NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's ice hockey team's comeback effort came up short, as the Camels fell to visiting Suffolk 3-2 on Tuesday afternoon from Dayton Arena. With the loss, Conn falls to 3-6 overall, while Suffolk improves to 6-7.
Conn dominated the opening 10 minutes of the contest, putting numerous shots on the Suffolk goal, but the Camels were unable to beat Katelyn Michals. Suffolk got their first shot of the game just past the 11 minute mark, and after the initial shot was stopped by Jillian Wexler (Plainsboro, N.J.) the Rams were able to put the rebound in to make it 1-0 at 11:22. Neither side was able to find the back of the net for the rest of the period, as Suffolk led after one.
Three minutes into the middle frame, Conn was awarded a power play, capitalizing on the extra attacker. Kylie McCarthy (Dedham, Mass.) had her shot blocked, but the rebound fell to Charlotte Harris (Ystrad Mynach, Wales) who passed back to the point where Lily Stern (Nove Zamky, Slovakia) fired home to tie the game at 4:27. The tie was short lived however, as Suffolk retook the lead just a minute and a half later on a tally from Abby Sandler.
Another quickfire goal, this time deflecting off multiple bodies in front of Wexler, as Leslie Steiner extended the lead to 3-1 at 9:52. Conn pushed trying to cut into the deficit, but were unable to, as the Camels trailed 3-1 heading to the third.
Conn dominated the final period, but were unable to make a dent into the Suffolk advantage. However, with just under six minutes remaining Conn cut the lead to one, as Christine Oar (Scituate, Mass.) picked up her own rebound to make it 3-2 at 14:10. Just 45 seconds later Conn thought they had tied the game, as Alana Burm (Hingham, Mass.) put the puck in, but a quick whistle from the ref waved it off. Conn pulled Wexler in the final two minutes, but was unable to find the equalizer, falling 3-2.
Conn outshoot Wesleyan 30-14, while Suffolk held a slim 29-27 edge on faceoff wins..
Wexler got the start in goal, finishing with 11 saves. Oar and Stern both tallied one goal, while both Harris and McCarthy picked up one assist each. Ashley Engle (Basking Ridge, N.J.) led the Camels with five shots on goal, while leading the squad with 10 face-off wins. Conn finished the afternoon 1-3 on the power play and 3-3 on the penalty kill.
Michals picked up the win in goal, finishing with 28 saves. Anya Nichipor led Suffolk with two points on a goal and an assist, while four other Rams tallied one point. Suffolk finished 0-3 on the power play and 2-3 on the penalty.
Conn returns to action on Friday night, as the Camels host Middlebury in a big NESCAC matchup at 7:00 p.m. in Dayton Arena.
