Nov. 25, 2005

Box Score

Princeton, N.J. - Freshman forward Valerie Chouinard's second goal of the game, at 19:59 of the third, gave #7 Mercyhurst a 3-2 win over #6 Princeton Friday night at Baker Rink. The Lakers improved to 7-5-1 overall while the Tigers dropped to 4-3-2.

The teams played a see-saw first period that saw Mercyhurst outshoot Princeton 11-10, but neither team could score as Princeton senior goaltender Roxanne Gaudiel made 11 saves and Mercyhurst sophomore Laura Hosier made 10.

The Lakers went ahead 1-0 just 51 seconds into the second period when Chouinard fed the puck from behind the net in front to senior forward Samantha Shirley, who sent a backhanded shot by Gaudiel for her fifth of the year. The Lakers continued to pressure through the period and outshot Princeton 11-7, keeping play in Princeton's defensive zone for the majority of the period.

Late in the period, however, the Tigers were able to work the puck in the Mercyhurst end, and a strong forecheck resulted in the Tigers' first goal of the game. Junior Kim Pearce worked the puck along the boards. As she was nudged off the puck, junior Laura Watt picked up the puck and moved to the net, feeding freshman Annie Greenwood, who one-timed it under Hosier for her third goal of the season. The goal sent the teams to the second intermission tied at 1-1.

Mercyhurst regained the lead when Chouinard scored her first goal of the game at 4:50 of the third. The goal came on a rebound of Shirley's shot and came from a short angle for her ninth of the year. Junior Stefanie Bourbeau also assisted on the goal.

The Lakers held the lead until late in the period when back-to-back penalties gave the Tigers a five-on-three advantage. It took Princeton only 14 seconds to tie the game as sophomore Marykate Oakley took the puck from the corner, skated out in front and beat Hosier along the ice for her fourth of the season. The Lakers then killed the remainder of the 5-on-4.

The game's final four minutes went back-and-forth. Princeton had a rush up ice in the final 30 seconds, but Mercyhurst stole the puck and worked it the other way. Sophomore forward Stephanie Jones fired a shot through traffic on Gaudiel, who struggled to gather up the loose puck. Chouinard dug it out and then scored from a sharp angle to give Mercyhurst the dramatic victory.

Hozier got the win after making 21 saves. Gaudiel stopped 30 shots as Mercyhurst held a 33-23 shot advantage. Chouinard had a three-point night. Not only did she stretch her scoring streak to eight games, but she also extended her goal-scoring streak to four. The freshman sensation has scored six goals and added four assists in her last four. Her game-winner Friday was her team-leading third. She also tops the squad in goals (10) and points (19). The line of Chouinard, Shirley and Bourbeau produced all three goals and three of the team's four assists.

Princeton and Mercyhurst conclude their two-game series tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m.