HARTFORD, Conn. – The #13 Trinity College Women's Hockey team defeated Suffolk University, 5-2, in a non-conference clash at the Koeppel Community Sports Center Saturday afternoon. The Bantams hold an 8-3-2 record, while the Rams dip to 3-11-1 on the season.
With just over eight minutes to play in the first period, the Bantams won a faceoff in the Rams zone where sophomore Annabelle Merkel and classmate Emma Robertson worked a give-and-go and Merkel fired a shot on net that was redirected by first-year Marta Mazzocchi and past Rams senior goaltender Lily O'Neil to hand Trinity the 1-0 lead.
With 17:43 to play in the second period, the Rams found the equalizer as junior Maddie Gagliano sniped an unassisted goal to even the game at 1-1.
Less than three minutes later, the Bantams regained the lead as junior Martina Exnerova took a feed from first-year Lily Brook and whistled a shot by O'Neil to give Trinity the 2-1 lead.
At the 8:32 mark of the second period, the Bantams potted an insurance goal as sophomore Lillian Cassidy played the puck to Mazzocchi, who dropped the puck back to Cassidy, who lifted a shot over the glove of O'Neil to put Trinity on top 3-1.
The Bantams delivered another strike with 7:32 to play as junior Annika Dyczowski ripped a shot on net that was denied by O'Neil, but the rebound squirted loose, and Trinity senior Jenny Guider swooped in and knocked the puck past O'Neil to push the Bantams to a 4-1 lead.
On a power play with less than four minutes to play, Mazzocchi won a faceoff in the Rams zone, where Cassidy worked the puck across the point to Merkel, who passed the puck to the front of the net, and Mazzocchi redirected the puck by O'Neil to make it 5-1. The Rams added an unassisted tally by from junior Leslie Steiner in the final minute as the Bantams wrapped up the 5-2 victory.
The Bantams dominated the Rams in the shot column, 35-13, and won the faceoff battle, 29-26. Trinity senior Hannah Leclair posted 11 saves in the win, while O'Neil stopped a game-high 30 shots for the Rams.
The Bantams return to the ice when they travel to Connecticut College for a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) game Friday night. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m.
TRINITY ATHLETICS
