Women’s Hockey Secure First Win, Take Down Hilbert College 3-2

NORTH ADAMS, Mass – The MCLA Women's Ice Hockey team opened their home slate this evening at the Veterans Memorial Hockey Rink and came away with the program's first-ever win. Carlen Bertrand scored twice, while Rebekah Ade scored once.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, November 3, 2023
• Score: Hilbert College 2, MCLA 3
• Records: Hilbert College Hawks 1-2-0 (Conference N/A) | MCLA Trailblazers 1-2 (ECHA 0-0-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bertrand scored the program's first-ever goal this past Saturday and scored the first goal in tonight's game 6:45 into the first period. After her first shot attempt rebounded towards the middle of the offensive zone, she circled around as a defender failed to settle the puck near the blue line and gave it back to Bertrand. She then skated in and fired off a shot from just below the left faceoff circle that went over the goalie's left shoulder.
• A failed attempt to clear the puck from the defensive end by MCLA allowed the Hawks to pull back to even about four minutes later when Anna Faulkner took the puck from a Trailblazer defender and skated in on MCLA netminder for her first goal of the season.
• The score remained 1-1 through the end of the first period, but the Trailblazers opened the second period with their first goal by a player other than Bertrand. This time, it was Ade lighting the lamp for the hosts, cleaning up a rebound of a shot from Belle Wurmser, and chipping the puck over the goalie less than a minute into the period. Wurmser and Natasha Lozowchuk were credited with assists.
• Hilbert saw what the Trailblazers had done in scoring in the first minute of the period and said hold my Gatorade, as they were able to pull even a second time only 19 seconds into the third period. It was Faulkner with her second goal of the night, putting the shot home with an assist credited to Kaitlin Cowie.
• Not to be outdone, Bertrand again took the team on her back just past the mid-point of the third period when she also scored her second goal of the night, and third of the season. Picking the puck up just below her own goal line, she skated the full length of the ice, carrying the puck through defenders before putting the puck through the left side of the net between the pipe and the netminder.
• The win for the Trailblazers was the first for the program and the first at MCLA for head coach Heath Isaacson.
• The game was also the first collegiate win for MCLA goalie Juliette Barney, who improved her season record to 1-1-0.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots: Hilbert 27, MCLA 26
• Saves: Hilbert 23, MCLA 25
• Faceoffs Won: Hilbert 33, MCLA 31
• Penalty/Minutes: Hilbert 5/10:00, MCLA 4/8:00
• Power Plays: Hilbert 0 for 3, MCLA 0 for 4

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they wrap up their two-game set with these same Hilbert Hawks in another non-conference matchup at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink. The puck will drop at 5 p.m.

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