SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey team won the seventh annual Saint Michael's College Holiday Classic on Saturday, grabbing a 3-1 victory over the hosts in Cairns Arena. In the other contest, Colby College downed Nichols College, 2-1.

For the Purple Knights, who slipped to 1-10-1, freshman Kristen Spulecki (Orchard Park, N.Y./Buffalo Bison) tallied late in the opening period for the go-ahead marker. She and junior Erin Stevens (Watertown, Conn./Connecticut Polar Bears), who made 34 saves, were named to the all-tournament team.

Senior Jamie Mey (Middletown, R.I./Saint George's) had a goal and an assist for the 5-9 Pioneers while drawing most valuable player honors. She and sophomore Alexius Schutt (Elk River, Minn./Elk River), who stopped 36 shots, were all-tournament selections. Freshmen Sara Hanna (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) and Melissa Robbins (Nashua, N.H./Nashua North) scored on power plays in the second period, with Mey playing a role in Hanna's winner with five seconds remaining in the stanza.

In the opening contest, junior Caroline Chessare (Hopkinton, Mass./Saint Mark's School) broke a tie with 10:56 to go in the third period for Colby, which improved to 4-5-1. Sophomore Samantha Slotnick (Canterbury, Conn./Pomfret School), who was named all-tournament, provided the tying goal at 14:01 of the second, just 23 seconds after Nichols made it 1-0. Classmate Grace Dickinson (Northfield, Ill./Hotchkiss School) had 16 saves.

Nichols slipped to 4-7-1, receiving its marker from freshman Grace Murphy (Montclair, Va./Prince William Panthers), who landed on the all-tournament team. Sophomore Francesca Palazzo (Bernardston, Mass./Turners Falls) made 31 saves, as the Bison were nearly doubled in shots, 33-17.

Saint Michael's plays next on Friday, hosting nationally-ranked Norwich University at 7 p.m. The Cadets are second in the most recent U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III poll.