Box Score HARRISVILLE, R.I. (Feb. 11) – Led by two goals and three assists from senior defenseman Emily Henry, the Holy Cross women's ice hockey team defeated Nichols, 9-1, in an ECAC Women's East game at June Rockwell Levy Rink. The Crusaders improve to 15-8-0 overall and 12-4-0 in league play. Nichols falls to 4-17-0 and 3-12-0 in conference action, but still clinches a spot in the ECAC East playoffs due to Plymouth State losing to New England College, 3-0, in Henniker tonight.

Holy Cross built up a 4-1 lead by the first intermission, on two goals from senior winger Jocelyn Kratchmer, both set up by Henry. Kratchmer put the Crusaders on the board just 26 seconds into the game, lifting a rebound off a shot from Henry.

Nichols answered right back when Emily Larosa (Weymouth, Mass.) forced a Holy Cross turnover just outside the Crusaders' zone and wristed the puck over the blocker side shoulder of Holy Cross goaltender Monique Gallant at 3:24.

Rebecca O'Quinn slid the puck across the netfront to Stacey Hotchkins at the 7:14 mark for Hotchkins to push the puck through Nichols netminder Christine Rigosi's (Ridgewood, N.Y.) five-hole to retake the lead. Tory Bratton made it 3-1 at 12:07 with a backhand shot from the low left circle that sailed past the low glove side of replacement goaltender Melissa Mansfield (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.). Nicola Garat was credited with the assist. Less than four minutes later, Henry set up Kratchmer to cap the scoring with a shot from the point for Kratchmer to put past Mansfield's glove.

The Crusaders added four more goals in the second period, including two in a span of 2:26 before Meghan Reynolds scored on Nichols' third netminder, Francesca Palazzo (Bernardston, Mass.) at 13:29. Reynolds took a pass from Garat in the left circle and looked like she was going to pass it back to Garat as she crashed the net, but instead the shot went behind Palazzo for a 7-1 lead. Henry made it a seven-goal game with 33 seconds left in the stanza with an unassisted goal after breaking into the zone, cutting back from the circle toward the crease and lifting it past Palazzo's left pad at the near side. Holy Cross senior Christina D'Ambrogio transferred a pass from Garat in the slot between Palazzo's pad and blocker to finish out the scoring at 12:19 of the third.

Rigosi started in net for Nichols, and took the loss with 10 saves and two goals allowed in nine minutes. Mansfield made 21 saves with four goals allowed in 21 minutes before bowing out to Palazzo, who finished out the game with 14 saves.

Gallant stopped six shots and allowed one goal through the first two periods for the Crusaders before giving way to Lindsay Atkinson, who made three saves in the third frame.

Nichols closes out its home portion of the schedule on Saturday against Salve Regina at 4:40 p.m. for Senior Day. Holy Cross travels to Manhattanville for a 7 p.m. game Saturday.


Box Score