WORCESTER, Mass. - The Holy Cross women's ice hockey team took a quick trip down the road for a non-conference mid-week matchup at Assumption on Tuesday night. The Crusaders took a swift 5-1 win over the Greyhounds.
Holy Cross had a slow start but scored in the first period with a goal by junior forward Mackenzie King. She was assisted by defensemen junior Emilie Fortunato and sophomore Casey Borgiel to end the period with a 1-0 lead.
The Crusaders had a hot start opening the second period senior forward Millie Sirum netting a goal just 40 seconds in. She was assisted by sophomore forward Alexia Moreau. Not even two minutes later did senior forward Lilly Feeney score to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead. She was assisted by King and Fortunato. Moreau managed to extend the lead even further with her own goal assisted by Sirum and senior defenseman Grace Johnson to end the period with a 4-0 advantage.
Holy Cross got things going with a goal scored by Bryn Saaela in the third period. She was assisted by freshman forward Reghan Chadwick and sophomore forward Charlotte Sonntag. Assumption managed to get one goal in but the Crusaders pulled off a strong 5-1 win over the Greyhounds.
"Just a real good effort from the team, a little bit of a slow start, and we certainly came out in that second period and picked it up. Some really good goal scoring opportunities tonight," said head coach Katie Lachapelle. "We'd like to clean up our power play and our penalty kill a little bit here. But proud of the effort for the entire game. Really good goaltending for Maddie and then Abby Hornung at the end there."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Holy Cross struck first with a goal by King at 12:41 in the first period to take a 1-0 lead over the Greyhounds.
- A dominant second period for the Crusaders with goals scored by Sirum at 19:20, Feeney at 18:46 and Moreau at 9:45.
- Holy Cross tabbed one more goal by Saarela at 14:30 in the third period. Assumption scored one goal at 5:54. The Crusaders took the 5-1 win in regulation
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- King scored her first goal of the season and managed an assist on the outing
- Sirum drove home her sixth goal and sixth assist so far this season
- Feeney netted her second goal this year
- Moreau scored her fifth goal and had her eighth assist of the season
- Saarela played her 100th career game as a Crusader scoring the fifth goal of the game for Holy Cross and her second on the season
- Sonntag had her first assist of the year, second in her career
- Fortunato made two assists adding to her now four on the season
- Chadwick and Johnson each tabbed their third assists this year
- Borgiel continues to lead the Crusaders with now 10 assists this season
- Abby Hornung made her first appearance between the pipes this season to start the third period. She took over for Madison Beck who played the first two periods of the competition.
UP NEXT:
Holy Cross host Assumption for a non-conference competition on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hart Center Rink.
PLAYER QUOTES
"I think we played composed and moved the puck really well as a five person unit in the second and third period. Maddie Beck did great and Abby Hornung really helped us finish strong in the third period. I think all of our special teams did well in those opportunities as well. I think we showed a lot of poise with the puck today which we can build off of in future games." #18 Mackenzie King
"I think we came out a little slow today, but I think we picked it up with a great energy. We always bring a lot of great energy in the locker room. It's just a matter of bringing it on the ice with the focus. In the beginning of the second period we had two quick goals there, which helped us kind of go back to what we're good at, doing all the small things. Overall a decent game and we're ready to get back at it after Thanksgiving." #20 Millie Sirum
"It was obviously an exciting win. We had a little bit of a slow start in the first period, but we came out strong in the second. Lots of power play moments, some PK too, so it was good to work on those systems. Maddie Beck started us off strong and Abby finished the game. Great showing from both of them. And we're just really excited to be rolling into the holiday with a win under our belt and looking forward to the next game of the series." #22 Lilly Feeney
"I thought our team came out strong and had good poise with the puck throughout the whole game. It was an exciting game and having everyone contribute was amazing. Excited for the next game." #11 Alexia Moreau
"I thought we came out a little slow, but then in the second period we picked it up and got some pucks in the back of the net to just get us rolling. The end of the game was a little weird, but we got it done." #5 Bryn Saarela
MINI FEATURE:
Senior captain Bryn Saarela just hit a huge milestone in her career with 100 games played as a Crusader. The Denver native has been a leader on and off the ice as well as an important member of the Holy Cross attack. She has racked up 19 goals, one game winner, 22 assists for a total of 41 points and counting in her four-year career. This season the captain has netted now two goals, made two assists and four blocks for the Crusaders. The forward scored in the 2-2 tie at Merrimack on Nov. 10 and most recently in the Assumption game on Nov. 21. She had an assist in the 2-2 tie at Boston College on Oct. 21 as well as an assist in the season opener at Union on Oct. 6. "I think it's really great to be able to play in a hundred games," said Saarela. "It's really special to do it with this group, especially the seniors that I've been with the past four years. Playing a hundred games is super special and something I'm very proud to have accomplished with this team.?? "
