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            RYE, N.Y. -- The 10th ranked Manhattanville College women's ice hockey team rallied from a one-goal second-period deficit by scoring three unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 victory over the University of Southern Maine Saturday at the Playland Ice Casino.

            Ranked 10th nationally in this week's USCHO.com Division III poll, the Valiants picked up their second straight win to improve to 11-4-1 overall and 9-1-0 in the league.  The Huskies, who snapped a four-game losing skid by beating Nichol College, 5-1, on Friday, slipped to 4-11-1 and 3-8-1.

            Trailing 1-0 early in the first period, the Huskies tied the game on a goal by junior Christen Hart (Saugus, Mass.) at 4:47 of the period.  Rookies Erin Banfield (Montpelier, Vt.) and Courtney White (Medford, Mass.) picked up the assists on the play.  The Valiants, who had taken the lead on a goal by sophomore Sonia Occhionero (Montreal, Quebec) at 2:22, had an 11-6 advantage in shots on goal, but were unable to slip another shot past USM rookie goalie Jordan Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

            USM grabbed a 2-1 lead at the 5:01 mark of the second period as Banfield tallied an unassisted marker.  The goal was Banfield's sixth of the season.

            The Huskies defended the lead, killing off three consecutive short-handed situations, until late in the period when senior Shannon Coffey (Malden, Mass.) lit the lamp with her fifth goal of the season 16:47.  Junior Hannah Muskego (Lloydminster, Sask.) gave the Valiants the lead for good with a power-play marker at 18:07.

            Sophomore Katie Little (Victoria, B.C.) gave the hosts some breathing room late in the game with a power-play goal at 15:53 of the third period.  Rookie Haleigh Hutchinson (Southgate, Mich.) picked up the lone assist.  Little also had assists on the goals by Occhionero and Muskego.

            Lee stopped 27 shots for USM while sophomore Emy Cote (Saint-Hubert, Quebec) made 16 saves in the Manhattanville cage.

            Southern Maine hits the road again next weekend for a two-game, non-conference series at Connecticut College on Friday (7:00 p.m.) and Saturday (3:00 p.m.).

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