William Smith hockey fell 2-1 to Canton in a SUNYAC contest Friday afternoon at The Roos’ House. With the loss, the Herons moved to 11-13-0 overall and 7-6-0 in conference play, while Canton improved to 13-8-3 with a 5-6-2 league mark.
First-year Lilly Relyea scored William Smith’s lone goal, continuing her strong stretch with three goals in the last four games. Junior goaltender Mia Iwicki played more than 58 minutes in net and made 22 saves to keep the Herons within reach.
Canton opened the scoring at the 9:34 mark of the first period when Riley Andzel finished a pass from Danika Lalonde. The Roos doubled their lead late in the second period as Lalonde converted from a tight angle to make it 2-0 heading into the final frame.
William Smith responded early in the third period. At the 3:33 mark, Relyea gathered a loose puck behind the net, maneuvered past the goaltender and tucked the puck across the goal line to cut the deficit to one.
The Herons pushed for the equalizer down the stretch, controlling play and outshooting Canton 11-6 in the third period while finishing with a 29-24 advantage in shots on goal. However, Canton goaltender Molly Lenihan stopped 28 shots to preserve the win.
William Smith was 0-for-1 on the power play, while Canton converted its lone opportunity with the extra attacker.
The Herons wrap up the regular season Saturday, February 21 against Oswego.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.