POTSDAM, N.Y. – The No. 5 Colgate women's hockey team fell to No. 10 Clarkson by a score of 2-0. With the loss, the Raiders are now 10-2-1 overall with an ECAC Hockey record of 6-1-0.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Raiders struggled to get offensive pressure in the opening minutes of the period and Clarkson capitalized by scoring an early goal at the 15:35 mark. Colgate rebounded to land several shots on goal throughout the period but was unable to find the back of the net. Despite the urgency to answer, Clarkson was narrowly outshooting Colgate 12-10 at the end of the period. 
 
Colgate had lots of opportunities to score throughout the second period as the Raiders drew four power plays but were unable to capitalize on the man advantage. As the second period came to a close, sophomore Allyson Simpson created a breakaway opportunity to try and tie the contest up, but the Clarkson netminder denied the shot and the rebound to keep the Raiders off the board. Although the were inching back the end of the second period, Clarkson still held the edge at 24 shots on goal compared to Colgate's 20.
 
The third period was incredibly fast paced as the Raiders started the frame with seven shots on goal and held Clarkson without a shot for the first 7:42 of the period. With a rebound shot through traffic, Clarkson scored once again to take the 2-0 advantage at the 10:25 mark.
 
As the clock ticked down on regulation, Colgate continued to generate opportunities to narrow the gap. After burning a late penalty, the Raiders opted for the extra attacker as they looked to create offense, by pulling first-year goaltender Kayle Osborne with just 1:36 remaining in regulation. Try as they might, the Raiders were unable to find the back of the net before the end of regulation as the horn sounded on a 2-0 final.
 
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• First-year netminder Kayle Osborne recorded 31 saves throughout the contest, including a game-high 12 in the second period.
• The Raiders produced a perfect penalty kill as the held Clarkson scoreless with the man advantage (0-for-3).
• Both sophomore Allyson Simpson and junior Tanner Gates led the Raiders in shots on goal with four, while three Raiders had two blocked shots.
• Sophomore Sammy Smigliani won a team-high 67 percent of her faceoffs in the contest.
 
THE BOTTOM LINE
• No. 10 Clarkson 2, No. 5 Colgate 0
 
RECORD UPDATES
• No. 5 Colgate holds a 10-2-1 record and is now 6-1-0 in ECAC Hockey play.
• No. 10 Clarkson is 6-5-1 overall and has a conference record of 2-3-0.
 
HEAD COACH GREG FARGO'S TAKE
"Clarkson was really good tonight, they were in sync and had really good energy coming from their side of the ice most of the game. They were committed, blocked a bunch of shots and made us work for it tonight and unfortunately, we weren't as sharp in the first couple of periods.
 
"Their first-year goalie made some good saves when we had some really good looks, and their penalty kill was really effective.
 
"There are certainly no gimmies in the ECAC. Every team just keeps getting better and better, which makes this league so much fun to be a part of."
 
UP NEXT
After the first of a four-game lineup against Clarkson, the Raiders return to Class of 1965 Arena on Sunday to host the Golden Knights in game two. Puck drop is slated for 4 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate women's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateWIH and Instagram at colgatewih.