Women’s Hockey Falls at New England College

HENNIKER N.H. – Early struggles left the MCLA Women's Ice Hockey team with too much of an obstacle to overcome. While the team didn't come back to win the game, freshman goalie Katie O'Brien provided a spark as the Trailblazers enjoyed a 3-1 advantage after she took over in net in the team's 7-3 defeat.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, December 1, 2023
• Score: MCLA 3, New England College 7
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 2-8-0 (ECHA 0-4-0) | New England College Pilgrims 2-9-0 (NEHC 0-7-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• MCLA dug themselves a deep hole to open the game, allowing six goals in the first period and a half. The NEC goals were scored by Cassie Kelly (a power play goal, in the first period at 8:31, assisted by Meadow Gilchrist), Alexis Hornsby (first period at 10:15, Gabrielle Iwinski), Isabella Marzano (first period at 14:29, Mikayla Vincent), Sofia Gualtieri (first period at 15:07 Iwinski), Iwinski (second period at 8:41, unassisted), Hornsby (second period at 11:20, Gilchrist and Olivia Lindberg).
• The Trailblazers looked to be in good shape early in the second period despite being down by four goals when they were given an opportunity for an 87-second five-on-three advantage when a pair of Pilgrims (Kata Thomas, checking at 1:30, and Hornsby, hooking at 2:03). were called for penalties. MCLA came away from the opportunity empty-handed but did manage to get seven shots off during the advantage.
• Following a goalie change by the Trailblazers after the Pilgrims' sixth goal, the visitors began to show some signs of life, scoring their first goal fifty seconds after Katie O'Brien relieved Juliette Barney in the net. The goal was a power play goal by Katie Pica (second period at 12:10, Alexandrea Bednar and Summer Bissaillion).
• MCLA would add another second-period goal with just under two minutes left in the frame. This time, it was Belle Wurmser (second period at 18:08, Abby Davis and Abby Pomajba) who scored to send her team into the final intermission trailing 6-2.
•  Bissaillion (third period at 9:35, Pomajba) scored her second goal of the season for the first scoring change of the third period with just under 10 and a half minutes left in regulation. In an interesting coincidence, Bissaillion was making her second start of the season and scored her first goal of the season in the same game that she recorded her first start.
• Despite holding a 20-7 advantage in shots on goal during the third period, New England College only managed one additional goal by Vincent (third period at 14:00, Hornsby and Gilchrist) to reach the game's final score of 7-3.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Shots (on goal): MCLA 65 (33), NEC 63 (42)
• Saves: MCLA 35, NEC 30
• Faceoffs Won: MCLA 33, NEC 31
• Penalty/Minutes: MCLA 3/6:00, NEC 7/14:00
• Power Plays: MCLA 1 for 7, NEC 2 for 3

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to this same New England College team for a non-conference matchup with the Pilgrims at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.

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