First-year forward Maggie McLaughlin scored her first career goal, and it proved to be the game winner, as the St. Lawrence University women's hockey team defeated Mercyhurst 3-2 in the final D1 in DC game at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., on Sunday afternoon.

The McLean, Va., native, scored off an assist from Kalie Grant, sending a wrist shot from the right faceoff dot through Mercyhurst goaltender Jessica Convery's blocker side to give the Saints a 3-1 lead early in the third period.

The D1 in DC event was organized by Washington Pride, an U19 team that McLaughlin played for last year.

"We found a way to win the game today, and the hometown kid got the game winner!" said head coach Chis Wells '92.

Brooke Webster gave the Saints a 1-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the first period, converting a give-and-go with Kennedy Marchment on a 2-on-1 break after taking a breakout pass from Hannah Miller in the neutral zone.

The trio combined for the second goal of the game less than three minutes later, with Marchment getting the goal after some confusion in front of the Mercyhurst net.

Mercyhurst cut the lead in half late in the second period when Sam Isbell wired a wrist shot over Sonjia Shelly's glove side. After McLaughlin restored the two-goal margin, Jennifer MacAskill scored a shorthanded goal on a break created by Sarah Hine.

St. Lawrence (16-2-2), which fell to the Lakers by a 5-2 score on Saturday, outshot Mercyhurst for the second straight day, this time by a 32-24 margin. Neither team scored a power play goal, with the Saints killing off all four Laker power plays, including 41 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage late in the third period.

"Those are the kind of efforts that you need the second half of the season," said Wells. "It's good for us to be in games like this because from here on out, that's the way the games are going to be."

Brooke Wolejko got the win in net for the Saints, making 14 saves in a scoreless first half of the game. Shelly made eight saves over the final 28:49, and Convery stopped 30 shots for the Lakers (7-14-1).

The Saints return to ECAC Hockey play this weekend, hosting Brown at Appleton Arena on Friday at 6 p.m., and Yale on Saturday at 3 p.m.