Walker, Murphy Score Two to Secure #5 Seed in CCC Tournament on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Curry (3-21-1, 1-16-1) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Western New Eng. (7-14-4, 5-11-2) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 19, 2022) – The Western New England University women's ice hockey time honored the faculty and staff of the University prior to puck drop, as Erin Buzuvis dropped the ceremonial puck to begin the contest. In the contest, Allison Walker and Alyssa Murphy would tally two goals apiece in a 4-1 win for the Golden Bears, securing the #5 seed in the upcoming CCC playoffs.
Records:
- Western New England: 7-14-4 (5-11-2 CCC)
- Curry College: 3-21-1 (1-16-1 CCC)
How it Happened:
Western New England came out firing on all cylinders in the first period, putting together a season best 22 shots in a single period. The Golden Bears would open the scoring when Allison Walker found the back of the net at the 6:13 mark of the first period to give Western New England a 1-0 lead. Sydney Conte and Alexa Paoli would register assists for the Golden Bears on the 5th goal of the season from Walker. Not long after the Walker tally, Western New England would score their second of the period when Alyssa Murphy found twine, beating Vivi Helquist of Curry College to give WNE the 2-0 lead. Murphy would jam in a chance at the net on assists from Katie Cronin and Maddy Tucker to give the Golden Bears the two-goal lead. WNE was looking on some revenge on the Colonels, who defeated them at the Olympia Ice Center earlier this season, for Curry's lone CCC win of the season. Less than a minute after the Murphy tally, Walker would find the puck at the side of the post and jam it into the back of the net to give WNE a 3-0 lead. After Tucker sprung Walker for a two on one, Walker would take a shot that was initially taken in by Helquist, though left at the side of the goal for Walker to stuff into the back of the net for the third Golden Bears goal of the night. Western New England took that three-goal lead into the break after putting 22 shots on goal. Curry came around with seven shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, all taken in by Rieley Jessie-Gerelli, the Golden Bears starting goaltender.
The Golden Bears would continue their momentum into the second period as Murphy would get on the board again for Western New England, extending the Western New England lead to four goals. Brie Dube would send a pass perfectly off the boards to Murphy, who stepped in two on one and took a wrist shot that went up and into the right corner of the net, giving WNE the four-goal lead. Western New England would outshoot Curry 16-6 in the period, heading into the break with the four goal lead.
In the final 20 minutes of play, neither team could get on the board as Jessie-Gerelli and Helquist each made timely saves. Curry would get on the board with 3:23 to play in the period when Danielle Stein scored her 7th goal of the season. Vivi Helquist would make a big save and tap the puck away from the goal and right ot the stick of Stein, who went coast to coast and trickled a puck past the Golden Bears goaltender to give Curry their first goal of the night. The Golden Bears would finalize the period with nine shots on goal to Curry's eight, winning the game on faculty/staff appreciation night by a final score of 4-1. With the win, Western New England clinches the #5 seed in the upcoming CCC tournament.
Inside the Crease:
- Alyssa Murphy led the Golden Bears with two goals and an assist on the night, crediting three points in the win. Murphy finishes the season with a team best 12 goals and 15 points in the regular season.
- Allison Walker netted two goals of her own in the win, finishing the season with six goals and eight assists, good for 14 points on the regular season, second on the team.
- Rieley Jessie-Gerelli made 20 saves on 21 shots on goal faced in the win. Jessie-Gerelli came through with six of the Golden Bears seven wins on the season.
- Erin Buzuvis, associate dean of the School of Law at Western New England and the faculty fellow of the women's ice hockey team was honored with dropping the puck on faculty/staff appreciation night.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- With the win, WNE finishes as the #5 seed in the CCC tournament and will travel to the University of New England on Wednesday, February 23 at 7:00 pm to take on the #4 seeded Nor'easters. Western New England was 1-1-1 this season against the Nor'easters.
- Curry finishes as the #7 seed in the CCC playoffs, drawing the #2 seeded Suffolk University Rams. The Colonels were 0-3 this season against the Rams.
