STAMFORD, Conn. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team suffered a 5-0 loss to Manhattanville College on Saturday at Terry Conners Rink during Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East play. The Purple Knights are now 2-16-3 overall and 1-11-2 in the league, while the Valiants improved to 8-11-4 and 6-5-3.

First-year Abby Burke (Bedford, Mass./Assabet Valley Patriots) made 38 stops in 44:42 for her fifth 30-save performance of the winter before senior Meaghan Leong (Cohasset, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) had nine saves during 15:18 of relief. Classmate Macey Thomas (Amherst, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) won eight face-offs and first-year Carolyn Avery (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) seven.

Junior Sydney Asselstine (Hartington, Ontario/Nepean Wildcats) netted a hat trick for Manhattanville, while junior Aubrey Bachand (Harwichport, Mass./Vermont Academy) and first-year Michaela Murdock (Chestnut Ridge, N.Y./Mid Fairfield Conn. Stars) also scored. Three players dished two assists, and first-year Dana DeMartino (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa Chiefs) worked the 20-save shutout.

Burke posted 14 of her saves in the first period alone, including denying four while helping her squad kill a penalty midway through the frame. Manhattanville gained a 5-on-3 advantage shortly thereafter for 10 seconds, as the Purple Knights were able to kill one penalty but not the second, with Bachand netting the eventual winner at 13:19. Just 1:12 later, Murdock made it 2-0. Saint Michael's had a woman advantage for four consecutive minutes during a stretch that spanned the intermission thanks to two Valiant penalties but was held scoreless.

Asselstine scored 7:59 into the second period on another power play for the first of three straight goals. She scored twice more in the opening 4:42 of the third frame to complete the hat trick, with the third one also coming on a woman advantage.

The Purple Knights remain on the road on Tuesday when they play Connecticut College for the first time. Opening face-off is set for 7 p.m.