POTSDAM, N.Y. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team concluded a season-opening home-and-home series with the State University of New York at Potsdam on Saturday with a 5-2 setback at Maxcy Ice Arena. After the teams tied on Friday at Cairns Arena, the Purple Knights slipped to 0-1-1. The Bears are 1-0-1.

Sophomore Jillian Witwicki (Danvers, Mass./Pingree School) tallied her first two goals of the season for the Purple and Gold, recording her second career multi-goal outing, while going 12-for-23 on face-offs. Junior Abby Burke (Bedford, Mass./The Rivers School) notched 43 saves, the third 40-save outing of her career. It was her highest save total since her first career start, when Burke made a career-high 54 stops on Nov. 9, 2013.

Junior Jordan Ott scored twice for SUNY Potsdam, while junior Roberta Beatty, sophomore Brenna Wilson and first-year Rylie Murray also tallied. Senior Alison Greene and sophomores Anna-Rose Bertin and Taylor Marcellus all dished off a pair of assists, and senior Abby Tardelli had 14 stops.

Burke tallied eight saves in the opening eight-plus minutes alone to keep the contest scoreless before later denying a shorthanded bid and five power-play shots during a pair of Bear woman advantages. Beatty finally broke through at 16:12 of the opening period, but Witwicki knotted the game just 30 seconds later, winning the ensuing face-off and being fed by sophomore Ashley Dineen (Somers, N.Y./Canterbury School).

Witwicki put the Purple Knights ahead 3:34 into the second frame with an unassisted tally, but the Bears countered with two goals in each of the final two periods. Ott tied the game 4:22 after the visitors took the lead and then scored her second marker in a matter of 6:14 with 14:10 gone in the period, giving the Bears a 3-2 edge.

Burke denied seven shots to begin the third period with her team down just one goal, but Wilson converted passes by Bertin and Marcellus after 5:37 to give the hosts some insurance. Murray tacked on to the advantage 4:57 later. Saint Michael's had three consecutive bids denied later in the frame, around the 15-minute mark, as senior Kaly Spilhaus (Bourne, Mass./Groton School), junior Erin Dwyer (Weymouth, Mass./Archbishop Williams) and sophomore Katherine O'Brien (East Sandwich, Mass./Tilton School) were all stopped by Tardelli. Burke made three final saves during a SUNY Potsdam power play that lasted for the closing 1:29.

The Purple Knights open a four-game homestand next Friday against Plymouth State University at 7 p.m.