The top-ranked Cornell University women's hockey team scored three goals in a span of just 59 seconds in the first period and St. Lawrence was never able to recover as the Saints fell to the Big Red 7-2 in the first game of an ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, New York, on Friday afternoon.

Gilllis Frechette scored two goals and added an assist, and Kristin O'Neill added a pair of goals for the top-ranked and No. 1 seeded Big Red (26-1-3).

Rachel Teslak scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Saints (13-15-7).

"Obviously not the start of the game we envisioned, giving up three in 59 seconds, but we were happy with how we competed and played throughout the game," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells '92. "We will be back at it tomorrow after a good rest. This team loves being together and it showed in our efforts."

Grace Graham gave Cornell a 1-0 lead just over six minutes into the game, taking a feed from Frechette and one-timing a shot glove side.

Forty-two seconds later, Maddie Mills made a nice move with a toe-drag near the Saints' blue line to create space and fed O'Neill, who found the top left corner with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

Just 17 seconds later, the Saints were whistled for delay of game after a player covered a loose puck in the Saints' crease, and Frechette scored on a penalty shot.

Paige Lewis took a pass from Izzy Daniel off her skate just outside the crease and wheeled around and slid the puck into a wide open net eight minutes into the second period to give Cornell a 4-0 lead.

Julia Gosling scored the Saints' first goal five minutes into the third period, picking up a rebound on a shot from the point by Teslak and tucking it into the right side of the net for her ninth goal of the season. Jacquie Diffley also picked up an assist on the play.

But Cornell restored the four-goal lead five and a half minutes later, as Mills found O'Neill all alone in the left circle, and O'Neill fired a wrist shot top corner on the short side.

Wells looked to give the offense a spark by pulling goaltender Jaimie Rainville, who came in for starting goalie Lucy Morgan after Cornell's third goal, in favor of an extra attacker when the Saints earned an offensive zone faceoff after the goal, but Frechette scored an empty-net goal to give Cornell a 6-1 lead with just over eight minutes to play.

Teslak cut the lead to four with a power play goal on a wrist shot from the point for her seventh goal of the season, with Kristin Guerriero and Anna Segedi picking up assists.

Samantha Burke capped the scoring for the Big Red with a power play goal on a rebound after Rainville made a pad save on a shot by Willow Slobodzian that was deflected by Finley Frechette.

The shots on goal were dead even, 21-21. Rainville made 12 saves, while Morgan stopped two shots for the Saints. Lindsay Browning made 19 saves for Cornell. The Saints were 1-for-5 on the power play, while Cornell was 1-for-4.

The game marked just the fifth time this season that an opponent has scored more than one goal against the Big Red, the nation's best defensive team. St. Lawrence also scored two goals against Cornell on February 1.

The series will continue with game two on Saturday at 3 p.m. If the Saints win on Saturday, the series finale will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday.