GENEVA, N.Y. – The William Smith College ice hockey team scored twice in the first period as they skated to a 4-1 victory over Division I Sacred Heart at the Sports Center of Connecticut this afternoon. Sophomore Krista Federow recorded a game-high three points as the Herons collected their third straight victory.
William Smith (7-10-2) jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Federow scored her seventh goal of the season. With the Herons on the power play, she knocked a rebound past Sacred Heart goalie, Amanda Fontaine. First-years Stephanie Hampton and Maura Mulligan were credited with assists on the goal. Hampton fired a shot that Fontaine turned aside, however Fontaine could not control the rebound and Federow pounced on the loose puck to knock home the power-play goal. With a little under a minute remaining in the opening period, Kiley Fewster scored her fourth goal of the year to give the Herons a 2-0 lead. Fewster tucked a bouncing puck past Fontaine and over the goal line. First-years Tess Madarasz and Lindsay Brown were credited with assists on the goal.
Sacred Heart (8-10-2) had its scoring opportunities, but sophomore Laurel Brown continued her recent string of strong play and kept the Pioneers off the scoreboard for the first 55 minutes of the game. She made 11 stops in the first period.
William Smith extended its lead to 3-0 when Maura Mulligan potted her first collegiate goal. She buried a power-play goal off of a feed from Federow at 3:14 of the second period. The assist was Federow’s ninth of the season, a career-high.
Brown made 13 saves in the second period, including a handful of stops on a Sacred Heart power play late in the period. The Pioneers were able to beat Brown with their 35th and final shot of the afternoon. Cassandra Hanlon scored on a one-timer from Taylor Moreland and Casey Stathopoulos.
With 2:37 left on the clock, William Smith was called for a high sticking penalty. The Pioneers pulled Fontaine in favor of the extra-attacker. The Herons took advantage of the empty net. Federow intercepted a pass and shot the puck into the open net. The short-handed goal was Federow’s eighth goal of the season.
With two goals and an assist in today’s game, Federow now has goals in three straight games and points in four of her last five. First-year Maura Mulligan has points in each of her last four games.
Brown played solidly in net as she collected her third straight win in as many games. She made 34 saves for the Herons. At the other end of the ice, Fontaine stopped 25 shots in 59 minutes in goal for the Pioneers.
William Smith took advantage of its power plays. The Herons were 2-of-6 with the extra skater. The William Smith penalty kill did not allow Sacred Heart to score on any of their seven opportunities.
The Herons will look to extend their three-game winning streak to four games next weekend when they take on Oswego State. William Smith will travel to Oswego on Saturday for a 3 p.m. faceoff with the Lakers. On Sunday, the Herons will host Oswego at 4 p.m. at the Cooler.
