HARRISVILLE, R.I. (Jan. 15) – The Nichols College women’s ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 draw with visiting St. Michael’s College Friday evening in an ECAC Women’s East matchup at June Rockwell Levy Rink. The Bison stand at 1-10-2 overall and 1-7-2 in conference action, while the Purple Knights move to 3-11-1 overall and 1-10-1 in league play.
Mandy Manopla (West Palm Beach, Fla.) put Nichols on the board in the early goings of the first period with her team-leading sixth goal of the season. Stacey McGrath (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) found Ashley Nolan (Manassas, Va.) behind the net. Nolan slipped the puck to Manopla below the left circle, where Manopla wristed a low-angle shot past St. Michael’s goaltender Alysia Goldman at 7:32.
The Purple Knights threatened late in the period when Kelly Rose Losi picked off a Nichols pass and broke into the Bison zone unopposed while shorthanded. Just as she crossed the blueline, she wound up and let loose a slapshot, but her shot tipped off the very top of the crossbar.
St. Michael’s leading scorer Desiree Biron knotted the game midway through the second period with her team-leading 10th goal of the season. Emily Paquin sent a breakout pass up the left boards into the neutral zone, finding Biron skating past two Nichols defenders. After faking right, Biron fired high past the glove of Nichols goaltender Christine Rigosi (Ridgewood, N.Y.).
Meghan Sweezey edged the visitors ahead right off the bat in the third period, banking a shot from the right circle off of the top Rigosi’s right shoulder and back into the upper right corner of the net just 13 ticks into the frame.
Nichols’ SueEllen Nault (Goffstown, N.H.) responded with a rebound at 6:24 to tie up the game. Ashley O’Donnell (North Scituate, R.I.) fired a slapshot from the left point that Goldman stopped, but as she went down, the puck trickled out in front of the net. Nault was there to corral the puck before flipping it high for her first goal of the season.
With just 11 shots combined, the third period proved to be a defensive battle, and in the extra session both teams had several opportunities to earn the victory.
Nault tipped a puck through her legs on a screen play in front of Goldman just over a minute into overtime, only to be denied by the junior goaltender. St. Michael’s won the possession, allowing Losi to fire from the slot, but her shot was right at Rigosi’s chest.
Emily Ham finished off a four-pass breakout for the Purple Knights with a tricky slow-roller, but Rigosi got down to make the stick save with just over two minutes left. And in the waning seconds, O’Donnell made a great defensive play by diving in front of a St. Michael’s set-up pass in the slot.
Rigosi made 34 saves, while Goldman finished with 31. Neither team capitalized on three power-play chances.
Nichols is back in action at Plymouth State on January 22nd in a 6 p.m. ECAC East game. St. Michael’s travels to Southern Maine Saturday, January 16th for a 4 p.m. conference game.
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