Women’s Hockey Shutout at Rivier, 2-0

NASHUA, N.H. – The MCLA Women's Ice Hockey team took to the road for their final regular season road game this evening when they traveled to Rivier University for a MASCAC matchup at the Conway Arena. Kaitlyn O'Brien finished the evening with 44 saves, but the offensive barrage from the Raiders overwhelmed the Traiblazers to the tune of 2-0.
THE BASICS:
- Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
- Score: MCLA 0, Rivier 2
- Records: MCLA Trailblazers 9-14-1 (MASCAC 3-10-1) | Rivier University Raiders 12-10-1 (MASCAC 9-4-1)
- Series History: Rivier leads the all-time series 5-1-0, including a 2-0 MCLA win on February 11th in Nashua. Rivier won the teams' first-ever meeting, 3-0 on January 26, 2024.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
- Despite the first period being scoreless, the hosts set a tone, outshooting MCLA 12-7.
- Just over four minutes into the second period, Rivier's Briana Paxson (at 4:22, assisted by Keegan McGaheran). The Raiders doubled up that lead on the power play with 70 seconds left in the second frame when Paxson (18:50, Jillian Hallee and Brianna Rumptz) notched her second goal of the night.
- The third period mirrored the first with both teams playing to scoreless draw, while Rivier again held significant edge in shots, 15-8, nearly matching the 19-3 advantage they had in shots in the second period.
- The Raiders' Rachel Hinkley stopped all 18 shots she faced to even her season record at 7-7-0. The Trailblazers's sophomore goalie Kaitlyn O'Brien (Ridley Park, PA / Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) recorded her fifth 40+ save game of the season, stopping 44 of 46 shots, but still saw her record fall to 4-8-1.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Shots: MCLA 18, Rivier 46
- Saves: MCLA 44, Rivier 18
- Faceoffs Won: MCLA 19, Rivier 29
- Penalty/Minutes: MCLA 1/2:00, Rivier 2/4:00
- Power Plays: MCLA 0 for 2, Rivier 1 for 1
UP NEXT:
On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it hosts Rivier University at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink for a MASCAC re-match with the Raiders. The puck will drop at 5 p.m. The Trailblazers will be honoring their seniors before the game so fans should plan to arrive early for the festivities.
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