Leonoff Makes 43 Saves; First Win at Cheel Since 2005

POTSDAM, N.Y. - Fueled by 43 saves from senior goalie Jaimie Leonoff, the Yale women's ice hockey team knocked off No. 8 Clarkson -- the defending NCAA Champions -- 3-2 Friday night at Cheel Arena. Yale got goals from three different players to solve the Golden Knights defense, which ranked seventh in the country entering the game. This was Yale's first win vs. Clarkson since Nov. 20, 2010, and the team's first win at Cheel since Jan. 7, 2005.

"It was a great team effort, from the goaltending out," said Yale head coach Joakim Flygh. "Everyone chipped in. We found a way to score, and played great team defense."

The first Grade-A chance of the game was for Clarkson, but Leonoff got her left leg out to stuff a shot by Golden Knights forward Genevieve Bannon five and a half minutes into the game. That was one of 17 saves in the first period for her.

Yale (10-11-1, 7-8-0 ECAC Hockey) first took the lead when junior forward Jamie Haddad grabbed a loose puck to the side of the Clarkson net following a save on a shot by junior forward Janelle Ferrara. Haddad slid the puck past Golden Knights netminder Shea Tiley for a 1-0 advantage at the 6:55 mark. In addition to Ferrara, senior forward Stephanie Mock assisted on the play.

"We did a good job creating turnovers on that shift," said Flygh. "We had it in their zone for an extended period of time, and Clarkson may have gotten a little tired. Any time you get the first goal in a game, it gives you momentum."

The Bulldogs nearly took a 2-0 lead right before the first intermission, but a shot by senior defenseman Aurora Kennedy hit off the far post with 30 seconds left.

Clarkson (15-8-3, 9-3-2 ECAC Hockey) tied the game when defenseman Renata Fast found forward Christine Lambert wide open at the back door for a goal at the 5:58 mark of the second.

After each team successfully killed off a penalty in the second, the Bulldogs changed the complexion of the game with a pair of quick goals. On the first one, Ferrara found Kennedy all alone high in the slot. With a screen developing in between her and Tiley, Kennedy took her time to pick a spot and wristed one in to give Yale a 2-1 lead at the 17:28 mark. Senior forward Jackie Raines also assisted on the play.

Slightly more than a minute later the Bulldogs extended their lead when freshman forward Courtney Pensavalle sent a shot on net that Tiley could not completely control. It hit off her glove, then fell into the net behind her to put Yale up 3-1 at 18:42 of the second. Sophomore forward Krista Yip-Chuck assisted on the play.

"For the first 10 minutes of the second I thought Clarkson really took it to us," said Flygh. "But our goalie made some big saves. I thought that power play helped us gain some momentum, and we were eventually able to get a pair of goals."

Yale controlled the game for long stretches of the start of the third, despite the fact that Clarkson had the only power play of that span. The Golden Knights did not get a shot on goal until nearly eight minutes had gone by in the final frame, and Leonoff sticked that one aside.

"At that point, our kids are believing," said Flygh. "Every kid that got their number called did their job."

But Clarkson took advantage of the next Yale penalty to creep closer, as Lambert scored again to cut Yale's lead to 3-2 with 11:27 remaining in the game.

That would be the end of the scoring, however. A boarding call on Clarkson with 2:54 to play help the Bulldogs keep the Golden Knights offense at bay. Sophomore defenseman Taylor Marchin broke up a pass on a 2-on-1 to deny Clarkson a short-handed chance.

Buoyed by the successful late penalty kill, the Bulldogs kept Clarkson from setting up with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker until the final seconds -- and by then it was too late. Leonoff raised her fists in the air as the puck slid harmlessly off to the side of the net after one last push by the Knights.

The Bulldogs visit No. 9 St. Lawrence Saturday afternoon.

"This is the toughest road trip in the league," said Flygh. "It's two great teams, and they challenge you in different ways. We took care of one-half of the trip tonight."