UTICA, NY – Tournament MVP Katie Mahoney (Toronto, ON/Toronto Leaside Junior) scored a goal and added an assist in regulation, and netted the title-winning tally in the shootout, as the Cortland women's hockey team won the Utica University Kick Off Tournament title following a 4-4 tie against Wilkes on Sunday evening.
 
The game is officially recorded as a tie, pushing Cortland to 5-5-2 on the season, while Wilkes is now 9-1-1. The Red Dragons will return home to host Manhattanville in a pair of non-conference games next weekend.
 
Mahoney's two points jumped her into the team lead with nine points on the season. Kira Cook (Lake Ronkonkoma/Northwood School) tallied her team-high sixth goal of the year, Ainsley Delacourt (Stoney Creek, ON/Brampton Canadettes U22AA) scored a goal, and Hayley Hunter (Pulaski/NAHA 19UAAA) netted her first goal of the year.
 
Eline Gillodes (La Saulce, France/Kents Hill) and Drew Kopek (Rome/Syracuse Valley Eagles U19) both joined Mahoney on the all-tournament team. Gillodes made 21 saves in goal on Sunday and stopped 34-of-35 shots in Saturday's overtime win over Colby, while Kopek had the game-winning goal against Colby.
 
Jordan Ferry scored twice for Wilkes, including the game-tying goal, while Abby Bush provided a goal and an assist, and Nina Hudakova scored a goal. Goaltender Audrey Milne stopped 40 shots in goal for the Colonels. Ferry and Haylee Bouchard, who provided two assists on Sunday, were Wilkes' representatives on the all-tournament team.
 
Cortland struck for the opening goal in the game just 5:54 into the first period. Hunter intercepted a breakout pass from a Wilkes defenseman at the blue line and skated in on a breakaway, before quickly slipping a low wrist shot through the legs of Milne to give Cortland the early lead.
 
A Wilkes penalty less than two minutes after the Cortland goal gave the Red Dragons their first power-play opportunity, but Cortland could not double its lead despite multiple quality chances, with Milne coming up with four saves on the penalty kill.
 
Cortland committed its first penalty of the game just past the midway point of the frame, allowing Wilkes to tie the game on a power-play goal by Ferry from the left faceoff circle off the left post and into the net.
 
The game stayed even into the first intermission, with Gillodes stopping five shots in the period and Milne making 17 saves.
 
Wilkes took a 2-1 lead on an odd-man rush down the right side that was finished off by Bush 6:39 into the second period.
 
The Red Dragons took advantage of Wilkes' second penalty of the game, a hooking infraction, to knot the score up at 2-2 heading into the second intermission. The Red Dragons gained possession after the faceoff and the puck was passed between Carlen Bertrand (Timmins, ON/MCLA) and Fanny Aneborn (Linkoping, Sweden/Lulea HF Sweden) on the left side of the Cortland offensive zone. Aneborn slipped the puck over to Mahoney at the right point, who skated in and fired a shot that was deflected by Delacourt into the top right corner of the net for Delacourt's second goal of the year.
 
Early in the third period, Gillodes made a pair of clutch saves to deny a 3-on-1 opportunity for the Colonels. However, she appeared shaken up after the play and had to be replaced in goal for a short time by Isabelle Deutz (Marshall, MN/Gentry Academy). Deutz immediately made a significant impact, making a save shortly after entering for her first collegiate action and then back-to-back pad saves a minute later to keep the game even.
 
Cortland took a 3-2 lead with just over 13 minutes remaining in regulation, as Bertrand fired a shot from the right point that was stopped by Milne, but Mahoney was in perfect position to collect the rebound and tuck home her fourth goal of the season. Katie Diem (Fairport/Niagara University) was credited with the other assist on the goal.
 
Gillodes was also able to return to the game after Cortland's third goal, with Deutz finishing with five saves in 2:54 of game action.
 
Cortland netted another goal just 1:02 later, as Cook finished off the rebound after Sophie Hart (North Richland Hills, TX/Dallas Stars 19U AAA) had her initial shot from the right point saved, with Grace Karakas (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) also adding an assist.
 
With under three minutes left in the third period, Wilkes was able to net two goals in less than a minute of game action to tie the game at 4-4 and send the game to overtime. Hudakova finished off a 2-on-1 break for the Colonels with a goal with 2:43 remaining, and shortly after Wilkes pulled Milne for an extra attacker, Ferry scored her second goal of the game with 1:47 left.
 
In overtime, each goaltender made three saves to keep the game even and send the tournament to a shootout to decide a champion.
 
Mahoney was the first shooter for the Red Dragons, and deposited a shot through the legs of Milne to give Cortland the advantage. Although Milne made a pair of strong saves on the next two shooters for Cortland, Gillodes was able to prevent Wilkes from scoring on any of its three shootout opportunities, making two saves and a vital poke check to dispossess a third shooter, to secure the title for the Red Dragons.