GENEVA, NY – The Red Dragons matched their largest offensive output of the season with five goals to earn a 5-1 road victory at William Smith in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) women's hockey matchup on Friday evening.
 
Cortland improves to 8-5-2 (2-2-1 SUNYAC) with its third straight victory. The Red Dragons also are 4-0-1 in five games in 2026 thus far. William Smith falls to 7-9-0 (3-2-0 SUNYAC).
 
Kira Cook (Lake Ronkonkoma/Northwood School) led Cortland with two goals in the contest. Ainsley Delacourt (Stoney Creek, ON/Brampton Canadettes U22AA) and Carlen Bertrand (Timmins, ON/MCLA) each provided a goal and an assist, and Kylie Nolan (Clarence/Nichols Prep U19) netted her first collegiate goal for the Red Dragons. Eline Gillodes (La Saulce, France/Kents Hill) made 20 saves in goal for the victory.
 
Kelly Howe scored William Smith's lone goal. Mia Iwicki made 27 saves and allowed four goals in 40 minutes of action, while Julia Echavarria allowed one goal and made 12 saves during the third period for the Herons.
 
Cortland needed just 1:18 to open the scoring in the contest. Grace Karakas (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) intercepted a clearance attempt by William Smith in the Cortland offensive zone, and slid a pass to Cook in front of the Herons' goal. Cook's shot appeared initially to be saved by Iwicki, but the puck squeaked through the pads of the William Smith netminder and into the back of the net.
 
After a hooking penalty by the Herons just before the midway point of the period, Cortland doubled its lead with a power-play goal. Fanny Aneborn (Linkoping, Sweden/Lulea HF Sweden) sent a pass from the blue line to Katie Mahoney (Toronto, ON/Toronto Leaside Junior) at the right side. Mahoney skated in towards goal and sent the puck through traffic in front that was deflected by Delacourt past Iwicki for Delacourt's third goal of the year.
 
Cortland maintained its 2-0 lead into the intermission, with the Red Dragons holding a 16-4 edge in shots on goal through one period and Gillodes making four saves.
 
The Herons pulled to within a goal at 2-1 after a turnover behind the Cortland goal 7:45 into the second period, as Howe was first to react and deposited a shot past Gillodes after the puck bounced off a defender and in front of the Cortland net.
 
Cortland re-established a two-goal advantage less than four minutes later, as Filippa Aneborn (Linkoping, Sweden/Modo Hockey Dam JR) intercepted a clearance attempt in the Cortland offensive zone and passed the puck to Bertrand. Bertrand then slid a pass to Nolan at the right faceoff circle, who snapped a wrist shot past Iwicki for her first collegiate goal.     
 
The Red Dragons went up 4-1 in the final five minutes of the second period, with Bertrand firing a shot from the right point into the back of the net, with assists provided by Delacourt and Mahoney on the goal.
 
Cook added her second goal of the game, and team-leading ninth goal of the season, with under eight minutes left in the period to complete the scoring. Sophie Hart (North Richland Hills, TX/Dallas Stars 19U AAA) passed the puck from the right point to Drew Kopek below the William Smith goal line. Kopek slipped a pass out front to Cook, who flipped a shot into the left corner of the goal.
 
Cortland committed a penalty for body checking in the final minute of play, but Gillodes made one final save with 15 seconds remaining to secure the victory.