William Smith scored four unanswered goals to erase a two-goal deficit and beat Utica 4-2 Friday in its women's hockey season opener at the Nexus Center.
Sophomore Finley Crosby scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and added an assist. Talia Mertens and Sara Comiskey scored their first collegiate goals to start the comeback, and Ainsley Lonczak sealed the win with an empty-net goal, according to the Herons' recap.
Herons answer with two goals late in the second
Utica took a 1-0 lead on Meghan Goldie's power-play goal at 14:14 of the first period. Goldie redirected a point shot past William Smith goalie Mia Iwicki, with Julia Chedel and Kiernan Ledoux credited with assists.
Kyler Weatherred doubled the lead 90 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wrist shot from the slot. Maya Jerome and Penny Saich assisted.
Mertens cut the deficit at 13:40 of the second, entering the offensive zone and snapping a shot past Katherine Sheahan. Bella Hacker and Lilly Relyea assisted on the first-year forward's first college goal.
Comiskey tied it less than two minutes later, slipping a shot from just in front of the net across the goal line. Natalie May had the assist.
Crosby puts William Smith ahead
Crosby gave the Herons their first lead just over 10 minutes into the third period. She collected a loose puck at the top of the left faceoff circle and scored, with Anna Tardiff and Caeley McCormick assisting.
Lonczak added the empty-net goal with 17 seconds remaining. Tara Valas and Crosby had the assists.
Iwicki made 16 saves for the victory. Sheahan stopped 22 shots in just over 50 minutes for Utica, and Yael Fatiev made two saves over the final 10 minutes.
William Smith outshot Utica 28-18. The Herons were 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Pioneers converted their only opportunity. Utica won 25 of 46 faceoffs.
Season-opening comeback sets up Saturday rematch
William Smith said it was the program's first win after overcoming a two-goal deficit since Feb. 6, 2016, when the Herons rallied from 3-1 down to beat Oswego 5-4 in overtime.
Now in their 12th season, the Herons are 8-3-1 in season openers. Coach Matt Cunningham praised the team's determination in recovering from its 2-0 deficit.
William Smith and Utica complete the season series Saturday, Oct. 31, at The Cooler in Geneva. Faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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