UTICA, N.Y. – In a win-or-go home semifinal contest, the Manhattanville College Women's Hockey team found itself trailing by two goals entering the final period against the second-seeded Utica Pioneers. The Valiants knew that they were capable of hanging with Utica, as indicated by the team's 3-1 win over the Pioneers at the Playland Ice Casino on January 21.
However, the Valiants also knew just what the Utica attack as capable of, witnessing firsthand as the Pioneers put up seven goals against Manhattanville a day later after the Vals' triumph. But with the season on the line and a loss spelling an end to the season for one team, thoughts of the earlier season meetings had to go out the window.
Rather than letting the home ice tilt favor the Pioneers with their two score advantage with 20 minutes to play, the Valiants instead came roaring back, scoring twice in the final period before netting the overtime winner to secure their spot into next weekend's UCHC Championship game.
The comeback got started for the No. 3 seeded Valiants 2:32 into the final stanza, as Annie Niedermier (Alberta, Canada/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) intercepted an errant pass by a Utica defender inside the Pioneer zone. The rookie made a beeline with the puck straight towards Utica netminder Angela Hawthorne, firing a shot over Hawthorne's shoulder to put the Valiants on the board.
Still, there was work to be done as the Valiants trailed by one and continued to be outshot by the potent Utica forwards. Franny Gerardi (Yonkers, N.Y./Selects Academy) shook off the pair of goals she had surrendered over the first two periods and turned away all 13 shots she faced over the period. While Manhattanville was only able to muster four shots on target in the third, it would be all they needed. At 9:56, Grace Felicio (Holden, Mass./Wachusett Regional) corralled the puck behind the Utica net. The sophomore locked eyes with Taylor Ham (Saugerties, N.Y./Millbrook School), darting in towards the net from the blue line. Felicio knocked a centering pass to the stick of Ham betwixt the faceoff circles, as the senior rifled a shot to the right of the net past Hawthorne to even the game up at 2-2.
With Gerardi stopping everything coming her way to close out the period, the game would be decided through sudden-death overtime. Once again, it was the Pioneers that got the majority of the opportunities, firing eight shots on net to the Valiants' two. Yet in the face of constant traffic, Gerardi hung tall, allowing Manhattanville to capitalize on breakout. Ham collected the loose puck in the neutral zone, lightly tapping in toward the Utica zone as a Pioneer defender skated in, looking to knock her off. The pass found the stick of Gabrielle Cox (Niverville, NY/Ichabod Crane High School) outside the blue line, who proceeded to carry it in and fire off a wrister that went top shelf past Hawthorne to secure the Valiants' spot in next weekend's title game.
In all, Gerardi made 47 saves in the win, her second-most in a game this season. Manhattanville's single-season save record holder brings her total on the year to 611 with her fifth game of 40 or moves saves in her junior campaign. Gerardi's record on the year improves to 13-8-1 with the win.
Despite getting beaten in the faceoff circle by a 38-15 margin, the Valiants were able to make the most of their limited chances to secure the hard-fought road win. Utica went 16-1 in the opening period faceoffs, putting the Valiants at a disadvantage right from the get-go. Morgan Miller (St. Augustine, Fla./Gilmour Academy) won a team-high eight draws for Manhattanville. Neither team was able to muster success with the power play, as the Valiants went 0-3 with the extra skater while Utica was 0-2.
Manhattanville awaits the results of tonight's other UCHC Semifinal contest to see who will meet them with the championship on the line. No. 1 Nazareth hosts No. 5 Chatham at 7 p.m. on the other side of the tournament bracket.
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