Geneva, NY – Kylah Small opened the scoring in the first period, Danika Lalonde made it 2-1 SUNY Canton in the third, but a William Smith goal with 29 seconds left in regulation, then an overtime game-winner less than one minute into the fourth period sent the Roos home on a 3-2 overtime defeat in the First Round of the SUNYAC playoffs Wednesday afternoon.  
 
THE BASICS

• Result: William Smith 3, SUNY Canton 2 (OT)
• Location: The Cooler – Geneva, NY   
• Records: SUNY Canton (13-9-3, 5-6-3 SUNYAC) | William Smith (12-14-0, 7-7-0 SUNYAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A few minutes in, Abby Tate had a good look at the net after a bad giveaway by the Herons in their defensive zone but Mia Iwicki cut off her angle and made a nice save on the resulting shot.
• The Roos had a few more chances in the next couple minutes, but SUNY Canton broke through almost 13 minutes in off the stick of Kylah Small as she scored past the right leg pad of Iwicki behind the net as the Roos took a 1-0 advantage.
• SUNY Canton led into the first intermission, holding an ever so slight edge on shots on goal 13-12.
• It did not take much time for William Smith to tie it up as Finley Crosby scored on a transition opportunity from the right faceoff dot just over two minutes into the period to knot the score at 1.
• SUNY Canton ran into even more trouble just a few seconds later after a cross check caused a delayed penalty, then a trip during the delayed penalty resulted in a 5v3 for a full two minutes.
• The Herons had some good cracks to take the lead, but after four shots saved by Molly Lenihan, three blocks, and two shots that missed wide, the Roos survived and the game remained tied.
• With 8:45 remaining, Kyra O'Keefe went backhand with it in the low slot, hitting the post, but skittering away despite the Roos thinking they had scored momentarily.
• SUNY Canton had their chances with Chamonix Jackson having some open ice, but getting backchecked, then Riley Andzel had a breakaway in the closing minute, and  another good look a few moments later, but did not cash in.
• Shots on goal were an even 20 in the 1-1 contest after the first two periods.
• After about three minutes of action in the third period, Andzel stole a puck behind the back of the Herons net, then found Danika Lalonde cutting in uncovered in the slot. Lalonde snuck it five-hole through Iwicki as the Roos reclaimed a one-goal advantage.
• The Roos did a great job with intercepting passes and forcing dump-ins in the neutral zone late in the game to prevent anything crazy on their end of the ice late.
• Iwicki went to the bench with around two minutes remaining for the extra skater, and with 55 seconds left, the Herons had a couple of swings at a loose puck in the low slot, but the Roos got the puck away from their net.
• Unfortunately, with 29 seconds remaining, a shot from the near side boards on target went off the right leg pad of Lenihan perfectly to Bella Hacker on the opposite side who scored off the rebound as William Smith tied it on the extra attacker.
• Lucy Beal put on three shots in the final 21 seconds, but two were blocked and the other was wide as a 2-2 tie ensued and another period was needed to decide the winner. Shots on goal were 29-22 in favor of the Herons heading into the fourth stanza.
• The Roos cleared the zone in the opening minute of overtime, but the Herons recovered in front of their net. Tara Valas sent it off the far side boards perfectly to Kelly Howe. Howe was all alone and went top shelf past Molly Lenihan as the Roos lost a tough one 54 seconds into overtime.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Lalonde and Small were the two goal scorers for the Roos. On Small's goal, Isabella Paswaters and Asha Hanson earned helpers while Andzel had the apple on Lalonde's goal.
• Crosby, Hacker, and Howe had the three goals for the Herons while Valas lead all players on the ice with two assists.
• Shots on goal were 30-22 in favor of William Smith. The Herons did not commit a penalty in the game, with the Roos were in the box three times and killed all three penalties, including two full minutes of a 5v3.
• Goalie stats were Lenihan with 27 saves on 30 shots for SUNY Canton, and Iwicki stopping 20-of-22.  
• Defensemen and senior captain Sydney Valiquette finishes her career with 98 total games under her belt and 25 assists, tied for the 7^th-most career assists in the full time D-III era.
• Kyra O'Keefe also exits with a lasting impact on the program, finishing with 20 goals scored, 7^th-most in the D-III era.
• Danika Lalonde registers a point in her final game in a Roos uniform. Lalonde turned out to be one of the best players to ever don a jersey, finishing her career with the second-most points (72), second-most goals (34), and most assists (38) in D-III history of the program. The Sudbury, Ontario native also tied a single season record with 14 assists in her senior season. Perhaps her most impressive record, though, is her 103 consecutive games played, never once missing a contest in her four years.

WHAT'S NEXT?
This concludes the 2025-26 season.
 
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