STORRS, Conn. – The Yale women's ice hockey team dominated Sacred Heart 5-0 in the opening round of the Nutmeg Classic on Friday evening. The event features four of the top hockey programs in Connecticut. The University of Connecticut hosted this season's tournament and defeated Quinnipiac earlier on Friday. The Bulldogs will play the Huskies in the championship game on Saturday.

With the victory, Yale improved to 8-5 overall. The Pioneers fell to 5-9.

Scoring Summary
• P1, 4:28 | YALE GOAL! On the power play, Maeve Casey scored on a near-side wrist shot to get the Bulldogs on the board early. 1-0 YALE
• P1, 18:41 | YALE GOAL! Following a penalty against Yale, Jordan Ray intercepted a pass near mid-ice and fired a shot on goal that was stopped by SHU goaltender Mia Wendell. Sage Smith collected the rebound and converted for a short-handed goal. 2-0 YALE
• P2, 11:20 | YALE GOAL! Gracie Gilkyson slipped a near-side wrist shot past Wendell to extend the lead. 3-0 YALE
• P3, 13:54 | YALE GOAL! Mariya Rauf added the penultimate tally for the Bulldogs. 4-0 YALE
• P3, 19:16 | YALE GOAL! Cami Bell capped off the win with a bar-down wrister. 5-0 YALE

Game Notes
• Yale is now 7-0 all-time against Sacred Heart and has outscored the Pioneers 55-2 all-time.
• The Bulldogs are the defending Nutmeg Classic champions after defeating Quinnipiac in last year's final.
• Casey and Smith each scored the first goals of their collegiate careers.
• Gilkyson, Bell, and Rauf each netted their fourth goals of the season.
• Samson Frey started in goal for the Bulldogs, earning a shutout while making 19 saves. It was Frey's first collegiate start. Wendell, a former Bulldog, stopped an incredible 66 shots for Sacred Heart.
• Yale outshot Sacred Heart 71-19 and controlled the faceoff circle, winning 37 of 59 draws.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will face UConn in the Nutmeg Classic championship game on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m.