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NCAA TOURNAMENT: Stonehill's Historic Run Closes in First Round against #6 Cornell

NCAA TOURNAMENT: Stonehill's Historic Run Closes in First Round against #6 Cornell
March 15, 2024

RELEASE COURTESY OF STONEHILL ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

HAMILTON, N.Y. (March 14, 2024) – The Stonehill College women's ice hockey dropped a 7-1 decision to #6 Cornell Thursday night in the program's debut at the NCAA Division I Women's Hockey Tournament. With the decision, the Skyhawks end their historic season with a 21-16-2 overall record, while the Big Red will advance to take on tournament pod host Colgate on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Highlights

  • Sophomore duo of Alexis Petford scored the lone goal for the Skyhawks, marking her 20th lamp lighter of the season.
  • Sophomore Bailey Feeney and postgrad co-captain Grace Parker registered assists on Petford's goal. 
  • Sophomore goaltender Eve Stone made a program-record 48 saves in between the pipes against Cornell. 
  • Senior Izzy Daniel lead the way for the Big Red with four points on the night off a goal and three assists.
  • Junior defender Rory Guilday netted a pair of goals for the first time of her career, while sophomore Sarah MacEachern dished out a pair of assists on the night for Cornell.
  • First-year netminder Annelies Bergmann tallied 11 saves in route to her 20th win in goal for the Big Red.

How it Happened

  • Despite being outshot 17-3 in the first period, Stone and the Skyhawks defenders stood tall, blocking five shots in front of Stone, who tallied 16 saves in the opening 20 minutes of action. 
  • Junior Gabbie Rud got Cornell on the board, however, with just over one minute left in the opening period after redirecting a shot from the blue line into the back of the cage, giving the Big Red a 1-0 lead heading into the break. 
  • The Skyhawks came out of the gates strong to start the second period, matching their shot total from the first period in just the opening five minutes of play in the second. 
  • Petford knotted the game up at one apiece at the 5:40 mark of the middle frame after receiving a slot pass from Feeney and sending a wrist shot past Bergmann.
  • However, Cornell would waste little time regaining its one-goal lead on the scoreboard when sophomore Grace Dwyer lit the lamp for her eighth goal of the season on the game's lone power-play, 40 seconds after Petford knotted it up. 
  • Following the Big Red's power-play goal, Cornell's offense opened the floodgates, scoring four more goals throughout the remaining 14 minutes of play in the second to take a commanding 6-1 lead into the third.
  • Guilday scored both her goals on the night in the middle frame. At the same time, Daniel and sophomore Alyssa Regalado found the back of the net in the second period. 
  • Cornell would cap off its scoring 41 seconds into the third period when sophomore McKenna Van Gelder netted her eighth of the year. 
  • Stone and the Skyhawk's defense had seven blocked shots and 20 saves throughout the final frame of regulation. 
  • However, the Big Red second period offensive output proved too much for the Skyhawks to overcome, eventually falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 7-1. 

Noteworthy

  • Stones recorded her 1,000th career save after stopping 48 shots on the night which also marks a program record.
  • Petford has now scored 48 goals in 76 career games for the Skyhawks.
  • Stonehill blocked 21 shots on the night, while Petford registered a team-high four shots on goal.
  • Junior Josie Mendeszoon led the centers with seven faceoff wins on the night.