Feb. 21, 2004
New Haven, CT - Yale wrapped up the home portion of the regular season with a 3-1 win over Vermont on Senior Day at Ingalls Rink. With 11 wins and three ties, Yale now has a school-record 25 points for the season. While it was a junior who earned the first star Saturday -- Erin Duggan had a goal and an assist on her 21st birthday -- all three of Yale's seniors (Nicolette Franck, Erika Hockinson and Kristin Kattleman) had the chance for one last time on the ice at Ingalls.
Coming off a tough loss to Dartmouth Friday night, the Bulldogs showed no ill effects in the early going. Yale kept Vermont without a shot on goal until there were 10 minutes left in the first period, and that shot was a harmless wrister from the blue line that goalie Sarah Love easily gloved. Yale wound up outshooting the Catamounts 15-3 for the period but could not get the puck past Vermont goalie Kami Cote.
The Catamounts had the chance to grab the lead on a breakaway midway through the second, but Love stopped Hilary Johnson to keep the game scoreless. Duggan finally ended the drought at 6:18 of the second. From just inside the blueline, she sent a low slapshot on net that snuck past Cote, who was screened by several players.
"That was the goal the whole time -- to get people in front of (Cote)," head coach Hilary Witt noted. "She's a good goalie, and I don't think she saw it."
Nicole Symington started off Yale's next goal sequence, sending a shot on net that Cote was unable to control. Ali Turney and Sheila Zingler helped get the loose puck to Deena Caplette, who knocked it in for a 2-0 lead at 12:53. On a faceoff with 10 seconds left in the period, Hockinson got the chance to take a shift after being sidelined with a bad back for most of her senior season.
Franck then came on to play the third period in relief of Love, who remains on pace to break the school record for save percentage in a season (.927 to Laurie Belliveau's .923 in 1997-98) and goals-against average in a season (2.21 to Tiffany Bingham's 2.39 in 1987-88). The Catamounts' Katie Gannon tallied at 7:09 to set up a nerve-wracking ending for the home crowd, especially when Vermont pulled Cote for an extra skater with a minute left. The Bulldogs did not have the victory secured until Duggan grabbed the puck in the neutral zone in the waning seconds, taking it slowly up the ice to run the clock down before dishing to Savard for the empty-netter with 15 seconds to go. Savard (12-8-20) is now tied with two other players for the conference lead in freshman scoring, with Jenna Spring (7-12-19) right behind.
Franck, Hockinson and Kattleman were all on the ice for the game's end as Yale added to its record for ECAC victories with its seventh and pulled within one of the school record for wins (12, 1985-86). Duggan made a mark of her own with the assist, giving her 43 for her career and moving her into fourth on Yale's all-time list.
"She deserves it," Witt said. "She's played phenomenally."
With the home schedule now concluded, Witt also took the time to note the dramatic increase in support for the program that she has seen since first joining the Bulldogs as an assistant coach in 2001.
"I looked up in the stands this afternoon and went 'Wow -- there's a lot of people there,'" she said, also noting the vocal student crowd at Friday's game. "I feel consistently over the last month and a half or so we've had more fans than ever in the building. It was just amazing to have that kind of support. The department itself is supporting us, giving us the resources we need to field a competitive program, and our kids have stepped up to the plate."
The Bulldogs now face three straight road games to end the regular season -- at No. 8 Princeton Wednesday, at No. 2 Harvard March 6 and at No. 10 Brown March 7. The ECAC quarterfinals, a best-of-three series, runs March 12-14 (top four seeds host games).
report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity Department.