Worcester, MA- After capturing their first conference win earlier this week, the Worcester State University Women's Hockey team faces a tough task this weekend. Tonight, Worcester was the scene for the first half of a home-and-away series against a very solid Western New England University Golden Bears squad.
A less than traditional first period came and went without any score. Less traditional because it's very rare to see the team who controlled most of the game with fewer shots, but that is exactly what happened. The Lancers were on the attack the majority of the period, establishing quality zone time but only getting four shots on net. Western New England's threats to crack the scoreboard were few and far between. That was until a late-period WSU penalty put the Golden Bears on the powerplay, where they berated senior Lancer goalie Amber Lee (Fairlawn, NJ) for the final two-and-a-half minutes before the intermission. Lee held strong though, ever the dependable last line of defense for Worcester State. Thanks to the late rush, Western New England finished the period with 11 shots on goal.
The second period began and ended with the score 0-0, as once again a high volume of Western New England shots yielded no scoring for the Golden Bears, and significantly less shots for Worcester State brought about zero Lancer goals. Nonetheless, both teams had legitimate scoring opportunities, but both goalies held their ground throughout the second frame. The Lancer penalty kill held strong once again as they were tested twice during the second period.
After a scoreless first couple of periods, senior captain Clare Conway (Billerica, Mass.), returned to the team after her stint at the World University Games, finally opened up the scoring for the Lancers with a shot from the slot just five minutes into the period. The Golden Bears would net an equalizer with a little under seven minutes remaining in regulation, but Worcester State would regain the lead less than a minute later when senior Kylian Kelly (Shrewsbury, Mass.) bounced a shot past the WNE goalie. A strong Lancer attack prevented the Golden Nights from pulling their goalie in the final moments to seal the 2-1 victory. Amber Lee finished the night with a fantastic 38 total saves.
A quick turnaround will see the Lancers return to the ice tomorrow night, this time as the visitors against Western New England at 7 p.m. Now 10-6 in the season and 1-0 in the ECHA, they'll take on the Golden Bears, who now sit at 11-4-2.