By David F. Pendrys

NEW HAVEN, CT- The Yale Bulldogs hosted #4 St. Lawrence Friday night and despite a valiant effort the Saints took a 4-0 victory.

The first period was a back and forth affair. Each side put 11 shots on net. Yale had a sequence of good pressure but couldn’t get anything past SLU’s Grace Harrison. SLU responded with pressure from their own. Eventually Nadine Edney teed it up from near the blue line, and the puck sailed through the screen by Yale’s Kyra O’Brien.

In the second, the back and forth continued, but SLU’s Kennedy Marchment fed it over to Hannah Miller across the goal mouth and she had a lot of space to hit the puck into before O’Brien could slide back to give St. Lawrence a 2-0 lead. After 2 Yale still led the game in shots with 18 to SLU’s 16 but the score was not in their favor.

Early in the third a chaotic scrum for the puck broke out in front of O’Brien and Edney got it and popped it over the keeper for a 3-0 lead. She would later pick up the hat trick by deflecting the puck from behind the net in for a 4-0 advantage off the unlikely goal. Yale benefited from two late penalties including a 5 on 3 sequence but was unable to defeat Harrison.

O’Brien did make plenty of key saves as part of her 26 against the potent SLU offense though 4 still got through. SLU’s Kalie Grant had broken in on her alone but she had made the save. Harrison also was challenged often but held on to make 30 saves for the shut out. Yale and the Saints matched shots and the Bulldogs did not lack opportunities but the outcome was the difference.

Amanda McClure had 2 blocked shots for SLU. Kayla Nielsen, Maggie McLaughlin, Kennedy Marchment, Kalie Grant, and Kristen Padalis all had 1. Nielsen’s came on the penalty kill. For Yale, Julia Yetman, Grace Wickens, Brittany Wheeler, and Mallory Souliotis had 2 blocks each. One of Yetman’s came on the penalty kill. Abby Gahm, Eden Murray, and Taylor Marchin (on the PK) each had 1.

St. Lawrence rises to 12-0-1 and 6-0-0 in ECAC play and Yale drops to 4-4-1 and 2-4-1 in the ECAC. Yale faces another top team in Clarkson Saturday and St. Lawrence travels to Brown.

Noticed Plays. (A not exhaustive list of plays that might not make the scoresheet but could matter. It is what is noticed, and not expected to be a comprehensive list.)

Yale

• Phoebe Staenz disrupted a SLU break in on her net.
• Grace Wickens intercepted a puck in her goal mouth and skated it out of the zone. Much later she interrupted an opponents move on the net.
• Taylor Marchin stole the puck in the defensive zone and got it out.
• Mallory Souliotis blocked a pass sent into the goal area. Later she disrupted a Saints zone entry.
• Eden Murray got it out of the goal mouth and skated up the ice. She also stole the puck in the offensive zone for a shot opportunity.
• Julia Yetman cleared the puck on the penalty kill. In the second period she got it out of the goal area after a rebound.
• Eden Murray stole it in the SLU zone to lead to a shot chance.
• Jordan Chancellor had a good breakaway but could not score.
• Emily Monaghan exited the Yale zone with the puck late in the game.

St. Lawrence.

• Lydia Grauer kept the puck within the blue line of the Yale zone to lead to a shot.
• Alex Moore disrupted a Yale move on the net.
• Kirsten Padalis intercepted the puck in the goal mouth.
• Hannah Miller flummoxed her opponents as they attempt to skate in on her net.
• Kalie Grant deflected a Bulldogs pass ending their attack. She also had a block then brought it out of her zone. She later had a breakaway on her own but was stopped.
• Kayla Nielsen kept it in during a power play allowing the offense to continue.
• Kennedy Marchment deflected a Yale pass away in her zone.
• Kayla Vespa brought it down the ice to set up for an attack. She cleared it during the final penalty kill of the game as well.
• Amanda Butterfield disrupted an opposing pass. She later blocked a centering pass on the penalty kill.

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