ERIE, Pa. – Colgate played its nationally ranked foe Mercyhurst hard but ultimately dropped a 1-0 decision on Wednesday afternoon.
The Raiders and Lakers played even hockey for 58 minutes until Mercyhurst forward Emily Janiga found the eventual game-winner with two minutes left in regulation.
Colgate outshot the Lakers in the opening period but was unable to slide one past Amanda Makela for the go-ahead marker.
The Raiders then deflected away 13 Mercyhurst shots in the middle frame, which made for an exciting final period of action.
Heading into the last frame, both teams were locked in with 17 shots.
Colgate again tried to spark offensive attacks but was stopped by some quality goaltending from Makela throughout the period.
With hopes of overtime coming, Colgate was shattered when their nationally ranked opponent tallied the game's only goal with less than two minutes to play in the game.
The Raiders were led by
Melissa Kueber who notched six shots in the contest.
Taylor Craig and
Shelby Perry both chipped in three shots each to Colgate's final total.
Rando posted 28 saves in the contest.
Head coach
Greg Fargo's squad is back in action Dec. 5 and 6 at St. Lawrence and Clarkson. These two ECAC Hockey contests are scheduled for 7 and 4 p.m., respectively.
Bottom Line• Mercyhurst 1, Colgate 0
Won-Lost Records• Colgate is now 3-11-0 overall
• No. 8/10 Mercyhurst moves to 14-2-1
Facts & Figures• The Lakers slightly outshot the Raiders 29-24, but Colgate held the edge after the first period at 9-4.
• Both teams went scoreless on the power play with Colgate going 0-for-6 and Mercyhurst 0-for-4. The Lakers are currently ranked second nationally in their penalty-kill.
• Kueber led the Raiders with six shots, including four in the opening frame.
The Difference• As the clock was slowly winding down it looked as though the game was heading for overtime.
• The Lakers, however, had another thought as they registered the game-winner with less than two minutes to play.
• The goal orginated after Rando made a great stop on a deflected shot from Hannah Bale. The junior was unable to fall on the rebound fast enough though as Janiga stuck her stick in to push the puck over the line for her 13th goal of the year.
Period Breakdown• The Raiders fired off nine solid shots in the opening period, four from the stick of Kueber, but were unable to find the back of the net.
• Mercyhurst answered with a game-high 13 shots in the middle frame but strong defense and goaltending kept the Lakers out of the goal.
• The final frame was even with both teams earning chances on target, but a tally from the Lakers 18:14 into the period ultimately sunk Colgate.
Straight From The Source• Colgate head coach
Greg Fargo: (one his team's impressive performance against their nationally ranked foe) "That was a great hockey game tonight. I'm proud of our group. We really poured it all out there."
"We played well at both ends of the rink. Again, our penalty kill was great as was our goaltending. Ashlynne (Rando) made some timely saves and made it look easy."
"We will take a few days to get recharged and then it's right back to ECAC Hockey play. With some important points on the line, we've got to carry our play from this weekend forward and keep building on it."
Up Next• Colgate now shifts its attention back to ECAC Hockey play as it heads to St. Lawrence and Clarkson Dec. 5-6 for two more conference games. Those contests are scheduled for 7 and 4 p.m.
