Cokely nets game-winner for Salve Regina, 2-1 over Nichols
HARRISVILLE, R.I. - Salve Regina University senior forward Kristen Cokely (Cambridge, Mass.) scored late in the third period to lift the Seahawks to a 2-1 ECAC Women's East victory at Nichols Saturday afternoon. With the win, Salve Regina improves to 8-12-3 overall and 7-7-2 in conference play. Nichols dips to 4-18-0 overall and 3-13-0 in league games.
Nichols netminder Francesca Palazzo (Bernardston, Mass.) made 16 saves in the first period to keep Salve Regina off the board, but 31 seconds into the second frame, Melanie Sherlock (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finally solved Palazzo and put the Seahawks on the board. Rachel Porter (Franklin, Mass.) won the faceoff at Palazzo's right back to Sherlock, who skated it into the slot before lifting it over Palazzo's blocker.
Nichols had a great opportunity shortly after when Bridget Griffin (Wilmington, Mass.) and Mandy Manopla (West Palm Beach, Fla.) skated in on a two-on-one, but Manopla fanned on the final pass at the netfront.
Despite a 11-7 Seahawk shot advantage in the frame, the Bison controlled play for the final four minutes of the stanza, with prime scoring chances from the Nichols' starting line of Manopla, Megan Gerein (Dubuque, Iowa) and Krista-Jean Forand (Plymouth, Mass.).
Nichols carried the momentum into the third period and capitalized at the 2:24 mark when Gerein stole the puck from a Salve Regina defender just inside the Seahawks' zone and placed it in the top right of the net past Ali Muehlbronner's (Glenside, Pa.) glove.
Salve Regina edged ahead, 2-1, at 14:12 of the final frame when Danika Williams (Fairbanks, Alaska) passed ahead to Cokely for the senior to finish off a two-on-one at the near post.
Seahawks forward Caitlyn Farragher (Plymouth, Mass.) was whistled for tripping with 2:52 left in the third period, and Nichols had two chances on the opportunity, highlighted by a Forand wrister. Just after the Seahawks returned to full strength, Stacey McGrath (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) finished a two-on-one for the Bison with a wrister from the left circle, but Muehlbronner came up with a quick glove save to keep the lead intact with 10.5 seconds left on the clock.
Nichols had one last chance with Palazzo pulled in favor of the extra attacker. Manopla won the draw at Muehlbronner's right back to Mary Fehr (Leamington, Ontario), but her shot with a few ticks on the clock was blocked.
Muehlbronner finished with 18 saves in the win, while Palazzo was tagged with the loss despite 35 saves. Neither team scored on the power play, combining for an 0-for-9 effort.
Nichols wraps up the regular season with a road trip to Vermont next weekend, taking on Saint Michael's Saturday at 1 p.m. and Norwich Sunday at 3 p.m. Salve Regina hosts Plymouth State and Southern Maine in its regular season finales next weekend, hosting the Panthers Friday at 7 p.m. and the Huskies at 4 p.m.
(Courtesy of Nichols sports information)