Women's Hockey Rolls Over Cornell, 7-1

Friday, November 10

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Cornell

Weatherston Earns Player of the Week Honors

11/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth women's hockey team dominated the Big Red of Cornell Friday night at Thompson Arena, beating its Ivy League opponent 7-1, in the first of two ECAC home games on the weekend.

It didn't take senior Katie Weatherston (Thunder Bay, Ont.) long to get back in the swing of things after missing the teams first four games due to injury. Weatherston put the Big Green on the board at 4:11 of the first period when she moved the puck around behind the net, then swung a wrap around shot inside the right post to give Dartmouth an early lead.

Eight minutes later the Big Green added another, when sophomore Julia Bronson (Arlington, Va.) attempted a wrap around, but was denied by Cornell net minder Jenny Niesluchowski. Bronson's rebound kicked out to assistant captain Nicole Ruta (Pickering, Ont.) who slapped a shot on net, but that too was kicked aside, leaving one last rebound chance for senior Caroline Ethier (Matagami, Que.) who buried it past a sprawling Niesluchowski for the goal.

The Big Green's power play unit jumped started in the tail end of the first period, when sophomore Maggie Kennedy (Jasper, Alta.) wristed a shot past Niesluchowski after picking up a rebounded shot from defender Sarah Newnam (Lexington, Ky.). Kennedy's goal gave the Big Green a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission.

The second period started off much like the first, as the Big Green hammered away at Cornell's defensive line. Weatherston would get her second goal of the night on the power play at the 5:23 mark, when she rifled a wrist shot to the top shelf beating Niesluchowski over the blocker, and giving Dartmouth a commanding, 4-0, lead.

Weatherston's mark would be the only goal of the period. To that point, the Big Green was out shooting Cornell 26-12 with one period remaining.

A fancy bit of passing from the underclassmen on the power play gave Dartmouth a 5-0 lead early in the final period. Newnam made a solid pass from her defensive end to a charging Sarah Toupal (White Bear Lake, Minn.). The freshman found herself apart a two-on-one with line mate Marley McMillan (St. Paul, Minn.) and seized the opportunity, when she made a lofting pass to a streaking McMillan who roofed the one-time shot over the glove of Niesluchowski. The goal was McMillan's first of the season and fourth of her career.

Freshmen Jenna Cunningham (Medicine Hat, Alta.) got her name in the scoring column at 6:11 of the third on a great individual effort, when she lit the lamp to give Dartmouth a 6-0 lead.

The Big Red's comeback was a little too late, after scoring their first goal mid-ay through the third period. Halina Kristalyn put Cornell on the board with an unintentional kick-in that slid past Dartmouth goalie Carli Clemis (Taber, Alta.) to ruin the shut out.

Kennedy added one last nail in the Cornell coffin at 15:02 of the third, as she buried a shot off a pass from Meredith Batcheller (Cleveland Heights, Ohio.) Bronson was also credited with an assist to mark her third of the game.

Clemis ended the night making 19 saves for the win, and keeping the Big Green a perfect 5-0-0 in ECAC league play. With the loss, Cornell drops to 1-2-1 in the league.

The Big Green will be back in action tomorrow, November 11, again at Thompson Arena, as they host the Raiders of Colgate in another ECAC league battle.