Women's Ice Hockey Net Five Goals, Take Down Nichols 5-1 for Third Straight Win

Springfield, Mass. (December 3, 2022) - The Golden Bears returned to Olympia Ice Center for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night. After a barn-burner on Friday night that ended in a 6-5 overtime win for the Golden Bears over Nichols, the two teams traveled west for the second game of the home-and-home conference matchup.

Records:

• Western New England: 7-2-2 (4-2-2)

• Nichols College: 1-7-1 (0-6-0)

How it Happened:

The first period started with a Maggie Holt faceoff win. The game started similarly to Friday night's game. Both teams made pushes toward the net, getting multiple shots on net. However, WNE goalie Kayla Ireland and Nichols goalie Julia Carroll made save after save. It took almost the entire period, but right at the end, the Golden Bears broke the 0-0 tie. Alexa Paoli took the puck from a Nichols player trying to escape the zone, skated down the right side of the ice, and snapped a wrist shot past Carroll. WNE led 1-0 heading into the first intermission. WNE led on shot on goal for the first period by a count of ten to seven, with Ireland making every save on net.

The second period started with a Nichols faceoff win. However, WNE would take possession quickly and move down the ice. WNE went on the power-play a minute into the second period, and the power-play saw Maddie Pope immediately hit the pipe. No goals were scored during the power-play, but after four minutes of play, WNE would double their lead. Maddie Pope got the puck around mid-ice and sent a pass to Maggie Holt, who skated through two defenders in the middle of the ice and made a move to slot the puck past Carroll for the second goal of the night. The Golden Bears held that lead of two goals until Nichols broke free and got a goal with just over eight minutes left in the second period. Sarah Zeidan sent a long pass from the Bison side of the ice up to Kaci Johnson, who flew down the right side of the ice and sent a wrist shot to the right of Ireland and into the back of the net. The deficit for Nichols was now one goal. That did not last long, as just 27 seconds later, Maddie Pope got her fourth goal in two games. After taking the puck away from the defense, Pope sent a pass to Emma Birmingham, who waited and then sent the puck back to Pope, who cut toward the net. Pope sent a quick shot right past Carroll. The Golden Bears were now leading 3-1. Before the announcer could announce the goal, WNE had their fourth of the game. Alyssa Murphy sent a quick pass to Birmingham in the WNE zone. Birmingham skated up the right side of the ice, toe-dragged the puck around a defender, and scored on the bottom right side of Carroll. That made the score 4-1. The Golden Bears did not stop there, though. Alyssa Murphy had the puck around center ice and sent a back-handed, high-arching shot toward Carroll, and the puck squeaked through into the back of the net. Within 1:40 of pay, the Golden Bears scored three goals to make the game 5-1 heading into the third period. Nichols had ten shots, and WNE had nine, but WNE scored on four of the shots.

The third period did not have any goals scored. However, there was a power play for the Golden Bears. They got one shot off, but it was saved. After that, both teams got shots off, but for the most part, the puck moved from team to team, with great defense being played by both sides. The game ended with a score of 5-1. WNE had 30 shots on the net and held Nichols to 22. Ireland was able to make 21 saves during the game.

Inside the Crease:

• The Golden Bears and Bison finished their home-and-home series on Saturday night at the Olympia Ice Center.

• Alexa Paoli started the scoring with 34 seconds left in the first period.

• Maggie Holt doubled the WNE lead at the beginning of the second period. Maddie Pope got the assist.

• Kaci Johnson made the score 2-1 when scoring off the assist by Sarah Zeidan.

• Maddie Pope scored 27 seconds later off an Emma Birmingham assist to make the score 3-1.

• Emma Birmingham got a goal 40 seconds after Pope's goal. Kelly Yorkey got the assist.

• A minute later, Alyssa Murphy floated the fifth goal into the back of the net. The Golden Bears led 5-1.

• The Golden Bears won 5-1, with Kayla Ireland making 21 saves.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will be back in action on Friday, December 9, at 6:00 pm. The Golden Bears head out to Suffolk University to clash with the Rams, who are in first place in the CCC.

• Nichols College plays Curry College at 5:40 pm at home on Friday, December 9, at 5:40 pm.