Hutchinson nets two as Valiants take down Salve Regina, 4-1
RYE, N.Y. – Freshman Haleigh Hutchinson (Southgate, Mich.) scored a pair of goals as the Manhattanville women's hockey team picked up its second consecutive victory in a 4-1 win over Salve Regina on Friday evening in an important ECAC East Conference game at Playland Ice Casino.
Sophomore Mary Rose Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn.) had three assists in the game and led all scorers in points. Classmates Sonia Occhionero added a pair of assists, while Lynsey Schill and Charlotte Hotaling chipped in with single goals for the home team.
The Valiants took the lead early in the contest as Hutchinson hit the back of the net for the first of two in the period just 52 seconds into the contest. Occhionero and Morrison were credited with the assists. But the Seahawks tied the game at the 8:06 mark, as Kelsey Talty (Fairport, N.Y.) and Samantha Zitzer (River Forest, Ill.) found Caitlyn Farragher (Plymouth, Mass).
However, the host team added the next two goals to finish the period leading by two at 3-1. Hutchinson added her second tally of the night at the 15:24 mark of the period with Morrison credited with her second helper of the period. The Valiants took the two-goal edge with 1:15 remaining as Hotaling blasted a shot from the point with senior Erica Garcia and Occhionero connecting on passes to set up the sophomore.
Neither team found the net in the middle period, with both teams sustaining equal pressure. The Valiants held a 17-8 advantage in shots after 40 minutes and kept the pressure on the Seahawks, who replaced starting goalie Rebecca Simmons (Averill Park, Mass.) with Ali Muehlbronner (Glenside, Pa.) to begin the period. After Simmons allowed three goals on nine shots in the opening frame, Muehlbronner made all eight saves in the second period.
The Valiants added an insurance goal in the final period on the power play as Morrison sent a beautiful pass from the wing to the front of the net and found Schill for her third goal of the season at the 8:43 mark of the period.
The Valiants finished the game with 28 shots on goal as the Salve Regina goalie combination of Simmons and Muehlbronner made 24 stops. Sophomore netminder Emy Cote (Saint-Hubert, Quebec) made nine saves for the Valiants, as Salve Regina finished with just 10 shots on goal.
Manhattanville (14-6-2, 11-3-1, ECAC East) will get back on the ice tomorrow evening against The College of the Holy Cross at 7 p.m. Prior to the start of the contest, the four members of the women's hockey class of 2011 will be honored. Fans can catch the live action on GoValiants.TV beginning at 6:50 p.m.
(Courtesy of Manhattanville sports information)