Last Friday the Raiders headed to Clarkson to battle the number one team in the ECAC and third-ranked team in the nation, getting blanked 3-0. Things turned out much better the next day as Colgate beat St. Lawrence 2-1, getting revenge for a disappointing 2-2 tie last time the two teams played in Hamilton.

On Friday, Clarkson scored early against the Raiders and didn’t look back. A little over seven minutes into the game, sophomore forward Juana Baribeau scored off assists from junior forward Melissa Waldie and senior center Britney Selina to put Clarkson up 1-0. Following the goal, Colgate’s defense held strong until the closing moments of the second period. With just 13 seconds left in the period, Britney Selina picked up her second point of the night, scoring a goal off assists from Baribeau and Waldie, who both picked up their second points of the night. Colgate would hang in the contest until late in the third, when Baribeau got her second goal and third point of the night, scoring on an empty net. Selina also picked up her third point of the night, as she had the lone assist on the play.

Clearly the Baribeau, Waldie, and Selina line was firing on all cylinders, accounting for all three goals on the day. An impressive performance from Clarkson junior goalie Lauren Dahm was also key in the victory. Shots on goal were actually about even. Clarkson only outshot Colgate 28-25, however Dehm was very impressive, stopping every shot she faced. Colgate sophomore goalie Kimberly Sass was not bad herself, stopping 25 of the 27 shots she faced.

The results were much better the next day as Colgate traveled to St. Lawrence. The two teams met earlier in the year at Starr Rink, with the Raiders leaving with a tie after the Saints scored a rather weak goal in the closing seconds of regulation on junior goalie Lisa Plenderleith. Both Plenderleith and the whole Raiders squad were out for revenge on Saturday, after feeling that they gave away a point last time the two teams skated.

“We wanted revenge because of the last game we played against them was very frustrating as they scored with barely any time left to tie it,” senior forward Katie Stewart said. “We wanted to make sure we got the first goal so we could get a step up on them and keep our confidence high and maintain it throughout the game.”

And score the first goal they did, as sophomore forward Heidi Peterson notched her first ever collegiate goal off an assist from sophomore forward Krista Dermott. The assist was also Dermott’s first assist of the year. Dermott took the initial shot on the play, which was saved by Saints’ goalie Brittony Chartier, but she left a rebound that Peterson hammered home for the goal.

“It was a little surreal,” Peterson said. “It is always a good feeling to score a goal, but to know that goal made an impact on the outcome of the game makes it all the better.”

The goal came 6:20 into the contest, and Colgate was not content to leave the period up by only a single goal. With 1:22 left in the opening frame, Katie Stewart scored to stake Colgate to a 2-0 lead. Stewart received a great pass from senior forward Marissa Dombovy, which sent her off on a breakaway. Stewart beat Chartier to earn the goal.

However, St. Lawrence would make things interesting. They scored exactly one minute into the second period, as first-year forward Michelle Ng found the back of the net off an assist from fellow first-year forward Kelly Sabatine. Colgate’s defense and goaltending weathered quite a storm for the rest of the game, as they held onto the one goal margin. Plenderleith was especially impressive. After allowing Ng’s goal, she made 20 straight saves to ensure the 2-1 victory. The defense also came up with its fair share of blocked shots to help Plenderleith out.

“We played very well defensively because we were very aggressive and gapped up on their forwards well,” Katie Stewart said. “We had several very important blocked shots near the end of the game that allowed us to keep the one goal lead.”

Plenderleith had 26 saves in the contest. Colgate only had 17 shots of their own, but it was enough to push through two goals and secure the win.

The win against St. Lawrence improved Colgate’s overall record to 8-16-4, and their ECAC record to 4-8-4. With Yale winning both its games this weekend Colgate is now three points back of the final playoff spot in the ECAC, however, getting two points against St. Lawrence was imperative as a five point deficit would have made for much longer odds. Colgate has two games this weekend at home against very beatable opponents. Friday night at 7 p.m. they play Princeton, a team that bested them by just one goal on the road earlier this year. The next day at 4 p.m. the Raiders play Quinnipiac, a team they tied in Connecticut earlier this year. A four point weekend would be huge for Colgate’s playoff chances, and if things break right, it is a very real possibility.