Providence, R.I. (October 3, 2008) - In the first game of the regular season, the Providence College women's hockey team fell to Buckeyes of Ohio State, 2-1. Freshman Laura Veharanta (La Verne, Calif.) scored her first collegiate goal for the Friars.
The Buckeyes got on the board just 3:15 into the first period when Raelyn LaRocque poked home a rebound off a shot from teammate Kelly Wild. The goal, a power-play tally, was the first of the season for LaRocque. While the Friars held an 11-9 shot advantage for the period, they were unable to break the defense of Ohio State as the period ended, 1-0, in favor of the Buckeyes.
As the second period started, the Friars increased the pressure and forced several turnovers in the offensive zone. The increased intensity paid off at 17:08 as the Friars went on the power-play and senior forward Mari Pehkonen (Tampere, Finland) directed a face-off directly towards Veharanta who was able to beat the Buckeye net-minder, glove side. Providence maintained the high intensity throughout the rest of the period and finished with a 19-6 edge in shots on goal. At the end of two periods, the Friars were ahead, 30-15, in shots on target.
Both teams had several scoring chances as the game opened up in the third period and the Buckeyes were first to capitalize at 12:51. Junior forward Colleen Olson was able to slide the puck past a sprawling Danielle Ciarletta (Blaine, Minn.) for the game winner. The goal was assisted by Michele Tonnessen and Teal Bishop. Ciarletta finished the game with 22 saves while Buckeye goaltender, Liana Bonanno, finished with 39 saves.
Following tonight's game, the Friars are 0-1-0 while Ohio State rises to 1-0-0. The two teams will battle again tomorrow, Saturday, October 4, in the second game of the weekend series beginning at 4:00 p.m. at Schneider Arena.