Mellen Backstops Connecticut College to 2-1 Win Over Trinity in Women's Ice Hockey Quarterfinals
Courtesy Trinity Sports Information
HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior goalkeeper Lauren Mellen (Joliet, Ill.) made 27 of her 53 saves in the third period to lead Connecticut College to a 2-1 victory over Trinity in the quarterfinals of the 2009 NESCAC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship Saturday afternoon action at Williams Rink. Trinity, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, ends the season with a 13-10-2 record, while the No. 6-seeded Camels improve to 9-13-3 with their first win in four games and advance to the NESCAC Semifinals next weekend.
Connecticut College snaps a five-game losing streak against the Bantams to reach the NESCAC Final Four for the first time. Trinity had won two road games against the Camels during the regular season.
Camel sophomore defender Brigid O’Gorman (Eden, N.Y.) opened the scoring with 5:25 left in the first period when her wrist shot from just outside the left face-off circle snuck past Trinity junior goalie Isabel Iwachiw (New York, N.Y.) on a bounce. Connecticut College provided most of the offensive pressure in the first frame, but the Bantams came alive and took 11 shots in the last four minutes before the first break. Connecticut College increased its advantage to 2-0 on a smooth flip into the upper half of the net by junior forward Erin Davey (Nashua, N.H.) at the 8:38 mark of the second period. Camel senior tri-captain forward Emily Mason (Williamstown, Mass.) assisted on what proved to be the game-winning score.
The Bantams came out firing in the
final stanza, and finally got one past Mellen on a rebound stuff-in
by freshman forward Hannah Harvey (Silverthorne, Colo.). During a
Trinity power play, Mellen stopped a shot by Trinity sophomore
blueliner Laura Komarek (Plymouth, Minn.) and the first rebound try
by Bantam sophomore forward Jill Roloff (West Semeca, N.Y.), before
Harvey brought the home team back within one goal 49 seconds into
the third. Trinity went on to pepper Mellen with shots throughout
the period, but Mellen was flawless the rest of the way despite two
more power-play chances for the Bantams. Trinity’s closest
chance for a tie came when Harvey barely missed on an attempt to
one-time the puck into an open left side of the net on a pass
across by rookie defender Dominique Di Dia (Studio City, Calif.)
with 2:40 on the clock. Trinity outshot the Camels, 28-2, in the
third period and finished 1-for-8 on power plays for the game.
Iwachiw totaled 17 saves between the pipes for the Bantams.
