgate was dominating shots on goal, outshooting the Golden Knights 16-4.
The second period maintained its fast pace as Colgate continued to get shots. The frame was highlighted by a Raiders' defense that held the Golden Knights to just five shots on goal - including zero shots for the first eight minutes of the period - and key saves by first-year goaltender
Kayle Osborne. At the end of the second period, Colgate was outshooting the Golden Knights 22-9.
A major penalty committed by Clarkson led to a power play five minutes into the third period, but a slashing penalty on junior
Noemi Neubauerova created some 4-on-4 hockey for the next two minutes. Colgate was unable to capitalize on the remainder of the power play, but just as the 5-on-4 had ended, Neubauerova scored through the backdoor to give Colgate the 3-1 advantage. Clarkson pulled its netminder at the end of the period as they looked to answer the Raiders pressure, but Colgate kept Clarkson off the board to storm ahead to its 3-1 victory.
COLGATE SCORING PLAYS
• Period 1 | 9:00 – A key pass from junior
Tanner Gates as she skated around the back of the net led sophomore
Danielle Serdachny to tuck it past the toe of the netminder to tie the game at 1-1.
• Period 1 | 10:38 – In a highlight reel play, senior
Malia Schneider deked and dangled through the defenders to the left side before sending it to the top shelf.
• Period 3 | 10:34 – After receiving a pass from Gates in the Colgate zone, junior
Rosy Demers skated all the way up the left side before passing in to junior
Noemi Neubauerova who was perfectly positioned in the slot to score.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Colgate extends its unbeaten streak to six straight games, including a 4-0 start in ECAC play, which is the Raiders best start since the 2005-06 season.
• With senior
Malia Schneider's goal in the first period, she moves into 14th place in career points with 94 and is tied for 10th in career goals with 49.
• Sophomore
Danielle Serdachny extends her point streak to four games (4G, 3A) with her tally in tonight's contest.
• Recording her first multi-point game of the season was junior
Tanner Gates behind a pair of assists.
• Between the pipes, first-year netminder
Kayle Osborne recorded 24 saves, including a game-high of 16 in the third period.
• As Clarkson went 0-for-2 with the man advantage, Colgate held its opponent scoreless on the power play for the sixth time this season.
• Also of note, the Raiders were outstanding in the circle as sophomore
Sammy Smigliani went 4-for-4 on her faceoffs, while junior
Delani MacKay won 11-of-14 for a 78.6 faceoff win percentage.
• Schneider, along with MacKay and sophomore
Sydney Bard, led the Raiders in shots on goal with four.
• The victory marks Colgate's sixth win of the season against a top-10 opponent, including back-to-back top-10 sweeps in the previous four games.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• No. 5 Colgate 3, No. 10 Clarkson 1
RECORD UPDATES
• No. 5 Colgate holds a 8-1-1 record and remains undefeated in the ECAC at 4-0-0.
• No. 10 Clarkson falls to 3-4-1 and is now 0-2-0 in ECAC play.
HEAD COACH GREG FARGO'S TAKE
"That was a hard-fought game tonight at Cheel. Clarkson put us on our heels early on, but I really liked our response in the first period after getting behind early. The power play got us going and then we were able to settle in nicely and get some timely scoring and defensive stops.
"We continue to play like a team, everyone is chipping in, in their own way, towards the outcome we want. It's a fun team to be with."
UP NEXT
The Raiders are back at home for an ECAC matchup against St. Lawrence at 5 p.m. on Friday at the Class of 1965 Arena. It's the first of a home-and-home series in which the Raiders round out with a road matchup in Canton, N.Y. on Sunday.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate women's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateWIH and Instagram at colgatewih.
