ITHACA, N.Y. -- Hayleigh Cudmore tallied a goal and an assist and Lauren Slebodnick stopped 27 shots as No. 3 Cornell defeated No. 7 Boston College 2-0 in the first game of a two-game set at Lynah Rink.
Cudmore, a senior defenseman, got the Big Red on the board early in the second period when senior defenseman Hayleigh Cudmore tallied her fourth of the year on the power play with a slapshot from the right point that beat Corinne Boyles high glove.
Despite a tentative start after a week off, Cornell picked up the pace five minutes into the first and didn't let up. Aggressive fore-checking and sustained presence in the offensive zone helped tire the visiting Eagles and draw penalties at key moments.
After the Eagles' Kate Leary was issued a penalty for tripping, sophomore Taylor Woods the ensuing faceoff back to linemate Monika Leck. Leck played the puck around the boards to Cassandra Poudrier on the left point who then passed it along the blue line to Cudmore for the open look.
Cornell's second power-play goal of the game came with one second remaining on a Dana Trivigno interference penalty midway through the third period when Taylor Woods beat Boyles on the glove side again off a feed from Cudmore on the left circle.
Slebodnick came up huge in the third for the Big Red, making 19 saves after only being tested eight times combined in the first and second. She got a little help from her defense midway through the third when a pass attempt found her out of position. Jessica Campbell blocked a shot in the crease on a wrap-around try to preserve the shutout for Slebodnick – her second of the season.
Senior co-captain Alyssa Gagliardi, who leads the team in blocked shots, added five more to her season tally on Friday night, helping Cornell clog the shooting lanes and shut down the Eagles' top scorers, including one of the nation's leaders, Haley Skarupa.
No. 2 Wisconsin 2, Minnesota-Duluth 2
DULUTH, Minn. -- After 65 minutes of hard fought hockey, No. 2 Wisconsin earned a 2-2 tie against Minnesota-Duluth on Friday night at AMSOIL Arena.
Despite outshooting UMD 37-24, the Badgers (11-2-2, 7-2-2-1 WCHA) trailed the Bulldogs (7-5-3, 5-5-3-2) 2-1 heading into the third period before senior Madison Packer notched the game-tying goal that helped give UW a tie.
No. 8 Quinnipiac 8, Rochester Institute 0
HAMDEN, Conn. -- Quinnipiac junior Shiann Darkangelo had a hat trick and two assists to lead the No. 8 Bobcats to a 8-0 win against Rochester Institute. With the win, Quinnipiac advances to the Nutmeg Classic Championship Game against Yale at 4 p.m. on Saturday looking for their fourth title in the program's history.
Quinnipiac senior Kelly Babstock had a goal and four assists, marking the first time in program history that Quinnipiac had two five-point scorers in the same game. Babstock also upped her career assist total to 95 and career point total to 182 as she nears the milestone. In addition, Quinnipiac's six-goal second period matches the program record for most goals in a period set against Union on Jan. 16, 2005. Freshman goalie Sydney Rossman earned the shutout in her second career start, stopping all 25 of RIT's shots on goal.
Quinnipiac had 10 different players tally points in the eight-goal shutout, including three with multiple points. In addition to Darkangelo and Babstock, Morgan Fritz-Ward scored twice while Meghan Turner and Kristen Tamberg also scored for Quinnipiac. Darkangelo's hat trick is the 10th registered in program history and first of the season while she joins Babstock as the only players in program history to record five points in a single game. The victory was also the team's largest margin of defeat since they took down Sacred Heart 11-1 on Nov. 28, 2009.
No. 10 Robert Morris 4, Maine 2
PITTSBURGH -- Robert Morris freshman Brittany Howard tallied a career-high four goals this afternoon, pushing the Colonials past Maine 4-2 in non-conference play.
Tenth-ranked Robert Morris (14-3-1) extended its unbeaten streak to a season-high seven games, and outshot the Black Bears (0-11-3), 48-12.
For the fourth consecutive game, the Colonials played a scoreless first period. RMU held an 8-2 advantage in shots and killed off a penalty, but couldn't capitalize on their two power play opportunities.
However, for the first time since Nov. 16 against Lindenwood, the Colonials dented the scoreboard first. Almost 9 minutes into the second period, junior forward Rebecca Vint carried the puck into the RMU offensive zone on an attack. Vint then passed it across to a waiting Howard, who then back-handed it top-shelf from the right crease for her seventh goal of the season.
