Erie, Pa. – Breanne Wilson-Bennett led the #9 Raiders to a 4-2 win in a non-conference battle with Mercyhurst on Tuesday night.
 
The junior recorded three points in the win, coming from two goals and one assist.
 
Mercyhurst got on the board early in the first period, when Rachel Smith recorded her fifth goal of the season at 1:57. Smith recovered the puck off of a Colgate turnover and put it past goaltender Julia Vandyk on the upper-right hand side of the net.
 
Colgate fought back, recording two shots on goal within the next minutes of play, but could not get the puck past Lakers' goalie Jessie Convery. For the next five minutes or so, the Raiders had total control of both the puck and the pace of the game, keeping on the offensive attack.
 
Anonda Hoppner had the best look at the net in the early minutes, but a Mercyhurst defender came up with the big block to hold the Lakers' advantage.
 
Mercyhurst had a breakaway opportunity at 8:09, but Vandyk came up with the huge save, sliding overtop of the puck to keep the Raiders in the game.
 
Colgate drew two penalties in the latter half of the first period, but the one at 15:26 was when the Raiders were able to capitalize. Brook Hartwick was called for a hooking penalty with less than five minutes remaining in the frame and Colgate was not going to let this opportunity slip through its fingers.
 
Senior Cat Quirion controlled the puck on the right side of the ice, surveying her teammates for the best option. Olivia Zafuto was open on the left side, just in front of the blue line and Quirion fired a pass to her. Zafuto took a hard shot at the net, which went a little wide and found the stick of Breanne Wilson-Bennett. The junior was able to deflect Zafuto's shot past Convery to knot the game at one.
 
Jessie Eldridge was called for a roughing penalty with just over a minute remaining in the period, but the Raiders were able to kill it off to keep the game tied.
 
Colgate recorded six shots on goal to Mercyhurst's four.
 
The defenses held both teams scoreless through the first 12 minutes of the second period, but after that, both teams were able to tack on a goal to tie the game at two apiece.
 
Colgate had a great sequence of shots around the eight-minute mark, but Convery was able to come up with the saves to keep the game at 1-1. Shortly after, at 8:43, Bailey Larson was called for interference, giving Mercyhurst its second power-play opportunity of the night.
 
Vandyk immediately came up with the huge glove save and Kaila Pinkney deflected a shot that was headed for the goal in order to keep the game tied.
 
Lauren Wildfang was called for hooking at 9:23, giving the Lakers a 5-3 chance for 52 seconds. The Raiders were able to kill off both penalties thanks to great defense, but just after the second penalty was released, Mercyhurst was able to get on the board.
 
Michele Robillard scored her first collegiate goal after collecting a shot that deflected off of Vandyk's pads. She was able to sneak the puck past the goaltender to give Mercyhurst the 2-1 lead at 12:43.
 
Shannon Ormel was called for hooking at 12:43, giving Mercyhurst another power-play opportunity, but within a minute, the Lakers were called for high-sticking, calling for 4-on-4 hockey for 20 seconds.
 
Both teams were able to kill off the penalties, but moments later, a similar situation would occur, only this time Colgate would put one on the board. Larson was in the box at 16:49 for high-sticking and at 18:09, Wilson-Bennett was able to draw an interference penalty, putting a Laker in the box.
 
After Larson came out of the box, 40 seconds remained on the Mercyhurst penalty. The sophomore got the puck and pushed it up to Wilson-Bennett, who then found Megan Sullivan on the left side of the net. Sullivan fired a hard shot past Convery to tie the game at two.  
 
Mercyhurst outshot Colgate eight to five in the period.
 
The first five minutes and change of the third period saw a power-play opportunity for both teams. Shelby Perry was sent to the box for tripping at 4:47, giving Mercyhurst another power-play opportunity. But, just 30 seconds later, the Lakers were called for hooking.
 
Wildfang came up with a big move defensively to shut down a passing lane on a 2-on-1 Mercyhurst breakaway, holding the game at 2-2. Just after, the Raiders were back to full strength and had a 30 second power-play.
 
Eldridge was around the center line on the right side of the ice when she just fired a shot to get the puck out of the neutral zone. Wilson-Bennett happened to be in the right place at the right time and deflected the shot into the net past Convery, giving Colgate its first lead of the night at 9:22.
 
Once again, there was 4-on-4 hockey after Larson was called for an elbowing penalty at 11:27. Just three seconds later, Mercyhurst was called for interference. Both teams were able to kill off the penalties, with Colgate leading 3-2.
 
With four minutes and change remaining in the game, Mercyhurst's Morgan Stacey was called for a major penalty and game misconduct after contact to the head against Wilson-Bennett. The junior was down on the ice for several minutes, but was able to skate off with the help of her teammates.
 
Being on a power-play for the final minutes of the game, the Raiders were able to control the puck for the rest of the game. Zafuto was able to tack on another goal for the Raiders at 17:03 after Larson found Sullivan open on the wing. Sullivan was then able to find Zafuto, which allowed the sophomore to skate right in front of the net and fire away.
 
Colgate was called for two penalties in the last two minutes of the game, but the team was able to hold on for a win.
 
The Raiders outshot Mercyhurst 22-19 in the game.
 
Bottom Line
- Colgate 4, Mercyhurst 2
 
Won-Lost Records
- The Raiders improve to 13-2-1 in the 2016-17 campaign.
- Mercyhurst drops to 5-9-1 on the year.
 
Key Raider Info
- Wilson-Bennett led the way for the Raiders, finishing the night with three points on two goals and one assist.
- Sullivan recorded her second goal of the year, and also recorded an assist, finishing the game with two points.
- Zafuto recorded her fourth goal of the year dished out her fifth assist of the season.
- Larson handed out two helpers tonight, her sixth and seventh of the season.
- Quirion recorded an assist on the night, her eighth.
- Eldridge added an assist, her 16th of the year.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Colgate went 3-8 on power-play opportunities, while Mercyhurst went 0-8.
- The Raiders outshot the Lakers 22-19 on the night.  
- During the 60 minutes of play, Colgate won 22-of-54 faceoffs.
- This is only the fourth time the Raiders have defeated the Lakers in series history.
 
From the Source: Head Coach Greg Fargo
- "We were right back to Colgate Hockey tonight. Our team battled really hard and I liked how we stuck with the plan from start to finish."
- "Special teams continues to be a big piece of our game but it was a team win, everyone played a part and our work ethic and composure ultimately made the difference."

Up Next
- The Raiders closer out the series with the Lakers tomorrow at 3 p.m.
- Live stats and video will be available for the game.