HAMILTON – Despite getting on the board in the first minute of the game, the No. 5 Colgate women's hockey team fell to No. 10 Clarkson by a score of 2-1 in the final game of the home-and-home series. With the loss, the Raiders are now 10-3-1 overall with an ECAC Hockey record of 6-2-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first period got off to a fast start for the Raiders as they pressured the offensive zone relentlessly. It quickly paid off just 56 seconds after the drop of the puck, as sophomore
Sammy Smigliani received a clean pass from first-year
Kalty Kaltounkova low in the slot and scored to give Colgate the 1-0 lead. Late in the session the Raiders drew the first power play opportunity of the night and although a shot found the back of the net, it was ruled that time expired to deny a two-goal advantage.
Looking to carry over the momentum to the next period, Colgate continued to dominate control of the puck with another 1:08 remaining of the man advantage. The second period was back-and-forth for both teams, but Colgate had three penalties throughout the period that led to multiple shots on goal for the Golden Knights. Although the Raiders killed every penalty it faced, Clarkson was able to tie the contest up at the 8:10 mark to make the score 1-1. At the end of the second frame, the Raiders continued to hold the offensive edge by outshooting the Golden Knights 18-15.
As the final 20:00 held the decision, both teams looked to make an impact early. It was just 32 seconds into the period that the Golden Knights would score to lift themselves to a 2-1 lead. Throughout the third period, Colgate kept the puck in the offensive zone as it looked to regain control of the scoreboard, but would continue to be denied at the crease. With just under three minutes remaining in regulation the Raiders looked to capitalize with the extra skater, but would be held off the board for a 2-1 final.
COLGATE SCORING PLAY
• Period 1 | 19:04 - First-year
Kalty Kaltounkova skated up the right side and passed to sophomore
Sammy Smigliani at the edge of the crease who shot, before she cleaned up her own rebound for the score.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• First-year
Kayle Osborne had 22 saves throughout the contest, including a game-high 13 saves in the second period.
• The Raiders produced a perfect penalty kill as they forced Clarkson to go 0-for-2 on the power play. Colgate has now held opponents scoreless on the power play for the third consecutive game and the ninth time this season.
• In the circle, junior
Delani MacKay won a team-high 76 percent of her faceoffs, while the Raiders won 62.5 percent of their faceoffs throughout the contest.
• Senior
Coralie Larose tied her five-time career high of seven shots on goal, while junior
Taylor Kirwan and sophomore
Danielle Serdachny led the team in blocked shots with three.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• No. 10 Clarkson 2, No. 5 Colgate 1
RECORD UPDATES
• No. 5 Colgate holds a 10-3-1 record and is 6-2-0 in ECAC Hockey play.
• No. 10 Clarkson is now 7-5-1 overall and has a conference record of 3-3-0.
UP NEXT
For the final time in the regular season, the Raiders are to face Clarkson in another home-and-home series. Both nonconference matchups, Colgate hosts No. 10 Clarkson at 5 p.m. on Friday evening at Class of 1965 Arena.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate women's hockey program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateWIH and Instagram at colgatewih.
