Karley Cree Leads SUNY Canton to Shutout Over SUNY Cortland

The SUNY Canton Roos shutout the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on Saturday, Nov. 9 at home, led by an offensive assault from Akwesasne's own Karley Cree. She topped out the scoreboard with two of her team's three goals and one assist. Cree was not the only player on the ice to hail from the community – her squadmate Tia Mitchell and Cortland's Sky Timmons also have roots in Akwesasne.

Two minutes and 11 seconds into the game, Roo right winger Rhea Coad took advantage of her team's early puck domination and snuck an easy shot past Red Dragon netminder Deanna Meunier for what would prove to be the game-winning goal. Cree provided her sole assist of the day.

As the opening stanza played on, the Red Dragons began to assert themselves offensively outshooting the Roos in the first 11 minutes 11 to one.

"I think our forechecking worked well," Cortland head coach Ernie Utter said.

Canton goalkeeper Shayna Dominique earned a shutout, stopping all 37 shots she faced. In the first 10 minutes of play, the Red Dragons fired 11 shots compared to only one, albeit a successful one, from the Roos.

"She's (Dominique) been incredible for us," Canton head coach Melissa Lomanto said.

After roughly 15 minutes of stalemate, a conglomeration of Red and White jerseys was jammed around the Cortland net. Out of the confusion, Cree knocked in the insurance goal with 2:23 left in the first period. She was assisted by Jessica Kistabish.

Although Canton furthered their lead in the second period, it was not without a battle for their penalty-killers.

They had to stave off just over a minute of five-on-three as Cree and Abby Diabo were each serving two-minute penalties. Cree went to the sin bin at 6:56 for checking and Diabo was taken off-ice at 7:44 for roughing.

"I think our strength right now is our penalty kill," Lomanto said, later adding, "we need to control our body a little bit more so we draw fewer penalties." Her squad was cited six times for 12 minutes, compared to the Red Dragon's two calls for four minutes.

With just under two minutes left in the second period, Cree flipped a wristshot past Cortland's Deanna Meunier to the right top shelf for her second goal, unassisted.

Although the Roos hit the locker room in the lead, their opponents were outshooting them 26 – 12.

The third period saw offensive efforts on both sides come up short, including one power play opportunity each for both sides.

"We didn't keep the puck out where we needed to," Utter said.

Cree almost garnered a hat trick. With just 1:02 left in regulation, she ducked, dipped, and dodged through three red-clad defenders into a one-on-one opportunity with the Cortland goalie. She wound up and cracked off a slapshot, only to be foiled by Meunier's glove.

"I'm very excited about our future, we're a very young team right now ... we've got a lot of building, learning, and developing to do," said Lomanto.

"I think we played well, I think the girls played well and I think we lost," Utter said. "They put their little hearts out there today, it didn't go in for them."

Lomanto cited Kistabish as one of her team's key players. She assisted Cree's first goal.

"She's an incredibly hard worker and asset to our team ... she knows the game and is versatile," she said.

Utter lauded the efforts of Gina Tomei, Niamh O'Connor, Corey Temple, and Katie Gili.

"She just continues to have good games," he said of Tomei, who logged four shots on goal. "She runs the ice and is smart."

The Roos next take on Chatham University on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16 in Pittsburgh.