Bulldogs Sweep Home-and-Home Series with Friars

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's ice hockey team capped a busy weekend of scoring with a 5-2 victory over Providence Saturday night at Ingalls. The win gives the Bulldogs a sweep of the season-opening home-and-home series with the Friars, as they won 6-2 Friday night in Providence. Yale is off to its first 2-0-0 start since 1991-92.

Providence (0-7-1, 0-0-0 Hockey East) took a 1-0 lead when forward Beth Hanrahan scored on a breakaway, beating senior goalkeeper Jaimie Leonoff high on her glove side. That was Providence's first shot of the game, and Leonoff wound up stopping all of the remaining ones until the final shot -- when the game was already in hand for the Bulldogs. She would finish with 24 saves.

The Bulldogs tied the game at 14:23 of the first, when junior forward Janelle Ferrara took the puck out from behind the net and fed it in front to Yip-Chuck, who one-timed it in at 14:23.

The Bulldogs executed a successful penalty kill near the end of the period to keep their lead intact heading into the intermission. Shortly after clearing the puck, sophomore defenseman Taylor Marchin -- who had vexed the Friars with a four-assist night Friday -- drew a penalty on the Friars that brought PC's power play to a premature end.

Yale (2-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC Hockey) just missed a goal with eight minutes left in the second when a blast by junior defenseman Kate Martini hit Providence goalie Sarah Bryant's pads, then hit off the post and away. But Yale eventually broke on top with a great short-handed effort by Yip-Chuck. After generating a turnover behind the net, she fought through a defender to slide the puck in front, where Ferrara drove it home for the 2-1 lead at 17:23.

The Bulldogs scored late in two of the periods of Friday's win, and they did so two more times Saturday. With 34 seconds to play in the second, Ferrara and junior forward Jamie Haddad set up Yip-Chuck, who was wide open near the blue line. With space to operate, she skated near the top of the left circle before sniping one that beat Bryant high on her glove side. Yale went into the third up 3-1.

"I'd like to think we're pushing the pace, and towards the energy we have a little bit more energy than our opponents," said Yale head coach Joakim Flygh of his team's propensity for late goals.

Providence had a chance to creep back into the game with a power play midway through the third, but Leonoff made a pair of great saves on Hanrahan to keep the Friars at bay.

Providence pulled Bryant in the final two minutes for an extra attacker, and freshman forward Eden Murray made them pay. She took a pass from senior defenseman Aurora Kennedy in transition and flipped a shot from the blue line into the empty net.

Forward Haley Frade scored for Providence with 43.2 seconds left to make the score 4-2.

After a Friars penalty in the final minute, a power play goal by senior forward Stephanie Mock made the final 5-2. Freshman forward Courtney Pensavalle won the faceoff and sophomore forward Phoebe Staenz touched it back to Mock, who put it in.

Marchin, Mock and Yip-Chuck all come out of the weekend tied for the team lead in points with four. Making the weekend's efforts all the more impressive was the fact that senior forward Jackie Raines -- second on the team in points per game a year ago -- was sidelined for all of Saturday's game, and saw limited action Friday.

"We feel we have depth on our team," said Flygh. "Obviously the Yip-Chuck line (with Ferrara and Haddad) really stepped up today, and was really involved in the game. Janelle and Jamie have grown with our programs for more than two years now, and Krista put in a lot of work over the summer. It's nice to see that work pay off."

Yale hosts St. Lawrence next Friday at 7:00 p.m.

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