CHS BOX SCORE

Canton, NY – Freshman goaltender Illie Berisha (Lake Ariel, PA) was a fortress in net stopping all 32 shots she faced helping the SUNY Canton women's hockey team secure a 0-0 overtime tie v. Morrisville State on Saturday afternoon at the Roos House.

The Roos move to 2-4-1 overall and 2-1-1 in Colonial Hockey Conference play with the tie, while the Mustangs remain unbeaten at 3-0-1 overall and in CHC action.

Play was extremely even in the opening period as the visitors held a slim 8-7 shots on goal edge. The Mustangs controlled a majority of play in the middle period but 12 big saves from Berisha kept the game scoreless after 40 minutes of play.

The Roos appeared to get on the board in the third period on the power play when Noelle Niemiec (Staten Island, NY) had a flurry of shots that were saved by Renee Schmaltz but the referee blew the play dead prior to the puck going into the net. The teams would skate into a five minute overtime period.

SUNY Canton held a 3-2 shots on goal advantage in the extra session but it was Berisha who made the biggest play for the Roos. With 10 seconds left in overtime Morrisville State had a 2-on-1 chance to win the game but Berisha made a tremendous save on a shot to her stick side to preserve the tie.

Both teams combined to go 9-for-9 on the penalty kill in the contest. Berisha finished with 32 saves for SUNY Canton, while Schmaltz turned aside 21 shots for the Mustangs. Jessica Pele (Estevan, SK) led the Roos with six shots on goal, while Niemiec added five.

The women's hockey team is back in action on Friday when it welcomes Salem State University to the Roos House for the opener of a weekend Colonial Hockey Conference set. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses, as well as 10 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 14 athletic teams compete as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.