PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Sophomore Nicole Anderson (Jordan, Minn.) scored two goals to lead the Providence College women's ice hockey team past visiting UConn, 5-1, Sunday at Schneider Arena. The win was the Friars' fourth in a row.
Providence jumped on the board early in the first period. At the 6:19 mark, freshman Corinne Buie (Edina, Minn.) stole the puck just inside the Connecticut blueline, skated in, and beat the goalie with a backhander for her sixth of the season and a 1-0 PC edge.
PC extended the cushion early in the second period. Junior Abby Gauthier (Lynn, Mass.) earned possession on the left wing boards in the attack zone and fed classmate Kate Bacon (Chanhassen, Minn.). Bacon carried around the back of the net and fired home a wrist shot from the just inside the right circle for her team-leading 14th of the year.
Then it was Anderson's turn. At 7:46 of the third, the sophomore collected a loose puck in her own end and raced down ice on a 2-on-1 break with Buie. The winger kept and buried a shot underneath the crossbar for a 3-0 PC advantage.
Connecticut answered roughly two minutes later, when senior Jennifer Chaisson sent a pass into the slot to linemate Taylor Gross. The freshman converted on her team-leading tenth of the year to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Providence added insurance at 16:01. Co-captain Alyse Ruff (Tualatin, Ore.) hammered home her fifth of the year from the doorstep for a 4-1 lead. Anderson rounded out the scoring with just 33 seconds to play, tipping home a Rebecca Morse (Westfield, N.J.) blast from the left point for her fifth of the year.
Buie finished with a goal and an assist and finished the weekend with five points (including three assists in Saturday's 4-2 win over UNH.) Friar goaltender Genevieve Lacasse made 27 saves for her 13th victory of the year.
The Friars are now off for the semester break, returning to action on January 2 at Maine. The next home game will be January 15, 2011. Providence will welcome New Hampshire to Schneider Arena for a 7 p.m. face-off. Tickets are available by calling (401) 865 GO PC.