EAST MEADOW, N.Y. - The Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team trailed by only one goal with fewer than four minutes remaining at two-time defending New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) champion Long Island University on Saturday before losing a 9-3 decision at Northwell Health Ice Center. The contest concluded a two-game weekend series.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (0-5, 0-4 NEWHA), LIU (4-6, 4-0 NEWHA)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Junior Ella Saracco (Melrose, Mass./Middlesex Islanders), 2 goals
• Sophomore Jenna Hoops (Woodbury, Minn./Saint Paul United), 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 blocked shots, 7-for-12 faceoffs
• First-year Angelina Ruiz (Independence, Minn./Gentry Academy), 3 blocked shots
• Sophomore Carissa Mudrak (Duluth, Minn./Gentry Academy), 48 saves

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Sophomore Journey Miller, 2 goals, 1 assist
• Sophomore Maggie Culp, 3 assists
• Senior Megan Roe, 2 goals
• Junior Carrigan Umpherville, 2 goals
• First-year Maggie Korneta, 2 goals
• Junior Kenzie Harmison, 11 saves

GAME FACTS

• Hoops scored her first college goal.
• Saracco posted her third career two-goal game.
• Mudrak set a career high for saves.
• LIU won the 2019-20 NEWHA Tournament and the 2020-21 NEWHA Commissioner's Cup.

THE ACTION

• LIU scored a pair of power-play goals in the opening 8:46, with Umpherville tallying 2:13 into the game and Roe later doubling the lead.
• Hoops cut into the Shark advantage with 18:32 gone in the first frame, with first-years Lexi Bonfe (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) and Lucy Drougas (Superior, Wis./Madison Capitols) assisting.
• Korneta and junior Megan Bouveur scored 56 seconds apart to push the LIU lead to 4-1 at 8:39 of the second period.
• Saracco responded with two goals in a matter of 5:33, pulling Saint Michael's within one goal once more. Her initial strike came courtesy of assists by seniors Courtney Kelly (Arlington, Mass./Boston Jr. Shamrocks) and Jenna Harrison (Kitchener, Ontario/Wellesley) at 10:32. With the Purple Knights on a power play and Mudrak pulled in favor of an extra skater during a delayed penalty, Saracco scored again at 16:05. Hoops and junior Maeghan Kennard (Hamlin, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) lent assists.
• Down just one goal into the late stages of the game, the Purple Knights yielded a power-play strike at 16:07 of the third period, the first of five LIU goals in a 4:52 span. Miller netted two of the markers.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Wednesday for an exhibition game at Norwich University, 7 p.m.
• Norwich qualified for 16 of the past 17 NCAA Division III Tournaments, winning the 2018 national title.