Hannah Armstrong scored two goals, including the game-winner, to lead New Hampshire to a 5-3 victory over St. Lawrence University on Saturday evening at the Whittemore Center.
The Wildcats’ fourth-straight win improves their record to 5-2-0, while the Saints fall to 1-4-1.
St. Lawrence got on the board first when Bailey Habscheid fired a shot from the point that beat UNH goaltender Lindsey Minton blocker side at 2:44. Kayla Sullivan and Rylee Smith were credited with assists on the play.
The Wildcats fought back six minutes later when Armstrong passed the puck from the right side over to Brittany Skudder, who took a shot but was turned away. However, Armstrong was quick to punch the rebounding puck past St. Lawrence goalie Caitlyn Lahonen five-hole at 8:28.
Kristine Horn scored the team’s second goal nearly two minutes later. Courtney Sheary set up the play, delivering a pass to Horn at the left circle, where she fired a shot that found its way into the top left hand corner of the net at 10:37 of the first period.
New Hampshire added to the lead nearly halfway through the second stanza when Paige Goloubef advanced a puck deep into Saints territory on a two-on-one opportunity, driving it close to the goal line, then dishing it across to Courtney Birchard, who punched it into the right side of the net to help the
UNH increased its lead and early in the third period when Horn slid a pass back to the point to Birchard, who sent the puck over to Armstrong at the left circle for a one-timer over the glove of Lahonen and into the back of the net at 3:26 for a power-play goal.
However, St. Lawrence rallied, firing back about two minutes later when Josee Belanger sent a pass to Smith near the blue line, who skated in on a breakaway and slid it past Minton at 5:53 of the third, cutting the score to 4-2 in favor of UNH.
Five minutes later, the Saints took advantage of a power-play opportunity of their own when Kelly Sabatine scored a goal for the visitors. Alley Bero and Brooke Fernandez set up the play, as Sabatine was able to sneak a puck into the net on the left side at 10:38.
Despite St. Lawrence’s late push, the Wildcats responded when Kristina Lavoie skated across the ice from the left side and got a shot off while making 360-degree spin on contact in front of the net, punching it into the right side at 17:19
Minton stopped a game-high 24 shots, including 10 in the third period. Lahonen, meanwhile, made 17 saves, including seven in the middle stanza.
The Wildcats return to action Friday, October 29, when they take on Niagara at the Whittemore Center at 7 p.m.
