Box Score Holy Cross Downs Southern Maine 5-1
GORHAM, Maine -- Five players scored goals as the visiting Holy Cross women's ice hockey downed the University of Southern Maine 5-1 in New England Hockey Conference action Friday at the USM Ice Arena.
The win was the 10th straight for the Crusaders, and improved their record to 14-2-0 overall and 6-2-0 in conference play. The Huskies dropped their eighth consecutive game to fall to 2-13-1 overall and 1-7-1 in NEHC play.
Rookie Danielle Doherty (Wakefield, Mass.) and juniors Elizabeth Scala (Rumford, R.I.) and Erin Hall (Pembroke, Mass.) scored for Holy Cross in the opening period as the visitors dominated to build a 3-0 lead. Rookie Julie Matthias (Thornton, Colo.) tallied her team-leading 12th goal of the season in the middle period to make it 4-0. Classmate Sam Girard (Dedham, Mass.) scored a power-play goal in the final minute of the game to close the scoring.
Senior Cassandra Sherman (North Smithfield, R.I.) scored the Huskies' lone goal at 12:34 of the third period off assists from junior Lynn Kozlowski (Stoneham, Mass.) and sophomore Emilee Burris (Brookfield, N.S.).
Holy Cross sophomore goalie Tessie Salatas (Laval, Que.) remained undefeated on the season making 10 saves to raise her record to 7-0-0. Senior Nia Kelly (Santa Barbara, Calif.) started in goal for USM registering seven saves in the first period. Sophomore Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) played the final two period stopping 15 shots.
Doherty scored her fourth goal of the season at 2:05 of the opening period to put the Crusaders up early. Scala scored six minutes later when she deposited a blocked shot into an empty net. Hall found the top left corner with her shot from the left point at 14:27.
Matthias had the only goal of the middle period at 12:11 as she stuffed home the rebound of shot by sophomore Lauren Abbenante (Cranston, R.I.). Facing a 2-on-1, Davis stopped Abbenante's shot, but Matthias followed up by slipping the rebound inside the right post.
Sherman got USM on the board, and denied Salatas a shutout, with a low shot from the left-wing circle that caught the inside of the far post.
The Crusaders went on a five-minute power play with 3:28 to play, and Girard beat Davis with a shot from the left-wing circle with 41.2 seconds to play.
Twelve of the 18 skaters dressed for Holy Cross scored a point in the game. Matthias finished with a goal and an assist, while sophomore Emily Lissner (Woburn, Mass.) and rookie Amanda Kewer (Oakdale, Conn.) had two assists apiece.
Southern Maine is back in action next Friday (4:00 p.m.) hosting the University of New England. Holy Cross hosts Saint Michael's College tomorrow afternoon (2:05 p.m.).
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