WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – A pair of goals from Gabrielle Cox (Niverville, NY/Ichabod Crane High School) and the first career tally by Harper Weisbeck (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Sutherland) sent the Manhattanville College women's hockey team back home with a weekend sweep of UCHC rival Wilkes. The Valiants begin the season 2-0-0 with the pair of victories over the Colonels the last two days as the team gets set to take to their home ice for the first time this year next week.

Manhattanville lit the lamp in each period, ultimately needing all three of their goals to secure the win. Rookie Weisbeck opened up the day's scoring at 14:25 in the first, burying a pass from Annie Niedermier (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) into the net. Niedermier earned a point in both games of the opening series after scoring in yesterday's contest.

The Colonels pulled at 14:02 in the second as Amanda Spreadbury capitalized on Cox's tripping penalty by netting a power play goal from Abigail Barcless and Rachel Morey. Cox would make up for her penalty with seven seconds left in the period, scoring her second goal of the season to put the Valiants back ahead entering the third.

The goaltenders held strong throughout the third period as Wilkes still trailed 2-1 with two minutes to go in regulation. The Colonels would empty the net for an extra attacker, but the Valiants put in an empty netter insurance tally off the stick of Cox from Lindsay Reyes (Chino Hills, Calif./SUNY Cortland) and Ciara Dauer (Winchester, MA/Worcester Academy) at 18:29. The goal was a big one, as Wilkes broke through in the closing minute with the net empty once again as Barcless finished a feed from Morey.

Despite the late goal, Franny Gerardi (Yonkers, N.Y./Selects Academy) stood firm in the final 35 seconds of regulation, turning away Barcless' shot in the final seconds for her 39^th save of the game to secure the victory. The graduate goaltender carries a 1.99 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage through the opening weekend of the season.

Cox fired a team-high eight shots on net in the win. She was followed by Catrina Chinetti (Hyde Park, Mass./Boston Latin Academy) who fired seven pucks at Wilkes' Audrey Milne while also winning seven of her ten faceoff draws. Grace Felicio (Holden, Mass./Wachusett Regional) won a team-high 11 draws for the Valiants.

Manhattanville logged 10 shot blocks in the win, with Katherine Stahl (Middletown, R.I./Middletown), Lulu LePage (Swansea, Mass./Elmira College) and Erin Flaherty (Rockland, Mass./Canterbury School) each blocking a pair.

After leading the way in yesterday's win, the Valiant power play unit went 0-for-3 on Sunday with seven total shots. The Colonel power play went 1-for-2 on a pair of abbreviated chances, scoring on their lone shot with the extra skater.

Up Next
The Valiants will take to the ice of the Playland Ice Casino for the first time in the season on Friday to begin a two-game series against Chatham at 3:30 p.m.

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