CORTLAND, NY – Fanny Aneborn (Linkoping, Sweden/Lulea HF Sweden) scored the Red Dragons' first three goals of the game, lifting the Cortland women's hockey team to a 4-1 victory over Potsdam in the first round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) tournament on Wednesday in Alumni Arena.
 
Cortland improves to 15-7-4 on the year, and advances to face second-seeded Oswego in the semifinals on Saturday at 3 pm in Oswego. Potsdam ends its season with an 11-13-2 record.
 
Aneborn's hat trick was the second of her collegiate career, as she also scored three times in a road win over Buffalo State as a freshman. Grace Karakas (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) scored the other goal for the Red Dragons, while Katie Mahoney (Toronto, ON/Toronto Leaside Junior) had the primary assist on all three of Aneborn's tallies. Eline Gillodes (La Saulce, France/Kents Hill) made 15 saves in goal for Cortland.
 
Magalie Parent stopped 35 shots for Potsdam, while Sophia Leas scored the lone goal for the Bears.
 
Potsdam opened the scoring 6:23 into the opening period by quickly turning defense into offense. Josie Purdy blocked a shot from the point with her stick in the Cortland offensive zone and the puck fell to the feet of Elise Clifford. Clifford skated to center ice and chipped the puck in below the Cortland goal. Clifford was the first player to reach the puck, and slid a pass out front to Leas, who deposited a shot past Gillodes to make it 1-0.
 
Cortland responded just three minutes later with Aneborn's first goal of the game, as the senior finished off a perfect cross-ice from from the right faceoff circle by Mahoney into the top left corner of the net. Sophie Hart (North Richland Hills, TX/Dallas Stars 19U AAA) was credited with the secondary assist on the goal.
 
The game remained tied through the first intermission, although Cortland had a 11-5 edge in shots on goal in the period.
 
The Red Dragons took the lead for good just 21 seconds into the second period. Katie Diem (Fairport/Niagara University) made a strong play at the point to keep the puck in the Cortland offensive zone with a pass to Mahoney. Mahoney stickhandled through a Potsdam defender, before sliding a pass to Aneborn out front for a shot through the legs of the Potsdam goaltender for her 10th goal of the season.
 
Seven minutes into the frame, Aneborn completed her hat trick, taking a pass from Mahoney in the slot and firing a wrist shot just off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.
 
Potsdam had its best chance to get back into the game with six minutes to go in the second period, but Gillodes made a strong pad save to stop Rebecca Cain on a partial breakaway. Just a minute later, Marissa Whiteside had an initial shot stopped by Gillodes and had her follow-up attempt go just wide.
 
In the final minutes of the period, Mahoney had a pair of chances to add to the lead, but had one shot ring off the crossbar from in close and another chance thwarted after a deke on the Potsdam goalie, but couldn't get her stick to the loose puck in the crease and the danger was cleared for the Bears.
 
Karakas gave Cortland a 4-1 lead with her fourth goal of the season early in the third period. Drew Kopek (Rome/Syracuse Valley Eagles U19) dropped a pass to Gillian Dinsmore at the left point, who skated towards the net and flicked a perfect feed to Karakas alone at the right post, who deposited the goal into the open net.
 
Potsdam had an opportunity on the power play with under 14 minutes remaining, but Gillodes stopped two shots and Kira Cook (Lake Ronkonkoma/Northwood School) blocked one shot, before a penalty on the Bears ended the power play.
 
Cortland secured the victory by allowing just one shot on goal over the final 10+ minutes of the contest, which Gillodes stopped easily with a little over two minutes remaining.