BURRILLVILLE, R.I. - Behind three third-period goals, the Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team rallied past Nichols College, 4-2, on Friday in Levy Rink during Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East play. The Purple Knights, who have now earned both of their wins this season against the Bison, are 2-15-3 overall and 1-10-2 in the league thanks to snapping an eight-game winless streak. The hosts are 4-18 and 2-11.

Sophomore Naomi Major (Telluride, Colo./Telluride Lizard Heads) scored the first two goals of her career for Saint Michael's, first-year Carolyn Avery (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) found the back of the net for the first time as a collegian while dishing an assist, and junior defender Maire Bartkus (Acton, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) added her first goal of the year. Classmate Tina Frasca (Norwood, Mass./Massachusetts Spitfires) stopped 37 shots for her eighth 30-save outing and initial collegiate victory. It was the Purple Knights' first win in four all-time visits to Nichols' home rink.

Junior Grace Murphy (Montclair, Va./Prince William Panthers) had a goal and an assist for the Bison, and classmate Alyssa Bufis (Linden, N.J./Morristown-Beard School) also scored. Junior Talia Hohmann (Marina, Calif./San Jose Jr. Sharks) dished out a pair of helpers, and classmate Tori Gianformaggio (Huntington Beach, Calif./Boston Shamrocks) recorded 23 saves.

Despite being outshot 12-5 in the opening period, the visitors struck for the only goal. After having an initial shot blocked, Major beat Gianformaggio from a sharp angle for the game's first tally 14:35 into the stanza. Avery picked up the assist.

After Saint Michael's killed off an early penalty in the second period, yielding only one shot on goal, Bufis knotted the contest with 5:16 gone. The visitors pushed for the go-ahead marker, including while firing off five straight shots in a 90-second span later in the period, but Murphy gave Nichols a 2-1 edge just 23 seconds into the third period. The goal came despite Frasca stopping three consecutive shots by Murphy that directly preceded the tally. Gianformaggio then stopped both shots on a Saint Michael's power play that ended at 5:34.

Just 55 seconds later, Major struck once more, tying the game to begin a stretch of three Purple Knight goals in the final 13:31 of the contest. Her second marker came after a steal and a wrist shot from the slot through the goalie's 5-hole. With 8:08 remaining, Bartkus' individual effort ended with her deking Gianformaggio for the eventual winner and, after Nichols emptied its net with 2:19 left, Avery tallied off a helper from first-year Erin Dwyer (Weymouth, Mass./Charles River) with 1:41 to go. The Bison were unable to fire any further shots on Frasca.

The Purple Knights head to Manhattanville College tomorrow at 4 p.m.