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Site: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Patterson Ice Center)
Score: Liberty 5, Davenport 0
Records: DU (7-11), LU (8-6-4)
Next DU event: Sunday, Jan. 12 – vs. UMass (Patterson Ice Arena) – 10:45 p.m.
 
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In its first game in over a month, the Davenport women's hockey team showed a bit of rust returning from break as the Panthers dropped a 5-0 decision to Liberty Friday afternoon despite a solid performance by netminder Victoria Smishek, who made 39 saves on the afternoon. Davenport will pull the curtain on its inaugural home schedule with a rematch with Massachusetts Sunday at 10:45 a.m.
 
The Flames (8-6-4) scored the game-winning goal in the first period, collected an insurance goal in the second and added three more in the third. While the Panthers only had to kill three penalties in the contest, they couldn't find the back of the net on six power play opportunities.
 
Both teams traded off possession in the opening period and had close scoring chances but it wasn't until the 5:13 mark that the first goal was scored. Stephanie St. Amand moved the puck from center ice to the left side before her shot beat Victoria Smishek.
 
The Flames took a 2-0 lead with 14:22 left in the second period. Carrie Jickling moved the puck from center ice, and with help from a teammate by preventing Megan DeVries from trying to stop the breakaway, Jickling won the one-on-one battle with Smishek for the second goal.
 
The Panthers didn't go away that easily in the middle period as they knocked on the door several times with five minutes left. Sierra Hopkins intercepted a pass before it left the Flames zone and moved the puck closer to the goal before her shot to the right side was knocked away by Flame goaltender Kristina Toppazzini. Hopkins would have another opportunity again a few minutes later as her shot from the left side was deflected by Toppazzini, however, Caraher fired a shot off the rebound from the front of the net but the netminder quickly deflected the shot off her right arm to preserve the shutout.
 
DU had one more opportunity to score despite being short-handed within the final seconds of the period. Caraher tried to use her speed to break away from center ice but was evenly matched with a Flame defenseman. Her shot bounced off of Toppazzini but Darian Adams collected the rebound but her put back missed.
 
Toppazzini made 20 saves on the day while her teammates fired 44 shots.
 
Women's Ice Hockey Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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