Box Score
ITHACA, N.Y.—The Big Red women's hockey team netted three goals in the first period and added one in the third to skate away with a 4-1 victory over Clarkson on Saturday afternoon in Lynah Rink. Sophomore Rebecca Johnston notched two goals and added an assist. Junior Jenny Niesluchowski earned the win in net for the Big Red with 27 saves. Cornell improved to 11-10-2 overall and 7-6-2 in ECAC Hockey, while Clarkson moved to 13-9-5 and 7-5-2 in conference action. With the win, Cornell moves into a tie for seventh place in ECAC Hockey.
Johnston gave the Big Red the lead at 4:12 of the first period after getting the puck from freshman Jess Martino in the Cornell defensive zone. The forward skated behind the Big Red goal and flew down the entire length of the ice and around all of her opposition. Johnston wrapped around the back of the net and slipped the puck past the Golden Knights' Lauren Dahm on the right side of the crease.
The Big Red had its second power-play opportunity at 4:55 of the first period off a Clarkson checking penalty. Cornell was set up in the Golden Knight's zone with defenseman Sam Wauer on the right point sliding the puck to junior Liz Zorn on the right. Zorn let a big shot go from the blue line and it deflected off Dahm's pads straight to Johnston on the left side of the net. Johnston scored her third goal of the weekend at 6:52
Less than a minute later, Martino fed the puck to Karlee Overguard who skated through center ice with junior Laura Danforth. The two charged into the Clarkson zone and with a quick pass from Overguard, Danforth wristed a shot through Dahm's legs at 7:36 of the first. Clarkson's Eve Grandmont-Berube took over in net after the goal.
The Big Red took its second penalty of the game at 14:19 for hooking. Cornell was three seconds away from killing the penalty when a Big Red defender tried to clear the puck out of the zone along the left boards. Clarkson's Tegan Schroeder stopped the attempt at the right point and quickly passed to Marie-Jo Gaudet on the left side of the net. The Clarkson forward flipped the puck into the top of the Big Red net to notch her team's only goal of the game.
Both teams were scoreless in the second period and were deadlocked at seven shots apiece.
At 15:29 of the third period, Johnston grabbed the puck by the right point and found freshman Catherine White on the left side of the net. White quickly flipped the puck past the Clarkson netminder to score her 13th goal of the season.
Dahm took the loss for Clarkson making three saves in 7:36 of the first period. Grandmont-Berube totaled 24 saves in 52:24. Niesluchowski improves to 9-7-4 for the season with 27 saves.
Cornell was 1-6 on the power play, while Clarkson was 1-3. The Big Red outshot the Golden Knights 31-28.
The Big Red will hit the road next weekend to play at Quinnipiac and Princeton on Feb. 6-7.
