SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Plymouth State University and Division I Sacred Heart University women's ice hockey teams both earned victories on Friday during the opening day of the 12th annual DoubleTree Ice Hockey Classic at Cairns Arena. Sacred Heart topped Hamilton College, 4-3, in overtime during the opening contest, while Plymouth State defeated tournament host Saint Michael's College, 4-0, in the nightcap. The tournament winner will be determined tomorrow, as Hamilton opposes Plymouth State at 1 p.m. and Saint Michael's takes on Sacred Heart at 4 p.m.

Plymouth State 4, Saint Michael's 0

Senior Tina Frasca (Norwood, Mass./Tabor Academy) made 33 stops for the Purple Knights, who remained winless through 11 games. Seniors Haley Branovan (Canandaigua, N.Y./Culver Academy) and Lauren Connolly (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) and juniors Courtney Evans (Fairbanks, Alaska/National Sports Academy) and Shannon Hickey (Arlington, Mass./Boston Shamrocks) all scored for 5-6-1 Plymouth State, while classmate Mariah Trupp (Topeka, Kan./National Sports Academy) notched the 17-save shutout.

During a first period that featured only 14 shots, Saint Michael's senior Athena Akiki (Allendale, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) had a bid from the left circle turned away by Trupp's blocker at 12:30, and the teams were scoreless heading into the second period, where the Panthers netted three goals. Purple and Gold junior Jillian Witwicki (Danvers, Mass./Pingree School) was sent in on a breakaway by first-year defender Alissa Sullivan (Hingham, Mass./Hingham), only to be denied by Trupp at 5:50. Connelly potted the winner at 9:25 after corralling a giveaway deep in the Saint Michael's zone and roofing a shot.

Frasca came up with four tough saves in a three-minute span during the middle portion of the stanza, denying one shot with her blocker, another with her glove, a third with her helmet and a fourth on sophomore Brooke Maggy (Alhambra, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) as the Panther was falling to the ice just outside the crease. Junior Kaitlyn Wurzer (Lee, N.H./Berwick Academy) nearly claimed the equalizer at 14:15, but her attempt to pick the upper left corner from the right circle found Trupp's blocker.

Plymouth State pulled away when Branovan skated through the left circle and around a fallen defender before ringing a shot off the left post and in at 16:13, and Evans extended the lead by one-timing home a shot at the left post following first-year Caitlin Connor's (Bow, N.H./Northern Cyclones) pass from the right goal-line extended. Frasca denied a 2-on-0 7:35 into the third period with a stop, and Akiki's bid to break the shutout was denied when her backhanded attempt at 9:50 out front was saved. At 10:23, sophomore Kelsey Roy (Fort Collins, Colo./Northern Jr. Cyclones) one-timed a pass from behind the net to Hickey, who converted at the left post.

Sacred Heart 4, Hamilton 3 (OT)

Junior Taylor Moreland (Kenosha, Wis./Milwaukee Jr. Admirals) scored with 35 seconds left in overtime to cap Sacred Heart's late comeback in the opening game of the day. The Pioneers improved to 9-6-1, while Hamilton is 5-3.

First-year Jayne Lewis (Troy, Ill./New Hampton School) had a goal and an assist for Sacred Heart, while senior Megan Finlay (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) and first-year Olivia Bryant (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) also scored. Moreland was 27-of-31 on faceoffs in addition to her goal, and junior Carly Radovich (Hopkinton, Mass./Vermont Academy) dished two assists. Classmate Devan Kane (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) made 29 stops. Sophomore Olivia Hawes (Spring, Texas/Millbrook School) had a goal and an assist for Hamilton, while classmates Andrea Rockey (Morgantown, W.Va./Shady Side Academy) and Emily Williams (Fallbrook, Calif./Oasis) also tallied. Junior Sam Walther (Gambrills, Md./The Gunnery) recorded 30 saves.

Lewis put Sacred Heart on the board 3:11 into the contest from the slot, redirecting home Radovich's pass from the left circle during a power play. Kane kept it 1-0 by sliding post to post to deny senior Megan Ahern's (Oswego, N.Y./Millbrook School) one-timer at the right post with 10:28 gone. Williams leveled the score for Hamilton 6:42 into the second period, one-timing Hawes' cross-crease pass in the low slot despite Kane getting a piece of the puck.

The third period featured four goals, with Finlay pushing Sacred Heart in front at 3:01 when she poked in a loose puck at the right post. During a Hamilton 2-on-1 following a giveaway in the Pioneer slot, Hawes one-timed home Ahern's pass into the right side of the net at 9:08 despite Kane getting a piece of the puck. Walther maintained the deadlock with a pair of stellar stops soon thereafter, making a glove save on sophomore Katie Stueve's (Chester Springs, Pa./Downington East) one-timer from the hash marks at 10:08 before Lewis skated in alone and deked the goalie out of position, but Walther slid her left arm along the goal mouth to cover the ensuing shot on an open net at 10:37. Walther's blocker stop denied Stueve's bid from the hash marks at 12:22.

After a giveaway at the blue line, Rockey skated in alone on Kane and roofed the go-ahead tally into the left corner at 17:56 to put Hamilton back on top, but Bryant's shot through traffic from the point knotted the game once more with 1:04 remaining after Sacred Heart pulled Kane for an extra attacker. With 35 seconds left in overtime, Moreland skated into the Hamilton zone on a breakaway and deked Walther before depositing the winner.