SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team fell to the State University of New York at Potsdam, 3-1, on Friday in Cairns Arena. The Purple Knights are now 2-15, as eight of their losses are by two goals or fewer, while the Bears improved to 8-10-1, including 6-4 in the last 10 games.

First-year Jillian Witwicki (Danvers, Mass./Pingree School) scored for Saint Michael's, and sophomore Tina Frasca (Norwood, Mass./Tabor Academy) had 24 saves. Over the final two periods, the hosts held a 16-14 edge in shots.

Junior Alison Greene (Massena, N.Y./North American Hockey Academy) posted two goals and an assist for SUNY Potsdam, senior Izzy Fayerman (Calgary, Alberta/The Edge) also tallied, and sophomore Jordan Ott (Hilton, N.Y./Rochester Edge) assisted a pair, as the Bears' first forward line accounted for all of their team's point. Junior Alexane Rodrigue (Monkland, Ontario/Bemidji State) made 22 saves.

Frasca made 12 of her stops in the first period, including denying junior Natasha Allen's (Aspen, Colo./Ontario Hockey Academy) bid from the slot with her blocker midway through the stanza during a SUNY Potsdam power play. After a Bear hit the right post from a tough angle during a later power play, Frasca stopped another pair, and sophomore defender Athena Akiki (Allendale, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) countered by making a short-handed rush down the left side before being denied by Rodrigue. Late in the period, Greene carried in the high slot, chipped the puck through a Purple Knight, caught up to the pass and skated in alone on Frasca, deking once and slipping a shot home at 16:57.

SUNY Potsdam made it a 2-0 contest at 5:14 of the second period. Ott had an initial shot stopped by Frasca, but the rebound popped out to the right post and Fayerman, who tallied. Purple Knight sophomores Erin Dwyer (Weymouth, Mass./Charles River) and Carolyn Avery (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) both had one-timers denied by Rodrigue during the middle portion of the stanza, and the goalies traded close-range stops one minute apart in the final six minutes. In the closing 20 seconds, Dwyer rushed through the right circle and fired a shot that was stopped before grabbing the rebound and ringing a shot off the right post.

Witwicki drew the hosts within one goal 5:58 into the third period, picking the upper right corner from the slot following a scramble out front during a power play. Dwyer and first-year Amanda Donahoe (Wakefield, Mass./Saint Mary's) assisted. The Purple Knights were the beneficiaries of two more power plays in the stanza, including during a 5-on-3 advantage that lasted for 29 seconds, but the best chance for either team came when Bear junior Sally Mooney (New Albany, Ohio/Wyoming Seminary) skated in alone with her squad down one woman with 4:17 remaining. Frasca denied that bid with her right pad. Frasca was pulled for an extra skater with 1:32 left, and Greene clinched the win by scoring from near center ice as 25 seconds remained on the clock.

Saint Michael's heads to the College of the Holy Cross tomorrow for a 2:05 p.m. start.