"They're due." or "Their due?" Either way....

We haven't had a lot of time to write about the Women's team lately, but it's obvious after the past month that they're due to get their due. The Knights finished off the first half of the season with a sweep of a Niagara team that seemed to have their number last season, extending their winning streak to seven consecutive games, and a 9-1 record since being swept by Harvard and Dartmouth in the first week of November.

They've done this without the services of All-American Kira Hurley who has been sidelined with post-concussion issues. Stephanie Hansen has stepped up big time sporting a gaudy 1.27 GAA and .934 save percentage in 11 games. Her only blemish is a 2-1 loss to Wayne State.

Freshman Genevieve Lavoie is "kicking ass and taking names" as they say in St. Laurent, Quebec. Lavoie has nine goals in her last four games including a pair of hat tricks on back to back nights against Yale and Brown. She leads the Knights with 24 points on 17 goals and 7 assists. Britney Selina has cooled off a little bit, but is second on the team with a 7-11-18 sheet. Between these two, freshman Carlee Eusepi and sophomore Marie-Jo Gaudet fans are salivating at the scoring potential over the next three years.

Christine Balikowski is quietly having another solid season. While her stats may be under the radar for some fans, she's got seven goals this season. Two short-handed and two game winners. Nothing like seeing the senior leadership setting examples across the board. The team is so full of contributing players, i'd probably name them all, but when you see the number of individuals with 7-8-9 points, you feel comfortable seeing the 3rd and 4th lines out there as potential scoring threats.

The only downside so far to the season has been the difficulty in balancing the offense with the defense. The Knights were outshot by a Yale squad 33-21, but the consistency is starting to get there. We bacame a little too comfortable with single-digit shot totals last year, and while that can't be the normal, we have high expectations for our D to shut people down. Early in the season a significant number of penalties were taken, and at this point of the season, we can feel pretty confident that the patience is back.

Suddenly that tie the Knights took at Mercyhurst seems pretty big in the grand scheme of things. The Lakers have only wo blemishes in 18 games this season. A one goal loss to St. Lawrence, and a tie with Clarkson. With this hot-streak hitting right now, you have the think that the Knights are going to be a scare game for nearly every team in the ECACHL in the 2nd half. The Knights sit in 6th place, just three points behind 4th place Colgate and St. Lawrence. A shot at home-ice is in reach. Can they take it?