BUFFALO, N.Y. - Senior captain Kaylee Merrill (Wasilla, Alaska/Anchorage North Stars) scored three times as the SUNY Potsdam women's hockey team (8-7, 3-5 NEWHL) defeated Buffalo State (4-10. 0-9) 4-1 on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Emily DellaNeve (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Bison) scored the Bears' other goal and junior goalie Ellie Zurfluh (Arvada, Colo./Team Colorado) made 20 saves for her 10th career win.
For the second day in a row, Merrill got Potsdam going early. She scored her 46th career goal at 3:48 of the first period to make it 1-0. Freshman forward Josie Purdy (White Lake, Nova Scotia/Ontario Hockey Academy) assisted on the goal. The Bears outshot the Bengals 12-7 in the first period, thanks in part to two power plays, and took the one-goal lead into the intermission.
Penalty trouble kept Potsdam on the defensive for much of the second period. Buffalo State was on the power play four times, but the Bears were able to kill the penalties. However, the Bengals outshot Potsdam 7-3. At 17:19, Alexa Groh scored an even-strength marker and the teams were tied after 40 minutes.
The Bears overcame a slow start to the third period and pulled away late. Potsdam scored three shorthanded goals on the same penalty with just over six minutes to go. Merrill notched her 47th career marker at 13:14. DellaNeve added another just 33 seconds later with an assist from senior forward Megan Teachout (Auburn, N.Y./Oswego State). Merrill then completed the barrage with her 48th goal at 14:32. The burst knocked the wind out of the Bengals' sails and cemented the win for Bears.
Jessica Auge made 16 saves for Buffalo State. Potsdam was 0-for-6 on the power play and the Bengals were 0-for-5.
The three goals give Merrill 62 career points (48-14-62) and move her into sixth place on the program's NCAA-era scoring list, passing Brittany Lucky '14. It's the eighth hat trick recorded by a Bear and Merrill's first. It's the first time in Potsdam's NCAA era that a player has scored two shorthanded goals in a game and it's the 12th time in Merrill's career that she's scored at least two goal in a contest.
The Bears are now off until they head to Morrisville State on January 20, when they take on the Mustangs at 1 p.m.