Box Score HARRISVILLE, R.I. – The 9th-ranked Manhattanville women's hockey team posted a 2-0 victory over Nichols College Saturday night. Sophomore Shannon Coffey (Malden, Mass.) led the Valiants with a goal and an assist.
The teams played a close first period, with the Valiants (1-0-0, 1-0-0 ECAC) holding a slim shot advantage at 10-6.
Nichols netminder Melissa Mansfield (Medford, Mass.) came up with a big save with 12:35 left in the middle frame, when Coffey fired from right outside the crease, only to have the junior netminder make the stand-up save.
With six minutes left in the second, Hannah Tardiff (Laconia, N.H.) fired from below the right circle, but Manhattanville netminder Karine Turmel (Ste-Marguerite, Que.) made the pad save. Katelyn Pfeifer (Natick, Mass.) got her stick on the rebound at the far post, but sent the puck just wide.
The Valiants got on the board with a power-play goal at 19:26 of the second when Coffey one-timed a pass from Monique Rafferty (Clifton Park, N.Y.) at the left post.
Manhattanville edged ahead at 7:37 of the third with another power-play tally, this time off the stick off sophomore defenseman Erica Garcia (Highland, Calif.). Coffey found Natalie Zitek (Charleston, W. Va.), who slipped the puck across the crease to Garcia. The sophomore slipped the puck under Mansfield as she went down for her first goal of the season.
SueEllen Nault (Goffstown, N.H.) looked to get the Bison on the board late in the frame, firing off a draw in the Valiants' zone, but her shot clanged off the right post.
Mansfield made 24 saves, while Turmel turned aside 16 shots in the win.
Nichols (0-3-0, 0-3-0 ECAC) continues its four-game homestand against Salve Regina at 5:30 p.m., while the Valiants take on Holy Cross in Worcester Saturday at 2 p.m.
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