Press Release

PURPLE KNIGHTS DEFEAT MIT IN SEASON OPENER, 6-4 Freshmen account for 7 of 15 points in win   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION November 4, 2005                                                                               Contact: Daniel O’Reilly                                                                                                          Phone: (802) 654-2929 SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Saint Michael's College women’s ice hockey team (1-0-0, 1-0-0 ECAC East) opened up its 2005-06 season with a 6-4 win over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (0-1-0, 0-1-0 ECAC East) Friday night at Cairns Arena. The win marks the first time in the team’s six year history that the Purple Knights have opened their season with a victory. Saint Michael's opened the scoring 4:21 into the game when freshman Julie Smith’s (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) centering pass found classmate Jess Tourville (Baltimore, Vt./Springfield), who sent the puck past MIT goalie Shauna Moran’s (Easthampton, Mass./Easthampton) left side to put the Purple Knights on top. Just over three minutes later, another Saint Michael's freshman lit the lamp as Kelly Adams (Chevy Chase, Md./Potomac) scored off of feeds from senior Sarah Walker (Middlebury, Vt./Middlebury Union) and sophomore Brittany O’Brien (Stowe, Vt./Stowe). The Engineers got on the board with 8:25 remaining in the first period when Sara John (Plymouth, Minn./Breck) took a shot from the right face-off circle that was saved by Annice Mason (Berlin, Vt./U-32), but Mary Harding (Wilton, Conn./Phillips Exeter) was in the right place at the right time, as she took the rebound and slipped it past the senior goaltender. MIT evened the score at two just 1:02 into the second period when Mary Harding took advantage of a Katie Grable (Vista, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) tripping penalty, and scored her second goal of the night on the power play, again off of an assist from John. At the 7:48 mark, sophomore Gabrielle Bourgeois (New Haven, Vt./Middlebury Union) picked up where she left off last season, as the team’s leading returning scorer from a year ago received a leading pass from Molly Dever (Fairport, N.Y./Rochester Edge) and skated into a one on two situation but still managed to find the net, putting the Purple Knights up 3-2. Just over six minutes into the third period, senior assistant captain Michelle Miaskiewicz (Salem, Mass./North Shore Vipers) scored a goal off assists from junior captain Melissa Gagne (Eliot, Maine/Berwick Academy) and Tourville. With just under 11 minutes to play in the period, Dever’s hooking penalty set up a five on three advantage for MIT, which the engineers capitalized on just 25 seconds into the power play, thanks to a goal by junior Barbara Peng (Minneapolis, Minn./Academy of the Holy Angels). Tourville struck again, scoring the eventual game winner with 4:02 remaining, as she skated out in front of the MIT goal and sent a backhander over Moran’s left shoulder, and Bourgeois added another at the 18:25 mark, off of an assist from Dever. John closed out the scoring with ten seconds left to play in the game, as she slipped a power play goal past Kristen Salierno (Ridgefield, Conn./Connecticut Stars), off of an assist by Harding to make the score 6-4. In net for the Engineers, Moran recorded 14 saves, while the Purple Knights split time with three goalies, with Mason making eight saves, and freshmen Melanie Cullen (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) and Salierno saving nine and 16 shots respectively. Saint Michael's will play again on Saturday afternoon as they host division one rival Holy Cross at 3 p.m. MIT faces off against Castleton State on Saturday at 3 p.m. For complete box score, click here ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002