Pearson pushes Seahawks to 3-2 victory in second overtime

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (February 26, 2020) - Salve Regina University junior defenseman Suzi Pearson (York, England) grabbed a loose puck off a face off and pushed it toward Becker College freshman netminder Madelyn Morgan (Riverside, Calif.), who had a stellar game with 48 saves in over 81 minutes, and the puck trickled through for the game-winner, 3-2, in second overtime. The fourth-seeded Seahawks (7-16-3) advance to face top-seeded Endicott College in a Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) semifinal on Saturday, while the fifth-seeded Hawks end their season at 7-16-3 overall.

Salve Regina scored the game's first goal when senior Maddy McCann (Westerly, R.I.) notched her fifth of the season at 2:44 in the first period with assists from freshman Grace Schwartz (Brookfield, Wis.) and sophomore Kimberly Dunn (Quincy, Mass.).

Seahawk sophomore goaltender Madison Jalbert (Beverly, Mass.) stopped all 12 shots she faced in the opening period. Morgan had five stops for the Hawks.

Becker knotted the game at 1-1 in the second period when sophomore Clare Conway (Billerica, Mass.) scored her 11th of the season with an assist from freshman Katie Puumala (Framingham, Mass.). Morgan faced steady traffic in the next three periods including first overtime with 16, 12, and 14 saves, respectively.

Conway's 12th goal of the season came at 11:28 elapsed in the third, Puumala assisting again, and it put the Hawks ahead 2-1. Salve Regina got the equalizer without emptying its net late in the third as Schwartz found the back of the net for her fifth of the season at 17:45 elapsed.

Salve Regina outshot the visitors overall (51-34) including a 14-6 advantage in the first overtime. With two shots in the second overtime, the first one by senior captain and All-CHC defenseman Amanda Fantasia (Billerica, Mass.) stopped by Morgan and producing a face off to the goaltender's right. Sophomore Dakota McMahon (Newington, Conn.) battled the draw with junior Cameron Payne (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and the puck found its way to Pearson.

Each of Salve Regina's goal scorers on the evening scored her fifth goal of the season. Jalbert finished with 32 saves and faced no shots in the second overtime. The Seahawks improve to 4-2-1 all-time versus the Hawks; Salve Regina had won the season series against Becker, going 2-1-1. In the fourth and final meeting of their regular-season series, All-Rookie member Maddie Cox (Barrington, R.I.) scored a goal with 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation, earning a 3-3 tie for the Seahawks, putting them in position to take home ice into the first round.

Now the Seahawks, undefeated in their last six games (3-0-3), go on the road to face a rested Gulls squad this weekend. Endicott, defending CHC champions, have been in the title game each of the last four years.