CANTON, N.Y. - Brittany Skudder (Plainview, N.Y.) recorded a pair of goals to lead the third-ranked University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team to a 3-3 tie against sixth-ranked St. Lawrence University at the Appleton Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats move to 5-1-2 and 1-0-0 against Hockey East opponents with the tie, as for the Saints, they adjust to 2-1-3 on the season.
New Hampshire would strike first in the contest as Skudder would find the back of the net on the first of her two goals on the afternoon, putting the puck past St. Lawrence goalkeeper Brittony Chartier at 3:48 on a power play. Julie Allen (Brampton, Ontario) and Courtney Sheary (Melrose, Mass.) were both credited with an assist on the play.
Nearly ten minutes later, the Saints would erase the early Wildcats lead, as Kayla Sullivan and Kelly Sabatine set up Michelle Ng with a goal in the 13th minute, knotting the score at 1-1.
The Wildcats wouldn't let the tie stand for long as Kelly Paton (Woodstock, Ontario) tallied her third goal of the season, burying the puck in the net at 17:23, giving UNH the 2-1 advantage at the end of the first stanza. Micaela Long (South Boston, Mass.) and Kristine Horn (Utica, Mich.) were each credited with an assist on the score.
New Hampshire would add to their lead in the following period, as Raylen Dziengelewski (Southwick, Mass.) and Sheary set up Skudder with her second goal of the afternoon at 15:15 on a UNH power play, giving the 'Cats a 3-1 lead heading into the final stanza.
St. Lawrence would strike back in the third as Sabatine punched in a goal off a pass from Vanessa Emond at 13:49, to cut the score down to 3-2 in favor of the visitors.
The Saints wouldn't waste much time getting on the board once again as Britni Smith and Edmond set up Sullivan for their final goal of the contest at 18:48, forcing overtime between the two squads.
The Wildcats would turn up the heat in the overtime period, tallying five shots in the final frame, but could not find the back of the net. The Saints finished with three shots in the stanza, all of which came in the final three minutes of play.
The Wildcats tallied 36 shots in the game, while the Saints finished with 33. Kelly Cahill (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and Kailey Chappell (Pickering, Ontario) led the 'Cats with five shots apiece in the contest. Tara Akstull and Jamie Goldsmith led the Saints with five shots each.
Kayley Herman (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) finished with 30 saves in the contest for the Wildcats. As for St. Lawrence, Chartier led the way with 33 saves.
UNH returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 31 (5 p.m.) when they play host to Connecticut. Tickets for all women's hockey home games are available at www.unhwildcats.com or by calling the Whittemore Center box office.