Endicott Defeats Stevenson 3-2 as Carter's Game-Winner Caps Endicott Rally

REISTERTOWN, Md. - In the second matchup of the season against Stevenson in a rematch of last year's Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) championship, Endicott stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. With the win, Endicott remains undefeated at 7-0-0 (6-0-0 CHC) as the Gulls are now off until December 3.

With 20 seconds remaining in the third, Endicott's Ellen Carter (Roseville, Minn.) posted her first goal of the season on a wrister from the left wing. Carter took a feed from Meaghan Farragher (Bridgewater, Mass.) and beat the Stevenson netminder to notch the first game-winning goal of the defender's career.

The victory gave Endicott the sweep of the two game series as Endicott defeated Stevenson 4-0 on Friday behind a shutout effort from Vendela Jonsson (Linkoping, Sweden). Jonsson made 24 saves in the victory on Saturday on 26 shots as she ran her record to 5-0-0 on the season. In the two game series, the sophomore goalie made 56 saves on 58 shots.

Stevenson jumped ahead early and held a 2-0 lead at the first intermission following goals from Allyson Barlow (Painsville, Ohio) and Chelsea Blackburn (Westland, Mich.). Barlow potted her first of the season just 2:08 into the contest before Blackburn closed the scoring in the opening period with just under eight minutes to go. The Mustangs held the edge in shots, 12-7, as Jonsson made 10 saves in the first to keep the Gulls in it.

Endicott Cally Chase (North Reading, Mass.) would get the visitors on the board in the second as Caroline Hughes (Andover, Mass.) found the freshman for her first collegiate goal just 1:28 into play. While the goal would be the only offense between the two squads in the second, the Gulls had turned the tide offensively and held a 12-5 advantage in shots.

Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Gulls offense would continue to hold the upperhand as Hughes would record her third goal of the season just over eight minutes into play to even the score at 2-2. Hughes was assisted by Rachel Lustenring (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) on the goal. 

The Gulls would then capture the contest with just 20 seconds remaining in the period off Carter's first game winner while donning the Blue and Green to complete the road sweep.

BEYOND THE BOX

• Lustenring's assist gives her four on the season, which is tops for the Gulls.
• Hughes recorded a goal and an assist for the second straight night against Stevenson.
• Carter's game winner, her first goal of the season, was her second career goal as she had last scored in the first ever varsity contest for the Gulls, a 2-0 win over Plymouth State.
• Farragher's assist was her first point of the season as the sophomore is now tied with Teneal Perry (Halifax, Nova Scotia) for the team lead in +/- at +7.
• Jonsson would go on to make 14 saves combined in the second and third after 10 in the first period for a total of 24 on the evening.

FOR THE FOES

• Blackburn's goal was her sixth of the young season as she is the only Mustang to have recorded multiple goals at this point.
• The junior was assisted on the goal by Monica Pozuc (Kent, Ohio) and Jordan Pirello (Toms River, N.J.). For Pozuc, the assist was her fourth of the season while it was the second for Pirello.
• Annie Smyth-Hammond (Marstons Mills, Mass.) fell to 2-2 on the season after making 33 saves 36 shots.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott will break for Thanksgiving and get back to action on Saturday, December 3 when the Gulls host St. Michael's at 5:00 p.m., before hosting William & Smith on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Stevenson is off until Friday, December 2 when they travel to New York, N.Y. to take on Johnson & Wales (R.I.), and Manhattanville on Saturday. 

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