Photo Courtesy Dave Naprstek

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) - After two weekends on the road, the Marian women's hockey team held their home opener on Friday, Nov. 15, hosting Finlandia. Junior Amanda Waigand would dazzle the on-lookers once again, tallying the game-winning goal in the first period. Amanda Alexander stonewalled the Lions, pitching her first shutout of the year.

All good teams have defense, which is exactly what the Sabres displayed on Friday. Finlandia struggled to put shots on target, only challenging Alexander 20 times on the night. The Sabres, on the other hand, would pepper Breanna Merrian 33 times, sending two of them to the twine.

Waigand continued her offensive roll this season late in the first period. With back-to-back penalties taken by Finlandia, Marian was awarded a 5-on-3 powerplay. Sophomore Nina Laurie and freshman Rian Lennon set up Waigand for her fifth goal of the year.

Junior Kristin Skubic scored her first goal of the year at 4:15 of the second period on an assist from fellow classmate Kelly Leslie. With the two goal lead in hand, the Sabres stood tall late in the game, surrendering a 5-on-3 powerplay to the Lions. The PK unit stood tall and in combination with Alexander, kept the shutout in tact.

Friday marked the first win in NCHA play for the Sabres, who dropped both games last weekend to Adrian. The teams will return to the ice tomorrow to wrap up their series at 4 p.m.