CORTLAND, NY – Visiting Wilkes, ranked 15th nationally by DIIIHockeyNews.com, scored two goals in the third period to upend the nationally 14th-ranked Cortland women's hockey team by a 3-2 score on Friday evening at Alumni Arena. Wilkes improved to 1-0-0, while Cortland dropped to 0-1-0 after the season opener for both sides.
 
Emma McLean (Burlington, MA/SUNY Plattsburgh) scored both of Cortland's goals, while Grace Karakas (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) and Carlen Bertrand (Timmons, ON/MCLA) both registered an assist. Eline Gillodes (La Saulce, France/Kents Hill) recorded 20 saves in her first collegiate start in goal.
 
Haylee Bouchard and Nina Hudasova each had a goal and an assist for the Colonels. Abby Bush also scored a goal for Wilkes, and Audrey Milne stopped 34 shots for the victory.   
 
The Colonels took the lead just seven minutes into the contest, as Bush found herself in front of goal and made a solid juke in front of the net, before depositing a shot into the right corner of the net.
 
The Colonels had an opportunity to double their lead on the power play after a penalty on McLean, but the Cortland penalty kill was able to kill the penalty. Under a minute later, McLean was able to equalize for the Red Dragons, intercepting a pass near the Cortland blue line and scoring on a breakaway for her first goal with Cortland.
 
The Red Dragons held a 12-7 edge in shots on goal in the period, but the game stayed tied at one-apiece into the intermission.
 
Cortland took a 2-1 lead seven minutes into the second period. Bertrand fired a shot from the right blue line that was saved by Milne and turned behind the Wilkes goal. Karakas collected the rebound behind the goal, and sent a pass out in front, where McLean knocked in her second goal of the game.
 
The Red Dragons maintained a 23-15 edge in shots on goal through two periods, and a one-goal edge into the final period of regulation.
 
Eight minutes into the third period, Genevieve Sbrocca (Fort Worth, TX/The Hill School Prep) was dragged down on a breakaway, and was awarded a penalty shot. However, Milne made the save on the penalty shot to keep the deficit at one for the Colonels.
 
Just before the midway point of the period, Hudakova knotted the score for the Colonels with a goal in transition. Under four minutes later, Wilkes netted the game-winning goal on a shot from in front of goal by Bouchard.
 
The Red Dragons pushed forward in an attempt to score an equalizer in the final minutes. Milne came up with multiple big saves to deny a comeback and Cortland was unable to tie the score after pulling the goalie for an extra skater in the final minute.