Box Score
Photo Gallery (photos by Tim McKinney)

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's hockey team opened the 2009-10 season with a 4-1 loss to Mercyhurst, the nation's top-ranked team, on Friday afternoon at Lynah Rink. Mercyhurst improves to 5-0 on the year, with Cornell opening at 0-1.

Chelsea Karpenko scored the lone goal for the Big Red, with an assist going to Catherine White. For the Lakers, both Vicki Bendus and Bailey Bram scored a pair of goals, with five different players picking up an assist on the day.

Bendus got the Lakers on the scoreboard at the 8:46 mark of the first period, following up on a rebound off a shot from Samantha Watt and putting the puck past Cornell goaltender Amanda Mazzotta. Cornell held firm for the remainder of the first period, heading into the locker room with six shots apiece, but with the Lakers ahead by one.

In the second period, the Lakers got a quick early goal just a minute and a half into the period as Bram took the puck off a pass from Jesse Scanzano on the side boards, faked around a defender and ripped a shot past Mazzotta. Cornell responded, though, at the 6:37 mark of the period. Catherine White forced a turnover in the neutral zone, knocking the puck ahead for Karpenko, who skated past a defender and ripped a shot that first hit glove, then post, then into the back of the goal to cut the deficit in half.

The Lakers responded quickly, going back up by two less than two minutes later. Bram took an outlet pass from Jess Jones and snapped a shot past Mazzotta, giving the Lakers a 3-1 lead after two periods.

In the third, the two teams held even, with the Lakers holding a slim 8-7 edge in shots for the period. Cornell pulled Mazzotta for the extra skater with 3:15 to play, but Cornell could not get any closer. With 42 seconds left in the game, Bendus blocked a shot at the Mercyhurst blue line and skated in for the empty net goal to provide the final margin.

Mazzotta finished with 15 saves in the loss for the Big Red, while Hillary Pattenden stopped 20 Cornell shots in picking up the win for Mercyhurst.

The two teams will do battle again on Saturday, again starting with a 3 p.m. puck drop at Lynah Rink.