NORTHFIELD, Vt. -- After trailing for nearly 48 minutes of play, Elmira (0-0-1) skated away with a 2-2 overtime tie against No. 9 Manhattanville (0-0-1). Midway through the third period, Elmira's Cassidy Delainey would score two goals in less than one minute to lead EC to the tie.
The 2-2 OT tie marks the second consecutive year that the Soaring Eagles have opened the season with a tie. It is also the second year in a row that EC has opened the season with a tie at the East-West Classic, the nation's premier NCAA Division III ice hockey tournament.
It looked as though the Soaring Eagles would breakthrough for the game winner in the overtime period as they outshot the Valiants 5-to-1. However, neither team was able to deliver the final blow as the five minute overtime period ended, resulting in a 2-2 OT tie.
No. 2 Plattsburgh State 6, No. 5 Norwich 0
NORTHFIELD, Vt. -- Plattsburgh State made a statement in the season opener, cruising to a 6-0 win at No. 5 Norwich in the first day of action at East/West Hockey Classic Saturday evening at Kreitzberg Arena.
Sophomore forward Bridget Balisy scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Cardinals to the victory. Junior forward Emma Rutherford also tallied a goal and an assist, while senior forward Jordan Caldwell had two assists in her return to the ice after missing most of last season due to injury.
Plattsburgh State finished with a 25-18 advantage in shots. The Cardinals went 0-for-3 on the power play while the Cadets went 0-for-6.
No. 3 Gustavus Adolphus 8, St. Mary's (Minn.) 2
ST. PETER, Minn. -- Saint Mary's kicked off its 2013-14 season Saturday with a nonconference showdown against Gustavus — a team that reached its fourth consecutive NCAA Frozen Four a year ago and was unanimously picked by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coaches to win its 10th consecutive MIAC regular-season title.
And Saturday afternoon at Don Roberts Ice Arena, the Cardinals learned first-hand that the Gusties are every bit as good as the preseason hype.
Gustavus, which went 24-0-1 during the regular season a year ago — including a perfect 18-0-0 run through the conference schedule — had its high-octane offense running in high gear, handing SMU an 8-2 setback at Don Roberts Ice Arena.
"I got exactly what I wanted from this game," said SMU coach Terry Mannor. "We saw what needs to be done — both on an individual and on a team basis — for us to be successful.
Bethel (Minn.) 5, No. 6 Wisconsin-River Falls 3
RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- Wisconsin-River Falls dropped its home opener to Bethel (Minn.) 5-3 after starting down by three goals.
Bethel scored the lone first period goal when Kathryn Larson found the back of the net 5:52 into the game.
To start the second period Bethel would score two goals within the first 1:38 off of Cristina Masten and Lindsay Burman goals. Ashley Kuechle would replace Gillian McDonald after the third goal. Kuechle finished the game with sixteen saves allowing two goals.
UWRF bounced back with a goal by Kayla Sinna at 4:32 for her first collegiate goal assisted by Alice Cranston and Dani Sibley. Katie Batters scored a power play goal at 7:34 of the second period to pull the Falcons within one. Paige Johnson and Chloe Kinsel were credited with assists on the play.
Caroline Kivisto scored a pair of power play goals in the third period for Bethel to seal the game. The lone third period goal for the Falcons came from Brook Story.
No. 8 St. Norbert 7, St. Benedict (Minn.) 3
ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- St. Norbert fell behind by two goals but received plenty of offense to complete the comeback, posting a 7-3 win against St. Benedict in a non-conference game at Dave Torrey Arena.
St. Benedict (0-1) took a 2-0 lead in the early going, getting goals by Elli Marvin at 7:58 and Stephanie Kirk at 11:13 of the first period.
Rachel Koppang scored two goals to give the Green Knights a 5-3 lead after two periods. Koppang scored at 16:09 and 19:12 to put St. Norbert ahead by two.
Lauren Roethlisberger and Slinde scored at 17:37 and 19:18 of the third period for the game's final margin.
No. 10 Wisconsin-Superior 4, Hamline 2
SUPERIOR, Wis. -- After a dominating performance on Friday night, the Yellowjackets came out looking to match that on Saturday afternoon for a weekend sweep.
The Yellowjackets defeated the Pipers 4-2. Things turned out to be much closer than we all expected as the score was 0-0 with Hamline going on the power play at 7:46 of the first period. They knew their opportunities came slim and they showed that on the player advantage.
Kobar, Leikkari, and Shanley Peters combined for 13 saves while Stark had an astonishing 41 saves.
