WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 6, 2024) – The Western New England women's ice hockey team scored four goals in the second period, which was more than enough to come away with a 5-0 win on home ice over the Bison of Nichols College on Pride Night.

Records:

• Western New England: 6-4, 2-3 CNE
• Nichols College: 5-5, 2-4 CNE

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears had a quick two shots to open the game as Alexa Paoli and Maddie Pope would test the Nichols College defense early, though both shots would go wide of the net. WNE would see Rachael Irving make the start and would make four saves in the first four minutes of the game as the Bison would come away with four good chances at goal, all handled by the first-year goalkeeper for Western New England. The Golden Bears would begin to test Nichols's McKenzie Muir as Jenna Lynch, Emma Birmingham, and Ziya Damas would get shots on goal near the midway point of the first period, though Muir would be up to the task. Both teams would exchange shots on goal down the stretch, though both goalies would stay tall in between the pipes. Western New England would get a power play with four minutes left to play in the opening period and would come away with their first goal of the game as Allison Walker would be able to push the puck past the goal line after Maddie Pope would take a shot on goal while Walker would be right on the doorstep to pick up her first of the season, giving the Golden Beard the one-goal lead. Nichols would come away with the next good spurt of play with under two minutes to play, though three quick blocked shots would see the Golden Bears prevail, as Nichols would draw a power play but would not be able to score in the opening frame, seeing WNE take a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Nichols led the Golden Bears in shots on goal in the first frame, 14-8.

Michaela Birmingham would take a quick shot in the opening minute of the second period, though it would be turned aside by McKenzie Muir. Nichols would take just one shot on goal through the first eight minutes of the second period, though Western New England would not be able to take advantage of the lack of offense from their opponent. WNE would score their second goal of the game with just over 11 minutes to play in the second period after Ziya Damas would take a shot that would be saved, though Valerie DuVal would be on the doorstep to hammer the puck into the back of the net, doubling WNE's lead to 2-0. Damas and Emma Birmingham would have assists on the goal for the blue and gold. Less than two minutes later, the Golden Bears would get on the board again, taking advantage of another power play chance. Alyssa Murphy would move the puck towards the net as the puck moved towards Allison Walker, who would find the loose puck and find the back of the net, giving the Golden Bears a quick 3-0 lead. Nichols would need a timeout following the goal from Western New England, though the timeout would help very little, as another power play chance for the Golden Bears would result in another power play goal, giving Western New England a 4-0 lead. Allison Walker had an assist on the play, her third point of the night, while Ziya Damas picked up her second point of the night with the goal from a short side shot to increase Western New England's lead. Dominating the offense in the period, the scoring wouldn't be done for the Golden Bears in the frame as Jenna Lynch would join in on the scoring party with just eight seconds remaining to move WNE's lead to five. Rachael Irving would make three saves in a row, which would turn the defense for WNE into offense as Lynch would fire a shot past the Nichols College goalie on an assist from Zoe Galanoudis, giving Western New England a 5-0 lead after two periods of play. Nichols put up 12 shots on goal in the frame, all turned away, while Western New England scored four goals on 14 shots to lead by five.

With the game well in hand, Western New England would play a more defensive game in the final 20 minutes to preserve a victory. The Golden Bears took two early shots on goal while Nichols would respond with four quick shots of their own as the play would move up and down the ice in the third. Western New England would earn another power play chance at the midway point of the third period but would not be able to capitalize on the chance as the lead stayed at five. Nichols would pressure the Golden Bears in the late stages of the game, looking for a momentum goal heading into tomorrow afternoon's contest, though the Bison would come up short in their search for the goal, being shut out by the Golden Bears as Western New England would come away with a 5-0 victory on Friday night. WNE outshot Nichols 14-10 in the frame overall.

Inside the Lines:

• The WNE power play aided the victory for the Golden Bears on the night, going 2/4 overall in the win.
• Allison Walker led the way for Western New England, picking up three points on the night, two goals and an assist, while totaling three shots and winning nine faceoffs. The senior also had two blocked shots in the game.
• Including Walker, three Golden Bears had at least two points in the game, with Ziya Damas collecting a goal and an assist while Alyssa Murphy had two assists in the win.
• Rachael Irving collected double-digit saves in all three periods of the game, earning her third shutout of the season in her fourth overall starts, fifth total appearance. Irving had made 149 saves this season while giving up just three goals.
• Mabel Gerard was 14/21 in the faceoff circle to lead the Golden Bears. Nichols was led by Grace Melanson, who won 13/22 draws.
• Western New England dropped their first three games in program history to the Bison but has since defeated Nichols seven straight times, improving to 4-1 all-time on home ice.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The two teams will meet again on Saturday, December 7, at 4:40 PM at Levy Rink. This will be WNE's final game of the 2024 portion of their schedule.