CORTLAND, NY – Hayley Hunter (Pulaski/NAHA 19UAAA) netted the game-winning goal 2:05 into overtime to lift the Cortland women's hockey team to a 2-1 victory over William Smith in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Saturday afternoon in Alumni Arena.
 
Cortland improves to 14-5-4 (8-2-2 SUNYAC), while William Smith drops to 11-12-0 (7-5-0 SUNYAC). Cortland has clinched a top-4 seed in the upcoming conference tournament, and can secure the second seed with a victory in either of its final two conference games next weekend at Plattsburgh and Potsdam.
 
Carlen Bertrand (Timmins, ON/MCLA) had a goal and an assist to lead the Red Dragons, while Hunter scored her second goal of the season. Morgan Raymond (Kirkwood/Syracuse Valley Eagles 19UAA) chipped in an assist for the second game in a row. Eline Gillodes (La Saulce, France/Kents Hill) made 15 saves in goal for her 13th victory of the season.
 
Mia Iwicki stopped 47 shots in goal in a strong losing effort for William Smith. The lone goal for the Herons was scored by Finley Crosby.
 
William Smith took a 1-0 lead 7:28 into the opening period on a strange and unfortunate play for the Red Dragons. Crosby deflected a dump-in attempt in the neutral zone and the puck ended up in the Cortland defensive zone. A Cortland defender attempted to play a pass off the boards, but the puck took an odd bounce and kicked towards the Cortland goal, striking off the inside of Gillodes' pad and finding its way into the back of the net. Crosby was credited with the goal as the last William Smith player to touch the puck.
 
The Red Dragons finished the first period with a 15-7 advantage in shots on goal, but Iwicki was perfect in the period to keep the Herons' advantage into the first intermission.
 
With six minutes left in the second period, Katie Mahoney (Toronto, ON/Toronto Leaside Junior) was stopped on a breakaway attempt with a chance to tie the game for Cortland. Just a minute later, Iwicki came up with a strong pad save to stop another breakaway attempt for Cortland, this one by Katie Diem (Fairport/Niagara University).

Bertrand tied the game with 2:59 left in the second period, intercepting a pass along the right boards in the William Smith defensive zone, skating towards the slot, and firing a wrist shot into the top right corner of the net for her sixth goal of the season.
 
Cortland committed the only penalty of the contest with nine minutes left in the third period, but the Red Dragons' penalty kill was able to hold William Smith to just two shots with the extra man, both of which Gillodes was able to stop.
 
Cortland continued to press for a winning goal in regulation, and came close to finding it with two minutes left, but Bertrand's wrist shot from the right point struck off the crossbar.
 
In the final seconds of regulation, Gillodes made a tremendous glove save to stop William Smith's Kelly Howe from close-range and send the game into overtime.
 
The Red Dragons controlled the puck for most of the overtime period, and struck for the game-winning goal in transition just over two minutes in. Raymond stole the puck along the boards from a Heron attacker and sent the puck out to Hunter for a 2-on-1 break with Bertrand. Hunter skated across the blue line and slipped a shot low and through the legs of Iwicki to give the Red Dragons the victory.