MANCHESTER, N.H. - Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey senior Vika Simons (Essex Junction, Vt./Minnesota Duluth Club) made a career-high 59 saves to keep New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) power Saint Anselm College off the scoreboard until the third period before the Hawks claimed a 3-0 victory on Saturday in Sullivan Arena. The Hawks won five postseason tournaments over the last eight years.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (2-8, 2-7 NEWHA), Saint Anselm (9-3, 8-3 NEWHA)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Vika Simons (Essex Junction, Vt./Minnesota Duluth Club), 59 saves (career high)
• Sophomore Jenna Harrison (Kitchener, Ontario/Wellesley), 11-for-25 faceoffs
• First-year Maeghan Kennard (Hamlin, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles), 8-for-22 faceoffs

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Katy Meehan, 1 goal, 15-for-17 faceoffs
• Sophomore Kendra Currier, 1 goal
• Sophomore Kelly Golini, 1 goal
• First-year Caroline Kukas, 9 saves

GAME FACTS

• The teams played for the third time in nine days, with only one meeting remaining during their four-game regular-season series.
• Simons' 22 first-period saves were the most by a Purple Knight in a period since she turned away 27 Post University shots in the third period last Feb. 9.
• Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Saint Anselm had only been shut out heading into the third period twice in 40 games, and both times by the same team: Franklin Pierce University, on both Nov. 1 and 2 of this season.
• Simons' 59 saves tied for sixth in program history, the most since Erin Stevens '13 had the same number at the State University of New York at Potsdam on Dec. 10, 2010.
• The Purple Knights held Saint Anselm below its scoring average (4.0), which was tied for fifth nationally among all NCAA Division I/II programs.

THE ACTION

• Simons turned aside all 22 shots she faced in the opening period, making 11 of her stops on a trio of penalty kills, each of which occurred in the final 9:54. Two of Simons' saves came at the 13:13 mark, when she denied back-to-back shots by senior Megan Klaus and sophomore Amanda Nylander.
• Senior Haley Marshall rung the post at 16:05 before having a shot saved by Simons 32 seconds later, and the netminder recorded stops of consecutive shots by senior Kaley Campbell and sophomore Erin Meyers at 16:51.
• The second period saw Simons save 21 more Hawk attempts, but only after senior Jordan Monbouquette (Wayland, Mass./Lawrence Academy) had a bid stopped by Kukas with 2:35 gone.
• Simons rattled off seven saves in a 1:39 stretch early on, capping the run with three consecutive stops at 4:43. Simons turned away a Nylander power-play try at 18:17, and the teams headed to the third period scoreless.
• Saint Anselm drew another power play 1:48 into the third period and finally got on the board at 3:31, with just 17 seconds left on the woman advantage, as Meehan went glove side on Simons.
• Simons kept it 1-0 by denying Golini's point-blank bid at 14:43, but Golini doubled the lead 14 seconds later, going bar down blocker side.
• With Saint Michael's on a power play and down two goals, junior Krista Ferrari (Dunstable, Mass./East Coast Wizards) one-timed Monbouquette's pass just wide near the left posted with 16:50 gone.
• Currier added to the lead at 17:58, firing glove side from the left circle, giving Saint Anselm its second goal in a 3:01 span.
• The Purple Knights went on a 5-on-3 power play for the final 1:17 of regulation, and Kennard's shot from the slot with 38 seconds to go was the best scoring opportunity in that time, but Kukas made the save.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Tuesday at Plymouth State University, 6 p.m.