RALLY FALLS SHORT AS HOLY CROSS BESTS PURPLE KNIGHT WOMEN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION
November 6, 2004                                                                               Contact: Seth Cole
By Matt Lyons ’06                                                                               Phone: (802) 654-2537

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – Three power play goals led the way for College of the Holy Cross as the Crusaders bested Saint Michael’s College, 6-4, in ECAC East women’s ice hockey action on Saturday at Cairns Arena. The Crusaders took both games of the season-opening weekend series, winning, 9-0, on Friday.

Junior Sarah Wetherbee (Canton, Mass.) led the visitors with two power play goals and two assists, while classmate Kolt Bloxson (Fitchburg, Mass.) added a goal and two helpers. Senior Meghan Mahoney (Utica, N.Y.) handed out three assists for Holy Cross, and sophomore Casey McCuillion (Philadelphia, Pa.) stopped 26 shots.

For the Purple Knights, freshman Leslie Pomponi (Belmont, Mass./Belmont) tallied her first career goal and assist, while classmate Gabrielle Bourgeois (New Haven, Vt./Middlebury Union) and seniors Holly BrandL (Meridan, Conn./Connecticut Clippers) and Kate Talbot (Marblehead, Mass./Marblehead) also scored goals. Senior Marcy Ring (No. Attleboro, Mass./Saint George’s School) recorded 38 saves for Saint Michael’s.

Holy Cross opened the scoring on a power play goal from Wetherbee 3:47 into the game. Wetherbee scored another power play goal five minutes later to give the Crusaders a 2-0 lead. Both goals were assisted by Bloxson.

The Crusaders continued to roll in the second period. Goals from sophomore Cathryn O’Connor (Milton, Mass.) and junior Kathleen Remsberg (Arlington, Mass.) put Holy Cross up 4-0. Saint Michael’s answered at the 15:13 mark when Bourgeois scored the Purple Knights’ first goal of the season, and also her first collegiate goal, off of an assist from classmate Brittany O’Brien (Stowe, Vt./Stowe). Pomponi cut the lead in half with less than a minute to go in the second period off of an assist from sophomore Martha Salois (Winthrop, Maine/Windale IceDogs).

BrandL made it a 4-3 game 5:12 into the final period, with assists credited to junior Michelle Miaskiewicz (Salem, Mass./North Shore Vipers) and senior Meg Lyons (Boxborough, Mass./Acton-Boxborough Regional). Holy Cross sealed the win with goals from Shara Conroy (Londonderry, N.H.) and Bloxson less than two minutes apart, and a late power play goal from Talbot, off of assists from Salois and Pomponi, completed the scoring.

Saint Michael’s plays its next four games on the road, beginning with a two-game series at New England College Nov. 12-13, before hosting Saint Anselm College in a two-game set Dec. 3-4.

GAME SUMMARY
Holy Cross 2 2 2 --6
Saint Michael’s 0 2 2 --4

First period: Scoring: 1. HC, Wetherbee (Bloxson, Mahoney), 3:47 (pp). 2. HC, Wetherbee (Bloxson), 8:26 (pp). Penalties: Grable, SMC (body-checking), 2:28; Villedrouin, SMC (hooking), 4:28; Falkowski, HC (tripping), 5:14; McGrath, SMC (high-sticking), 7:34; Flanagan, HC (interference), 10:48; Donovan, HC (interference), 16:01; Rush, HC (interference), 17:29.

Second period: Scoring: 3. HC, O’Connor (unassisted), 2:53. 4. HC, Remsberg (Murphy, Wetherbee), 8:19. 5. SMC, Bourgeois (O’Brien); 15:13. 6. SMC, Pomponi (Salois), 19:18. Penalties: Pomponi, SMC (tripping), 3:57; Conroy, HC (tripping), 6:06; Corkery, HC (interference), 9:53; D’Amico, SMC (body-checking), 15:35.

Third period: Scoring: 7. SMC, BrandL (Miaskiewicz, Lyons), 5:12. 8. HC, Conroy (Mahoney, Harvel), 11:48. 9. HC, Bloxson (Wetherbee, Mahoney), 13:42 (pp). 10. SMC, Talbot (Salois, Pomponi), 17:32 (pp). Penalties: Lyons, SMC (hooking), 2:48; Murphy, HC (holding), 6:21; Donovan, HC (hooking), 8:59; Villedrouin, SMC (hooking), 12:29; Grable, SMC (body-checking), 13:12; Conroy, HC (body-checking), 15:02; O’Connor, HC (hooking), 17:27; Conroy, HC (body-checking), 18:38.

Shots: HC (10 – 18 – 16 - 44), SMC (10 – 10 – 10 - 30).

Saves: HC, McCullion (30 shots, 26 saves); SMC, Ring (44 shots, 38 saves).

For complete box score, click here.

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