Freshman goaltender Julieana Tarantino was victorious in her Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse debut on Friday as the Lake Forest College women's hockey team defeated visiting Marian University 4-1.
Tarantino made 16 saves in the contest and improved to 2-0-0 this season. It was her first appearance since posting a 13-2 victory at Aurora University on November 11.
Sophomore defenseman Julia Unterseher started the scoring for the Foresters with a power play goal at the 7:09 mark of the opening period. Her fourth score of the season was assisted by sophomore forward Maddie Davis and senior forward Olivia Spellmire. Lake Forest finished the game 1-for-3 on the power play.
Spellmire doubled the home team's lead with her 14th score this year exactly four minutes later. The goal was set up by junior forward Amy Budde and freshman forward Megan Lyke.
After Spellmire tied Budde and sophomore forward Lexi Morgan for the team lead in goals, Morgan pulled ahead with her 15th of the season just 81 seconds into the second period. Davis and freshman forward/defenseman Jordan Trapp earned assists on the only score of the period.
Tarantino stopped all 13 shots on goal she faced in the game's first 40 minutes. She added another save early in the third period before the Sabres finally got on the scoreboard at the 30-second mark. The Foresters regained their three-goal advantage when Spellmire assisted Lyke's 10th tally of the year at 2:16. The score occurred during a delayed penalty situation and with an extra attacked on the ice.
Lake Forest out-shot the Sabres 40-17 on the evening.
After dropping four consecutive games on the road, the victory at home improved the Foresters' overall record to 10-8-0 and Northern Collegiate Hockey Association mark to 8-3-0. Marian fell to 4-14-0 overall and 3-8-0 in the league. The same two teams will face off again in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon at 2:00. It will also be Lake Forest's Alumni Day and the Ry McCarthy Award will be presented between the first two periods.