SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—Jessie Eldridge and
Shae Labbe both claimed a new program record Friday night at Messa Rink in the Colgate Women's Hockey team's 5-2 win over Union.
The Raiders did not get the start they were looking for, as the Dutchwomen scored just under two minutes in thanks to Meg Ryan's shot.
Colgate was not deterred, as they controlled play in the opening frame before getting rewarded late. On a failed clearance,
Tanner Gates stepped up from her defensive post in the attacking end and pickpocketed a Union player. From there, she deked in tight and finished high for her sixth of the year to deadlock the game at one.
Eldridge and Labbe both registered an assist on the play to make history. Eldridge broke her own single season program record for points with her 46th of the year and Labbe broke the program single season record for assists with her 26th. She broke
Shelby Perry's '18 record with the helper.
The Raiders kept rolling just 42 seconds later thanks to the aforementioned senior duo. Eldridge caused a turnover in the attacking end and threw a centering feed from the right corner that hit Labbe in the skate and went past Union goalie Amelia Murray to give Colgate the lead heading into the first intermission.
Colgate did not take long to pad its lead in the second period thanks to
Rosalie Demers. The freshman pickpocketed a Dutchwomen at Colgate's attacking blue line, then walked in all alone and beat Murray through the five-hole just over three minutes in.
The rest of the second period was fought tight between the two teams, as the final shot total was 13-11 in favor of the Raiders, but
Liz Auby was strong in the Raider cage. She stopped all 11 shots she saw and helped Colgate extend the lead further.
With under two minutes to play, Colgate's top line of Labbe, Eldridge and
Malia Schneider pinned Union in its own end. Schneider caused a turnover, then Labbe picked it up and fired a centering pass to the slot. Eldridge won a battle and had her original shot saved, but then deposited the rebound home.
Union had some push back in the third period and cut the Raider lead to two when Katelynn Russ scored just under five minutes in.
Auby continued her strong evening after that, which included a key blocker stop on a clear breakaway midway through the frame. She ended the night with 28 saves on 30 shots.
Eldridge eventually put the icing on the cake with a shorthanded, empty net goal with a minute and a half to play to lock up the Raider win.
Bottom Line
Facts & Figures
- Eldridge extended her point streak to 12 games, which is the longest of her career.
- Eldridge's empty net goal marked another program record. She now has the most shorthanded goals in program history with 10. She also has four on the season, which ties her single season record that she set last year.
- Eldridge is now in sole possession of second place in the NCAA in shorthanded goals this season.
- Eldridge's four-point game was her second of the season and the second her career.
- The Raiders are now 9-6-4 on the road this season.
- The game was Labbe's second three-point game of the year and the eighth of her career.
- Colgate is now on a seven-game unbeaten streak, which is the longest of the season.
From the Source
Senior Forward
Shae Labbe
- "At this point in the season, we know where each other are. It's not a matter of thinking about the game, it's a matter of having fun and playing together. Things are clicking because we put the work in, so it feels good to have things working out."
- "We're a pretty motivated group right now. We're starting to play our best hockey and we're where we want to be at this point, so it's pretty exciting to be moving forward and be in this position."
- "As a team, we know that if we focus on the day-to-day and on our team, it doesn't matter who is on the other bench. We're a good team and if we play like we know we can, good things will happen."
Up Next
The Raiders complete the regular season and their Capital District road trip Saturday at RPI. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.
