Erie, Pa. - The Mercyhurst Women's Ice Hockey team celebrated senior day with a 6-2 win over Lindenwood.
Grace Nelles, Olivia Cvar, Sara Boucher, Mary Kromer, Chantal Ste-Croix, and Ena Nystrøm were celebrated after their teammates and loved ones.
How it Happened
The Lakers struck first in game two, and it was Vanessa Upson who gave them a 1-0 lead. Sofia Nuutinen and Sara Boucher weaved through the defense before finding Upson right in front for the goal. Late in the period, Marielle Parks gathered a rebound and beat the goaltender to extend the Lakers lead to 2-0. Ena Nystrøm stopped six shots in the first period.
Early in the second period, a roughing penalty on the Lakers gave the Lions a power play opportunity. The Lions converted the 5 on 4 with the goal coming off the stick of Gigi Pora. In the last five minutes of the period, a delayed penalty on the Lions allowed the Lakers to get an extra skater on the ice. The Lakers kept the puck away from the Lions and were able to get on the board with another goal. This time it was Kylee Mahoney, who gathered a shot that hit Mary Kromer in front and fired it into the back of the net.
The Lions scored just a minute into the third period. This time it was Quinn McLaren who made it 3-2. The Lakers scored back-to-back goals, the first coming from Sofia Nuutinen, and the second coming from Sydney Pedersen. The Lakers extended their lead to 5-2. Late in the third period, the Lions pulled the goalie. A kick save by Ena Nystrøm bounced out to Sara Boucher, who gathered the puck and shot at the empty net from 3/4 ice and buried it.
Highlights
Vanessa Upson scored her 13th goal of the season in the first period. Upson has now scored in three straight games and has a point in five of the last six games.
Marielle Parks scored her 7th goal of the season and her first since October 27th against Robert Morris.
Kylee Mahoney (1G, 1A) recorded her first points since December 2nd against Lindenwood.
Sofia Nuutinen (1G, 1A) continues to find her way on the stat sheet. Nuutinen is now tied for third in the country in assists by a freshman.
Sydney Pedersen (1G, 2A) recorded her first goal since December 1st against Lindenwood. Pedersen also has 18 assists on the season after recording two today.
Sara Boucher (1G, 3A) brings her season total for points up 37 with her 16th goal of the season and her 19th, 20th and 21st assists of the season.
Mary Kromer (2A) now has four assists on the season.
Mary Sweetapple recorded her fifth assist of the season and now has back-to-back games with an assist.
Ena Nystrøm stopped 18 shots and got the win. Nystrøm also tallied her second assist of the season on Sara Boucher's empty net goal.
Sofia Ljung and Sofia Nuutinen were both +3 in the +/- category.
The Lakers outshot the Lions 31-20.
Scoring Summary
P1 | 6:56 | Vanessa Upson from Sara Boucher and Sofia Nuutinen
P1 | 18:41 | Marielle Parks from Mary Kromer and Kylee Mahoney
P2 | 16:34 | Kylee Mahoney from Mary Kromer and Sydney Pedersen
P3 | 4:53 | Sofia Nuutinen from Sara Boucher
P3 | 7:35 | PP | Sydney Pedersen from Mary Sweetapple and Sara Boucher
P3 | 17:15 | SH | EN | Sara Boucher from Sydney Pedersen and Ena Nystrøm
Next Up
The Lakers will be on the road next weekend for the final time in the regular season as they travel to Syracuse for a two-game set.
