Flash Points:

• The Red Flash dropped the opening game of the day 8-7 to Gannon
• SFU got goals from five different people in an 8-6 win over Mercyhurst
• A fourth quarter rally by VMI pushed the Keydets by the Red Flash 14-10

 
 
WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Red Flash got solid defense and a balanced offensive attack in three matches on Saturday as a part of the George Washington Invite. 
 
 
GANNON MATCH BOX SCORE
The Red Flash dropped their first of three on Saturday, falling 8-7 in a back-and-forth match against the Gannon Golden Knights. Once again, the match was a defensive one to start. Gannon did strike first two minutes into the match to take an early lead. The Red Flash looked to strike back but Melani Aghazarian (Glendale, Calif./Glendale (La Valley College)) and Erin O'Neill (Landsdale, Pa/North Penn) each hit the post on the SFU counter attack. The Red Flash defense had five steals in the first quarter but couldn't convert as two steals by the Gannon defense and three saves by Emily Rodriguez kept it 1-0 after one quarter.
 
A pair of Rodriguez saves paced the start of the second quarter before Gannon would make it 2-0 just over two minutes in. That opened up the offensive play as Kelly Fehr (Erie, Pa/Villa Maria Academy) answered with a goal to make it 2-1 and Gannon struck back to make it 3-1 all within 60 seconds of play. Both teams would hit the post and the respective goalies would make a pair of saves over the course of the next three minutes of play. Emily Wickenheiser (Mechanicsburg, Pa/Cumberland Valley) would score to make it 3-2 with just over a minute left in the half and hit the post just before time expired. Gannon would take the one goal lead into the halftime break.
 
Tina Bonilla would bring SFU even with a shot that tucked inside the near post just two minutes into the half. Gannon would strike back with a power-play goal and an even-strength tally a minute later to re-take a two-goal advantage at 5-3. A second power-play tally put Gannon up three before Erin O'Neill (Landsdale, Pa/North Penn) stole the ball and threw a perfect outlet pass to Kelly Fehr (Erie, Pa/Villa Maria Academy) on a breakaway, she scored with just a second left on the clock to make it a 6-4 game heading into the fourth.
 
Gannon re-took a three-goal lead after Aimee Baur (North Wales, Pa/North Penn) was called for a penalty foul and the Knights converted the ensuing penalty shot. A Kelsey Gring (Sinking Spring, Pa/Wilson) power-play goal brought the Red Flash back within two and the defense held the Knights at bay. Missy McCreary (Altadena, CA/LaSalle (Citrus College)) got SFU back within one after she powered in a Wickenheiser pass to make it 7-6. The Flash had a couple of chances to draw even but could not get one by Rodriguez. The Knights would score an insurance goal to make it 8-6 with just over a minute left. A Wickenheiser tally seconds later again brought SFU within one. Following a defensive stand, the Red Flash had one last chance to draw even but Wickenheiser's shot clipped the top of the cross bar and went out of play.
 
The Red Flash outshot Gannon 29-21. Emily Rodriguez made nine saves on 16 shots on goal for Gannon while Kate Wilke (Burbank, Calif./Burroughs) made seven stops on 15 shots on goal.  The loss drops the Red Flash to 7-11 on the season.
 
MERCYHURST GAME BOX SCORE
The Red Flash got goals from five different people and a 12-save effort from Wilke in a 8-6 win over Mercyhurst in the afternoon session of the GW Invite.
 
The Red Flash defense forced two turnovers early and killed off a penalty to set the tone in the afternoon session against the Lakers. The defense fueled the offense as off of the penalty kill, Erin O'Neill (Landsdale, Pa/North Penn) got loose in the middle and went top shelf to score the first goal of the game. The teams again traded turnovers and two big saves from Wilke kept the score 1-0. Missy McCreary (Altadena, CA/LaSalle (Citrus College)) then just beat the buzzer, scoring as time expired to give SFU a two-goal lead after one.
 
The Mercyhurst defense forced a pair of turnovers in the early stages of the second quarter and turned the latter into their first goal of the game. Neither team could establish an offensive attack over the next several minutes as they traded turnovers. Kelly Fehr (Erie, Pa/Villa Maria Academy) got good position behind the defense, drawing a penalty shot late in the half and converted it to make it 3-1. Wilke then took over late in the quarter, making a trio of stops to keep it 3-1 Red Flash at the half.
 
Emily Wickenheiser (Mechanicsburg, Pa/Cumberland Valley) made it 4-1 Red Flash, cashing in on a power play early in the quarter. Wilke made two more saves and benefitted from the post on a third to keep the Lakers off the board. Her last save led to a counter attack and McCreary's second goal of the day to make it 5-1. The Lakers would rally back, scoring three times in a two-minute span to cut the lead to 5-4 and force a SFU timeout. Out of the timeout, the Red Flash drew an exclusion and Aimee Baur (North Wales, Pa/North Penn) tallied a power-play goal to make it 6-4. The Lakers would respond just before the end of the quarter, scoring with 30 seconds left to make it 6-5 heading into the fourth.
 
The Lakers would tie the game less than a minute into the fourth and after a defensive stand looked to take their first lead. Off a broken play, the Lakers' Becky Insalaco broke free and in alone on Wilke but the freshman aggressively challenged her shot and made her biggest save of the game. After the teams traded defensive stops, Kelly Fehr (Erie, Pa/Villa Maria Academy) gave the Red Flash the lead for good with a shot just inside the near post midway through the quarter. Fehr then added an insurance goal, hammering home a one-time pass from Tina Bonilla on the power play to give SFU an 8-6 lead. The Flash defense didn't allow a shot on goal the rest of the way and earned their eighth win of the season.
 
The Lakers outshot SFU 33-16 but 12 of the 16 shots were on target while the defense forced 15 off the 33 Lakers' shot wide of the net and Wilke made 12 stops on the 16 shots on goal.
 
VMI Match BOX SCORE
 
The Red Flash dropped their final game of the GW Mini 14-10 to the Keydets from Virginia Military Institue. VMI rallied for six goals in the fourth quarter that proved to be too much to overcome.
 
The Red Flash power play was firing on all cylinders in the game, converting on five-of-seven opportunities. Kelly Fehr (Erie, Pa/Villa Maria Academy) scored the first goal of the game, converting on the man advantage. VMI would rally back, scoring the next three goals of the quarter in a three-minute span. SFU rallied back as Kelsey Gring (Sinking Spring, Pa/Wilson) scored back-to-back goals one on the power play to knot the game at three. It would be tied heading into the second.
 
After SFU won the second-quarter sprint, Aimee Baur (North Wales, Pa/North Penn) dropped in a goal off a nice Emily Wickenheiser (Mechanicsburg, Pa/Cumberland Valley) pass to give SFU back the lead. After a pair of Wilke steals and a defensive save, the Red Flash converted another power play opportunity as Wickenheiser scored again to make it 5-3. The Flash would run the goal streak to five on a great individual effort by Tina Bonilla who stole the ball, broke away from VMI and scored on a breakaway to make it 6-3. A late defensive save as time expired gave SFU a 6-3 halftime lead.
 
Now it was VMI's turn to rally, they scored the first two goals of the second half to cut the SFU lead to one. Power play goals from Aimee Baur (North Wales, Pa/North Penn) and Fehr stopped the run and re-established the three-goal lead but the Keydets again struck back. VMI scored twice in just over a minute to cut the lead to one and tied it on the power play in the final moments of the quarter. It would be tied at eight heading into the fourth.
 
A pair of late exclusions to end the third gave VMI a two-man advantage to start the quarter. They took advantage to take their first lead of the second half at 9-8. After the teams traded quick goals, the Keydets scored in a flurry. VMI tallied four goals in 90 seconds to open up a five-goal advantage at 14-9. It proved too much for the Red Flash to overcome as Mel Aghazarian tallied a late goal to cut the lead to four but the Keydets were able to run out the clock on their next possession.
 
The loss drops the Red Flash to 8-12 on the season. They are home for the Red Flash Mini next weekend as they welcome in Washington and Jefferson as well as Penn State Behrend. The first match starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday.