Boxscore

RYE, N.Y. – Sophomore Erin Sidjak (Delta, B.C.) broke a 1-1 tie two minutes into the final period as the #9 Manhattanville women's hockey team barely got by Nichols College 4-1 on Tuesday evening at Playland Ice Casino.

Nichols came into Playland a much improved team since last season and at times held the Valiant fans shaking their heads in disbelief.  Nichols' netminder Christine Rigosi was excellent in goal stopping 41 of 45 shots.

Freshman Haleigh Hutchinson (Southgate, Mich.) scored the opening goal for the Valiants at the 3:24 mark with assists from sophomores Katie Little (Victoria, B.C.) and Lauren Nutkevitch (Montreal, Que.). The Valiants finished the period with a 14-4 advantage in shots.

Nichols tied the contest 18 seconds into the period as SueEllen Nault found Megan Gerein for her second goal of the season. Despite outshooting the Bison 17-7, the visiting team had many opportunities to take the lead, including a 3-on-0 breakaway, but a great save by freshman netminder Mary Evans (Detroit, Mich.) kept the game tied.  The Valiants also had a chance to take the lead in the period as senior captain Shannon Coffey (Malden, Mass.) was taken down on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Coffey missed on her attempt at the netminder, as she went to her forehand, but was blanked by Rigosi.

The Valiants used the final frame to add three goals, beginning with the game winner from Sidjak two minutes into the period as she sprung past defenders and wristed a shot over the shoulder of Rigosi for her first of the season. Classmate Mary Rose Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn.) scored the next two insurance goals to give the Valiants the 4-1 lead. Morrison's first tally came in front of the net off a rebound shot Coffey at the 8:25 mark. The forward added her second goal on the power-play with 19 seconds remaining on a wrap around off a pass from freshman Tori Pizzuto (Waterbury, Conn.).

The Valiants finished the contest with 45 shots, while the Bison had 13. The home team also won the battle in the circle, 39-19, as Coffey and sophomore Lynsey Schill (Waterloo, Ont.) went 29-14. Evans picked up her first victory in her collegiate debut and made 12 saves.

Manhattanville (3-0, 3-0 ECAC East) will head to #8 Elmira this weekend for a pair of games from the Murray Athletic Center on Friday at 7 p.m., followed a Saturday late afternoon contest at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcasted live on WMVL 88.1 FM and GoValiants.com. Nichols (0-3, 0-3 ECAC East) will host Sacred Heart on Saturday at 7:40 p.m.