BUFFALO, N.Y. – Kara Goodwin recorded a hat trick and Nikki Kirchberger added a goal and an assist as Buffalo State defeated visiting Cortland, 4-2, in an ECAC West contest.
The Bengals picked up their first win of the season and are now 1-15 overall and 1-8 in the league. Cortland dropped to 2-11-2 overall and 1-7-1 in conference action. The teams will meet again in Buffalo on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Junior Chelsie Hausberger (West Seneca/Buffalo Bisons) and sophomore Katie Gili (Brooklyn/New Jersey Rockets) scored goals for Cortland. Sophomore Deanna Meunier (Parsippany, NJ/New Jersey Rockets) started in goal and made nine saves in 35:01. FreshmanKelly Farinella (Marlton, NJ/New Jersey Rockets) played the final 24:59 between the pipes. She recorded six saves and did not allow a goal.
Buffalo State goalie Jordan Lee finished with 28 saves as Cortland held a 30-19 advantage in shots on goal.
Kirchberger opened the scoring off a Goodwin assist 6:07 into the game, and just over four minutes later the lead grew to 2-0 when Goodwin connected off a Kirchberger assist.
Cortland pulled to within 2-1 with 3:14 left in the first on Hausberger’s first goal of the season, assisted by freshman Sydney Carlucci (Baldwinsville/Rochester Edge) and freshman Ashley Terry (Redford/Chazy Lady Flyers). Despite being outshot 16-6 in the second period, Buffalo State scored the only two goals of the stanza. Goodwin found the net 9:42 into the period, assisted by Jeyna Minnick and Melissa Ash, and Goodwin completed her hat trick with a goal off an Ash assist with 6:19 left and each team down one skater.
Cortland quickly cut the Bengals’ lead to two when Gili scored a power-play goal just 24 seconds into the third. Sophomore Corey Temple (Troy, MI/Ohio Flames) and sophomore Kaitlyn Ryan (Binghamton/Adrian College) assisted on the goal. Neither team, however, scored the rest of the way.
