Rookie Jordan Colbert Nets Game-Tying Goal

            SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. -- For the second day in a row, the University of Southern Maine Huskies and the Saint Michael's College Purple Knights skated to an overtime tie in women's ice hockey action at Cairns Arena.

            After playing to a 2-2 tie Tuesday evening, the teams played through 65 minutes Wednesday afternoon resulting in a 1-1 tie.  USM rookie defenseman Jordan Colbert (Manomet, Mass.) scoring the game-tying goal early in the second period while the sides were playing four aside.

            With their second straight tie, the Huskies are unbeaten in their last three games (1-0-2), and are now 5-8-2 overall.  The Purple Knights stand at 3-11-3 overall.

            Junior Maddie Gervais (Glastonbury, Conn.) gave the Purple Knights a 1-0 lead at 5:08 of the first period knocking a shot past USM senior goalie Whitney Padgett (Eden Prairie, Minn.) during a scrum in front of the net.  Senior Jordan Monbouquette (Wayland, Mass.) and rookie Callie Wiley (Andover, Mass.) picked up the assists on the play.

            Padgett held firm the remainder of the period stopping 11 shots.  Saint Michael's finished the period outshooting USM 12-6, but would only have the one-goal lead.

            Matching minor penalties in the opening minute of the second period left the teams playing four aside.  Sophomore Shannon Douglas (Telford, England) fired a pass to Colbert, sending the rookie in on a breakaway against SMC sophomore goalie Gabriella Dicomitis (Warwick, R.I.).  Colbert's shot found the net for her second marker of the season at 2:05.

            From that point, Padgett and Dicomitis turned back every scoring bid over the final 42:55.  Padgett stopped 29 shots while Dicomitis finished with 30 saves.  Neither side was able to take advantage of the power play as USM went 0 for 6 and SMC was 0 for 5.

            Southern Maine is off until January 17 when they travel to Worcester, Mass., to take on Becker College in the first half of a weekend home-and-home series.  St. Michael's travels to Sacred Heart University for a two-game series this Friday (4 p.m.) and Saturday (2:30 p.m.).

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