Box Score STAMFORD, Conn. - Junior Sydney Asselstine (Hartington, Ontario/Nepean Wildcats (PWHL)) recorded her first career hat trick and added an assist for a game-high four points as the 10th-ranked Manhattanville women's hockey team remained perfect at home this season by beating the previously undefeated Huskies of Southern Maine by a score of 6-3 in ECAC East Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Terry Conners Rink.

The Valiants' top line of Asselstine and classmates Alla Traun (Edina, Minn./Minnesota Thoroughbreds (JWHL)) and Michele Meggiolaro (Whippany, N.J./New Jersey Colonials (MAWHA)) racked up the points for the home team in the win, combining for five goals and six assists. In addition to Asselstine's four-point day, Traun also had a career-high four points on a goal and three assists while Meggiolaro added a goal and two helpers of her own.

The game looked to be a real battle of the goaltenders heading into the day, as Southern Maine's Liz Bergstrom was coming into the game as the top goalie in the ECAC East, allowing less than half a goal per game.  But Manhattanville jumped all over her quickly as they scored goals on their first two shots of the game.  The first goal came off the stick of Asselstine as she picked the top corner over the glove of Bergstrom as she broke down the left wing and rifled one up high.  Less than two minutes after Asselstine's goal, Traun made a beautiful outlet pass to Meggiolaro, who took full advantage of her break and fooled Bergstrom with a nice deke while sliding the puck through the five-hole.
 
Halfway through the first period the Huskies closed the gap to 2-1 as sophomore defender Kaleigh Heath scored her first goal of the season, but less than four minutes later Asselstine increased the lead for the Valiants as she tipped home a pass from Traun just inside the right post. 

The scoring wasn't finished there, as both teams still had time left for one more goal before the intermission. The Huskies scored shorthanded with less than two minutes to play as senior captain Erin Banfield was able to get the puck past Shaughnessy to bring the score to 3-2. Exactly one minute later, Asselstine completed her first-period hat trick just seconds after the end of a power play as she took a pass from Traun who was cutting through the slot and rifled it past Bergstrom for a 4-2 lead heading into the first intermission.
 
The second period was just as eventful as the first as the teams traded goals once again.  Traun opened the scoring 3:24 into the period as she took a pass from Asselstine and beat Bergstrom to give the Valiants a 5-2 lead.  The Huskies made another push to get themselves back in the game as freshman Ally Vanidestine found the net at the 11:07 mark.  However, sophomore forward Kyra Herbert (Plainfield, N.H./Lebanon) skated right down the ice off the ensuing faceoff and fired a shot over the blocker of Bergstrom and into the top corner of the net for her first collegiate goal, re-establishing a three-goal lead for the Valiants just seven seconds later.

While the teams would continue their back and forth play for the remainder of the game, there were no further goals scored and the game would end with a final score of 6-3 in favor of the Valiants as they hand the Huskies their first loss of the season. 

Junior Kirsten Shaughnessy (Le Center, Minn./LeSueur-Henderson St. Peter) earned the win in goal for Manhattanville, making 19 saves to improve to 2-2-1 on the year. Bergstrom suffered the loss, allowing all six goals on only nine shots in 31:25 before Jenn Fuller came on to stop the final six shots of the game for the Huskies.

Manhattanville (3-2-1, 3-1-0 ECAC East) will return to the ice on Tuesday evening as they take on Neumann University at home at 7:30 p.m.