ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 6 women's hockey team dropped a heartbreaker at Lynah Rink on Friday night, falling to No. 3 Clarkson, 4-3, in overtime. The Golden Knights' Loren Gabel sent in a snipe from the slot that splashed into the right side of the net to earn the victory just 22 seconds into the extra period.
 
Despite the outcome, Cornell proved that it could compete with the elite, clawing back twice in the game to force overtime with a 3-3 deadlock.
 
Down 2-1 following the first period, Kristin O'Neill provided a spark seven minutes and 16 seconds into the second as a shot from the high slot slipped past Clarkson's Shea Tiley on a power play.
 
The opposition would respond later in the period following a score by Michaela Pejzlova, but once again the Big Red showed its resiliency to knot things up at 3-3. This time it was Willow Slobodzian who stepped up for the squad just over a minute after the reigning NCAA and ECAC Hockey champions retook the lead.
 
Slobodzian's one-timer after a faceoff in the far circle of Cornell's offensive zone was all it took to put the team back into the game as the puck sailed through the air and hit the back right of the net.
 
Cornell went a stellar 2-3 on power play opportunities, with the first coming from Maddie Mills 5:25 into the first frame the kick-start the game scoring. Just 23 seconds into the man-advantage for the Big Red, Mills, Brianna Veerman and Sarah Knee went tic-tac-toe to earn the early 1-0 lead.
 
Knee gave the puck the Veerman, who was in the near circle, from the left point as Mills slid down the slot. Veerman then fed Mills who slipped in a shot that somehow made it across the goal line.
 
Gabel and Ella Shelton would both add in goals for Clarkson in the first to take its 2-1 lead.
 
Tiley earned the win for the Golden Knights, making 16 saves. Marlene Boissonnault stopped 21 shots that were sent her way, including 11 in the third period alone.
 
Boissonnault had an incredible save early in the third period to deny Clarkson a chance to take a one-goal advantage. Kristy Pidgeon intercepted the puck in the Cornell offensive zone and sprinted down the rink to go one-on-one with Boissonnault. Pidgeon tried to sneak the puck in the on right side, but Boissonnault was ready, sticking out her left leg to make the pad save.
 
Cornell has another top-10 battle on its hands tomorrow, taking on No. 8 St. Lawrence at 3 p.m. at Lynah Rink.