Murray, Pensavalle Score First Collegiate Goals

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's ice hockey team looks to have plenty of scoring depth this season, and the first game of the year showcased that. Yale was facing a Providence team that it had beaten 5-1 last year. While four of the Bulldog goals in last year's game came from one player -- sophomore forward Phoebe Staenz -- in this year's game the Bulldogs got goals from six different players en route to a 6-2 win. Sophomore defenseman Taylor Marchin led the team with four assists and a +5. Senior forward Stephanie Mock had a goal and two assists.

The numbers behind the final score also show how Yale improved over last year. In last year's game Providence outshot Yale 38-29, with 37 saves from senior goaltender Jaimie Leonoff helping the Bulldogs pull out the win. This time around the shots favored the Bulldogs, 30-23, and Leonoff only had to make 21 stops for the victory.

The longest scoreless stretch of the game came right at the start. It took 19:23 before Yale (1-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) took a 1-0 lead when Mock scored off assists from freshman forward Eden Murray and Marchin. The goal sent the Bulldogs into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, having outshot PC 8-5.

The Bulldogs extended their lead with a goal at 6:59 of the second from sophomore forward Gretchen Tarrant, assisted by Mock and Marchin. That was Tarrant's second career goal.

Four saves by Providence goalie Allie Morse on a Yale power play midway through the second period helped keep the game close. Right after that a shot by PC forward Beth Hanrahan hit the pipe. That left the score 2-0, and Yale began pulling away by scoring late in a period again -- this time with 23 seconds left on the clock, as sophomore forward Krista Yip-Chuck scored off a Marchin assist. Yale took a 3-0 lead into the final period.

Two freshmen forwards then scored their first career goals to break the game open early in the third. First, Murray scored off assists by Mock and Staenz at 2:59. Then, Courtney Pensavalle scored off an assist by Staenz at 8:09.

Providence (0-6-1, 0-0-0 Hockey East) broke up the bid for a shutout by getting a power play goal from forward Brooke Simpson at 10:43 of the third. Ninety seconds later, though, junior forward Hanna Åström scored -- assisted by Marchin and freshman forward Brittany Wheeler -- to make the score 6-1 Yale.

Marchin's four assists make her the first Yale player with that many in a game since Kristin Savard '07 had five Feb. 10, 2007.

Friars forward Haley Frade added a power play goal at 16:07 for the 6-2 final. Providence finished 2-for-4 on the advantage, while Yale was 0-for-3.

The same two teams meet Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at Ingalls Rink.

Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity