SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 7, 2025) – The Golden Bears hosted the Wildcats in a season series rubber match. After a scoreless opening period of play, the Golden Bears would net four goals in the second to lead them past the Wildcats 4-0. Jenna Lynch was credited for two goals and an assist, and Michaela Birmingham was credited for a goal and two assists.
Records:
Western New England: 12-8-1 (6-7-1)
Johnson & Wales University: 9-10-2 (6-7-1)
How it Happened:
The Wildcats won the contest's opening faceoff to begin the game. WNE took four of the game's first six shots. However, JWU had two shots on goal compared to one from WNE. Shots were traded back and forth, with JWU having almost every shot on goal during that time. JWU then accumulated four shots in a row as the opening period of play ran past the halfway mark. WNE then started to ramp up the offense with five of the next six shots, with one testing Katelyn Cardoso, the JWU goalie, in net. After JWU had two shots, with Rachael Irving having a save for WNE in net, WNE had five shots in a row before earning a power play chance. The power play saw WNE pick up eight shots, including one shot from Valerie DuVal clashing against the pipe. Each team had a shot to end the first period of play, and the score was stuck at 0-0 going into the first intermission. Shots on goal favored WNE 11-8 in the first. As did the total shots, 25-12, WNE. Blocked shots saw JWU have more 11-1, and saves favored JWU 11-8. JWU also had more faceoff wins, 8-5.
The second period of play saw the Golden Bears take a commanding lead. It started with Alyssa Murphy scoring 1:42 into the second. Valerie DuVal got the puck on the right side of the goal and fed a pass to Murphy on the opposite side of the net. Murphy sent a one-time shot into the netting. WNE led 1-0. JWU had the next four shots, trying to make up the momentum lost on the WNE goals. WNE responded with four shots of their own. Then, after JWU had three shots, Jenna Lynch doubled the lead for the Golden Bears. Allison Walker found Michaela Birmingham. Birmingham fired a pass to Jenna Lynch, who threw the puck across the crease. It deflected off a JWU skate and into the goal. WNE led 2-0 7:14 into the second. JWU had three shots in a row before they were called for a penalty, and the Golden Bears went on the power play. They had two shots during their power play chance. The second shot was a goal. Alexa Paoli fed the puck to Jenna Lynch, who passed it to Michaela Birmingham at the top of the WNE offensive zone. Birmingham sent a shot through traffic in front of the net. It bounced around and found the back of the goal for a power-play goal. WNE led 3-0 with 9:55 left in the second. JWU called a timeout to slow the WNE momentum. JWU had two shots before WNE was called for a penalty, which resulted in three JWU shots and a WNE shot. WNE was awarded a power play shortly after JWU's power play ended. WNE had four shots before JWU was called for another penalty, and WNE had a 5-on-3 power play. WNE had three shots during the 5-on-3 power play. The third shot was a goal from Jenna Lynch. With 5:15 remaining in the second, Michaela Birmingham found Alexa Paoli with a pass on the right side of the ice. Paoli found Jenna Lynch, who made a quick move and then sent the puck across the face of the goal. Once again, the puck deflected off a JWU skate and into the goal. WNE led 4-0. WNE still had a normal power play to finish out and did so with five shots. The teams traded shots for most of the end of the second. Sofia Tamayo was then subbed into the goalie position for the Wildcats. JWU was called for a penalty to end the second. WNE outshot JWU 3-1 on the power play to end the second period of play. WNE led 4-0 after two periods of play. WNE led in total shots 26-21, shots on goal 11-9, saves 9-7, and blocked shots 7-5. JWU led in faceoff wins 9-6.
The third saw WNE hold onto the lead for the shutout victory. JWU completed the penalty kill to start the third, but WNE would have two shots after that and earned another power play 1:11 into the final period of play. WNE had three shots during their power play but no goals. Then, WNE had five of the next seven shots, which led to a JWU power play. JWU had three shots during their power play but no goal. WNE answered with five consecutive shots. JWU answered with four, and the teams traded consecutive shots. That led to another JWU penalty with 3:03 remaining in the game. WNE outshot JWU 4-1 on their power play, which helped cap off a big WNE shutout victory after one last shot from JWU. WNE led the final stats in shots on goal 31-27 and total shots 74-50. JWU had more blocked shots, 22-11, and faceoff wins 24-16. Both teams had 27 saves. Rachael Irving earned the 4-0 shutout win for the Golden Bears over the Wildcats.
Inside the Crease:
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears will travel to Endicott College on Saturday, February 8, 2025, for their series rubber match starting at 3:00 PM.
- The Wildcats will travel back home to host Curry College at 5:00 PM on Saturday, February 8, 2025.
