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Western New England University

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WIH vs Suffolk 1.17.25
5
Winner Western New England WNEWHKY 10-5-0, 4-4-0 CNE
1
Suffolk SUF 6-8-0, 4-5-0 CNE
Winner
Western New England WNEWHKY
10-5-0, 4-4-0 CNE
5
Final
1
Suffolk SUF
6-8-0, 4-5-0 CNE
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Western New England WNEWHKY 1 3 1 5
Suffolk SUF 0 1 0 1

Game Recap: Women's Ice Hockey |

Two First-Time Goal Scorers Lead the Golden Bears to a 5-1 Conference Victory Over the Rams

BOSTON, Mass. (January 17, 2025) – The Golden Bears visited the Suffolk University Rams on Friday. The Golden Bears would take an early lead 2:08 into the contest and would not look back. They would score three more goals in a row to take a 4-0 lead. The Rams would score one in the second period of play, but WNE would get one more goal in the third and win the game 5-1. The Golden Bears were fueled by a 36-save performance from Rachael Irving and five different goal-scorers.

Records:

Western New England: 10-5-0 (4-4-0)

Suffolk University: 6-8-0 (4-4-0)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears started quickly in game one of the weekend series between WNE and Suffolk. Senior Katie Cronin took the first shot of the game and scored to give the Golden Bears the 1-0 lead 2:08 into the first period of play. The teams traded shots after the opening goal. Suffolk tested WNE's first-year goalie, Rachael Irving, quickly. Irving would be equal to the tasks and would keep WNE in the lead throughout the first. WNE would answer with a few shots on Katelyn Michels, the Suffolk goalie. Michels would only let up the one goal in the first and would shut the Golden Bears down for the rest of the first. Then, with 6:23 remaining in the opening period of play, the Rams were called for a cross-check, and WNE went on the power play. WNE picked up five shots during their first power play chance. Three shots had to be saved by Michels and were. Just after the penalty ended, Suffolk was called for a second penalty, which saw WNE take 11 shots, but the Suffolk defense did not falter. They kept the deficit at 1-0. With 1:38 remaining in the opening period of play, WNE had a third power play chance but could not score on their two chances before the first period of play ended. WNE led 1-0 at the first intermission. The Golden Bears outshot the Rams 17-8 in shots on goal, blocked shots 6-4, and faceoff wins 12-10 in the first. The Rams had more saves, 16-8.

The second period of play saw the Golden Bears take a commanding lead, with two first-time goal scorers for the Golden Bears. Shortly after the power play ended, Mabel Gerard would double the WNE lead when Ziya Damas found Zoe Galanoudis with a pass. Galanoudis sent the puck to Gerard, who hit the back of the net with the shot, and WNE led 2-0. Fifty-six seconds later, Hannah Baxter netted a first career Golden Bear goal. It was an unassisted goal, and made the score 3-0, with WNE in the lead. The teams traded shots for a short while before another penalty was called against the Rams. The fourth power play was the one for the Golden Bears. They sent five shots in the direction of the net, and then the sixth shot would crash into the net. Brie Dube got the puck to Valerie DuVal, who sent it to Alana Bouthillette. Bouthillette directed the puck into the goal for the fourth WNE goal, a power play goal, and the first of Bouthillette's Golden Bear career. WNE led 4-0 7:17 into the second period of play. Suffolk immediately started to apply pressure to WNE by following the goal with three shots. They followed that with three more shots after WNE's two shots. Then, WNE was called for a penalty. Five shots were taken on the Suffolk power play. WNE started to find some momentum, and it was amplified by a fifth power play chance. WNE had six shots but no goals on the power play. That led to Suffolk having eight of the next ten shots, including the next goal. Alexia Hill hit Kate Pohl with a pass. Pohl found Shayna Deutsch, who found the back of the net, and the score was 4-1, WNE, with 1:08 left in the second. Suffolk took the final two shots, and the second ended with WNE leading 4-1 going into the final period of play. The second saw WNE leading in saves 15-13, and faceoff wins 19-11. Suffolk had more shots on goal 16-15 and blocked shots 5-4.

The third and final period of play saw the teams trade shots even more. However, WNE would grab a goal at the end of the game to reclaim their four-goal lead by the end of the contest. Suffolk started the third with energy. They had five shots in a row. WNE matched those five shots in a row right after that. The trading continued, with each team putting shot after shot at the goal. Neither team could get that edge, though. Suffolk was taking more and more shots as the third continued and was looking like they were going to be the next goal-scorers. That thought was made more relevant when WNE was called for a penalty. Suffolk had only two shots during the power play and then one after, before WNE scored their fifth and final goal of the contest. Alyssa Murphy sent the puck to Michaela Birmingham, who directed it to Ziya Damas. Damas took the shot and scored. WNE led 5-1 with 1:45 remaining in the game. Suffolk was called for one final penalty shortly after. Both teams would take a shot, but the game would come to an end and WNE would be victorious, 5-1. WNE concluded the game with more shots on goal 42-37. They also had more faceoff wins, 14-10, and blocked shots 4-3. Suffolk had more saves, 37-36.

Inside the Crease:

  • The Golden Bears traveled to Boston, MA, for a conference clash with Suffolk.
  • 1st 2:08 – Katie Cronin opened the scoring for the Golden Bears with an unassisted goal. WNE led 1-0.
  • 2nd 1:00 – Mabel Gerard doubled the WNE lead with a goal assisted by Zoe Galanoudis and Ziya Damas. WNE led 2-0.
  • 2nd 1:56 – Hannah Baxter tripled the Golden Bears lead with an unassisted goal to make the score 3-0, WNE. That was Baxter's first career Golden Bear goal.
  • 2nd 7:17 – Alana Bouthillette scored a power play goal, assisted by Valerie DuVal and Brie Dube. WNE led 4-0. That was Bouthillette's first career Golden Bear goal.
  • 2nd 18:52 – Shayna Deutsch got the Rams on the scoreboard with a goal assisted by Kate Pohl and Alexia Hill. WNE led 4-1.
  • 3rd 18:15 – Ziya Damas netted the fifth WNE goal to give WNE a 5-1 lead. Michaela Birmingham and Alyssa Murphy assisted the goal.
  • Katelyn Michels made 37 saves for the Rams.
  • Rachael Irving made 36 saves to earn WNE the win.
  • WNE beat Suffolk 5-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

  • The teams will both travel to Springfield, Massachusetts, for the second of their home-and-home series. The contest will be hosted at the Olympia Ice Center at 7:00 PM on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
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