The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey continued their undefeated streak this weekend after rolling over Cornell University 4-1 in two different games. Cornell dropped to 0-2.
On Friday, Oct. 23, the games started as an even match.
Both teams had the same amount of shots and scoring chances in the first period until junior Vicki Bendus got the rebound goal at 11:14.
The second period was more exciting. The Big Red outshot the Lakers but added two more goals.
Sophomore Bailey Bram put in number two at 1:27 in with an assist from junior Jesse Scanzano.
She followed this one with another at 11:50, canceling out the Cornell goal from nearly two minutes before and returning the Lakers’ two-goal lead.
Bendus put up the final goal of the game, an empty-netter, with just 42 seconds left in a dramatic ending. Sophomore goalie Hillary Pattenden made 20 saves during the game.
Saturday, Oct. 24, started slow as well, resulting in a scoreless first period.
The action started to pick up in the second period. Junior Ashley Cockell got the Lakers on the board with a goal at 17:12, the only goal of the second. Scanzano got an assist.
The third period saw even more excitement. Scanzano made another assist, this time to Bram, for a 2-0 score at 22 seconds in. Sophomore Jess Jones put in number three only two minutes and 45 seconds later, setting the score at 3-0.
Both teams scored within the last five minutes of the game. Scanzano made the final goal at 12:08, settling the game at 4-1. Pattenden put up 21 saves.
The Mercyhurst Lakers are now, for the first time in the program’s history, 6-0-0, the top-ranked team in the nation.
“Well, all lines were working hard together,” Bram said about the team’s current and hopefully future success.
“We stuck to the game plan, and executed our system the way we were supposed to, and the people that had to step up, stepped up. Overall it was a good weekend, and we need to carry it on to the next weekend’s games.”
The Lakers return to their home ice on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. to host University of Minnesota, Duluth in a two-game series that continues on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3 p.m. The UMD Bulldogs are currently ranked sixth in the country.
