Springfield, Mass. (November 11, 2023) - The Golden Bears and Gulls faced off for the second time this season. After a close 4-3 loss the prior day, the Golden Bears looked to flip the script. The game was even after 60 minutes of play and went to overtime. Alyssa Murphy sent a shot into the back of the net in overtime to win the game for the Golden Bears, 1-0.
Records:
- Western New England: 2-2-1 (2-2-0)
- Endicott College: 4-2-0 (2-2-0)
How it Happened:
The game started with Casey Moritz in net for the Gulls and Kayla Ireland in net for the Golden Bears. Allison Walker won the opening faceoff for the Golden Bears. Endicott started fast with a couple of early shots. The Golden Bears would answer with shots, as well. The first period flew by, with both teams making opportunities to score, and the opposing goalie and defense turned them away. It was back-and-forth action for the entire first period with very few stoppages. The first period ended with WNE having nine shots on Moritz who made each save and Endicott having eight shots on Ireland who saved every one of those shots. The score after one period of play was 0-0.
Period two started similarly to the first period, with Walker winning the opening faceoff. There was more back and forth, but Endicott had a major opportunity with four shots in front of Ireland. Three of them had to be saved and were. The fourth went wide of the net. The score stayed 0-0. 6:28 into the second period, the Golden Bears were called for a penalty. Endicott had three shots during the power play, with one shot on Ireland. However, Endicott would use the momentum to continue to pressure the Golden Bears and goalie Kayla Ireland. The Golden Bears would start to flip the momentum in the second half of the second period. Endicott would then be called for a penalty with 5:17 left in the second period. The Golden Bears had three shots, with two being saved by Moritz during the power play. That would lead to both teams having shots on net at the end of the second period, but even with both teams sending shot after shot at the goalies, the score stayed stuck at zero. The second period saw both teams with 13 shots. After two periods of play, the Golden Bears had one more shot on goal than Endicott (22-21).
The third period was set to start. The puck was dropped, and Teaghan Hall would get the faceoff win to start the third period. Almost two minutes into the period, the Golden Bears went to the power play. The Golden Bears had four shots during the power play, with three shots being sent at Moritz. Moritz made each save. The teams went back and forth with shots, but the Golden Bears seemed to be getting more opportunities. The game would go on with neither team being able to find the game-winner, so the teams went to overtime. After three periods of play, Ireland had 26 saves, and Moritz had 31 saves. For the second time in as many games between these teams, the game would come down to one goal.
As overtime got underway, the Gulls were able to keep the Golden Bears in their defensive zone. It seemed as if the Golden Bears could not clear the puck out of the zone. However, they would clear it and then maintain possession of the puck. Eventually, Alexa Paoli would get the puck in the WNE defensive zone. Paoli fed a pass to Alyssa Murphy, who skated up on the left side of the net and sent a quick wrist shot past the goalie and into the back of the net for the game-winning overtime goal to beat no. 15 Endicott College, 1-0. The final stat line showed the Golden Bears with 32 shots compared to the 26 shots from the Gulls.
Inside the Crease:
- The Golden Bears played the Gulls at the Olympia Ice Center in a conference showdown.
- There were no goals during regular time.
- Alyssa Murphy netted the winner 1:05 into the overtime period. Murphy was assisted by Alexa Paoli.
- Casey Moritz had 31 saves for the Gulls.
- Kayla Ireland had 26 saves for the Golden Bears.
- The Golden Bears beat the Gulls 1-0 in overtime.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears will host Curry College on Thursday, November 16, at 7:40 PM at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Massachusetts. It is Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night.
- The Gulls will play Suffolk University at 7:00 PM on Friday, November 17, at the Raymond J. Bourque Arena in Beverly, Massachusetts.
