ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior Vicki Bendus and sophomore Bailey Bram each scored two goals and the top-ranked Mercyhurst College women's hockey team defeated Cornell, 4-1, on Friday afternoon at James Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y. The Lakers improve to 5-0 on the season while Cornell falls to 0-1.

Bendus increased her team-leading goal total to six and marked her second-straight game with multiple points. Bram, meanwhile, added her third and fourth scores of the season. Overall, seven different players tallied points, including juniors Jesse Scanzano and Ashley Cockell, sophomores Jess Jones and Pamela Zgoda and freshman Samantha Watt with an assist apiece.

Both teams went head-to-head in the first period, with shots even at six apiece and each team having its share of scoring chances. Mercyhurst, however, accounted for the only goal as Bendus cleaned up a rebound at the left circle and sent it over the goaltender's head at the 11:14 mark.

The Lakers increased their advantage to 3-1 in the second despite getting outshot 8-5. Coming out of the break, the Lakers made it 2-0 as Bram got free on a long pass from Scanzano for a one-on-one lamplighter with just 1:27 elapsed. Cornell answered back with Chelsea Karpenko's first of the season at 13:23, but a second from Bram at 11:50 wiped out the effort and restored the two-goal cushion leading into the third.

Bendus closed out the game with an empty-net, six-on-four goal with 42 seconds showing on the clock.

Sophomore Hillary Pattenden improved to 5-0 on the season with 20 saves. Cornell outshot Mercyhurst 21-19. Both teams were shutout on the power play, with the Lakers at 0-for-3 and Big Red at 0-for-7.

Cornell and Mercyhurst meet again on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3 p.m. to close out the series.