Chera Marshall scored two goals and added an assist as seventh-ranked St. Lawrence beat No. 9 Mercyhurst 5-2 Sunday. Marshall, a senior forward, is off to a quick start this season with three goals and two assists in two games.
Senior co-captain Shannon Smith had a goal and two assists in both of this weekend’s games against Mercyhurst, helping St. Lawrence jump out to a 2-0 start for the second straight season. The Saints beat Mercyhurst 4-1 on Saturday.
Saints junior goalie Rachel Barrie made 22 saves in just less than 54 minutes of work to improve to 2-0 on the year. Lea Armendariz had seven saves in a busy 6:15 of work, allowing one goal. Desirae Clark had 23 saves for Mercyhurst.
Like Saturday, when they took a 4-0 first period lead, the Saints got on the board early and finished the first period with a 2-0 cushion. Smith recorded her second goal of the year when she corralled a rebound from Amanda Sargeant’s shot and ripped it into the open net at the 5:43 mark of the first. Marshall got a power-play score at 15:35 when she finished a cross-ice feed from Smith. Sargeant, who had three assists in the game, set up the play up from the blue line.
Rookie Emilie Berlinguette got into the action in the second period with the prettiest goal of the game. The first-year forward spun by one defender and ripped a backhand into the roof of the net for her first career goal, the power-play variety, at 1:18 of the second. Whitney Carbone extended the lead to 4-0 with a short-handed breakaway score at 10:36. Kelly Sage sprung the break from the Saints defensive zone.
Mercyhurst’s Sara McDonald finally solved Barrie with 1:33 left in the period when she buried a rebound from Jennifer Jeffrey’s shot during a power play.
Marshall scored her second of the game early in the third with Smith and Sargeant picking up the assists. Mercyhurst’s Chrissy Yule rounded out the scoring at 5-2 when she beat Saints back-up goalie Armendariz on the power play.
