Valiants down Seahawks, 6-2

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. - Junior Samantha Coffey (Malden, Mass.) scored three goals to lead the Manhattanville College women's ice hockey team to a 6-2 win over Salve Regina University in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) action Sunday afternoon at St. George's Rink.

Classmate Holly Nonis (Brampton, Ontario) added a goal and two assists for the Valiants, who improved to 19-1 all-time against Salve Regina. Sophomore Kathleen Roche (Boston, Mass.) scored a pair of goals for the Seahawks, who slipped to 11-3-3 (8-2-3 ECAC).

Trailing 2-0 entering the second period following a pair of first-period goals by Roche, the Valiants struck for three goals in 44 seconds to grab a 3-2 lead. Coffey's seventh of the season at 8:32 cut the Manhattanville deficit to 2-1, and sophomore Jackie Solomito (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) scored at 8:58 and 9:16 to push the Valiants in front 3-2, a lead which they carried into the intermission.

In the third, Coffey potted her eighth of the year at 5:04 and ninth at 11:17 to make it a 5-2 game, and Nonis iced the game with her eighth of the season at 18:26 of the period.

"It's a little tough to figure," Seahawk head coach Michael Cox said of the Manhattanville comeback. "We certainly came out and played great hockey, but we had that three or four minute lapse in the second period that wasn't great for us. Manhattanville is the kind of team that will take advantage of a little inch or crack, and they did that, which put us back on our heels. We just weren't able to recover."

Freshman Emy Cote (Saint-Hubert, Quebec) made 12 saves to improve to 4-3-0 on the season. Sophomore Rebecca Simmons (Averill Park, N.Y.) recorded 22 saves to fall to 4-4-3 on the year. The Valiants converted on one of their seven power-play chances while the Seahawks failed to score on one of their seven chances.

The Seahawks return to action on Saturday when they host Castleton State at 6 p.m. The Valiants host Plymouth State Friday at 7 p.m.