Guagliano Scores Two, Niagara Defeats Pitt 3-2 for CHE Finals Berth
- Edward Major II
- Feb 28
- 2 min read
MORGANTOWN, Wv. — Riding a two-goal performance from Chloe Guagliano, the Niagara Purple Eagles defeated the Pitt Panthers 3-2 in the College Hockey East Semifinals at Hope Gas Ice Pavilion at Mylan Park Saturday night.
With the score tied 1-1 late in the second period, Guagliano scored twice in 41 seconds of game time - once at 19:33 of the second period and again just 14 seconds into the third period - to give the Eagles a commanding 3-1 lead and all of the momentum they needed to move on to the conference finals Sunday.
With junior captain Audrey Monro-Neely unavailable for Pitt, having suffered a leg injury in the regular-season finale against West Virginia, the Panthers needed someone to provide the offensive spark that has fueled recent comebacks. Enter leading scorer Fletcher Lyttleton, who once more had a multi-goal game, her third in a row. The first came just 6:24 into the first period. It was an uncharacteristic lead for the Panthers, as they hadn’t scored a first-period goal since January 24 against Robert Morris.
It was exactly the kind of start the Panthers needed, though, and their defense once again proved up to the task of holding their opponent at bay. Panther goaltender Ella Venters saved all 23 shots she faced up through the final two minutes of the second period. So even when Alexandria Franke scored with less than two minutes left in the period to tie the game for Niagara 1-1, Pitt knew they weren’t out of the game, not by a long shot.
But just over a minute later, Guagliano notched her first of two goals to take the wind out of Pitt’s sails before the period ended. Guagliano’s early third period goal was too much for Pitt to overcome, though they showed some fight all the way to the end. Lyttleton notched her second of the night to trim the Niagara lead to a single goal, 3-2, with less than two minutes to play with their net empty and the extra attacker on. It breathed new life into the game, and though several chances looked promising in the last minute, Niagara goaltender Emma Nadeau turned away the last Panther shot attempts to preserve the win. Nadeau ended the night saving 26 out of 28 shots. Venters saved 32 out of 35 shots in the loss.
Niagara will go on to play Mercyhurst - who defeated West Virginia 4-1 Saturday night, on Sunday at 4 p.m. for the conference championship and an automatic bid to the Women’s D2 ACHA Tournament.
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