HENNIKER, N.H. – Senior Olivia Petito (Jacksonville, Fla.) stopped all 22 shots she faced to lead Plymouth State University to a 2-0 win over New England College in a New England Hockey Conference game at Lee Clement Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Panthers outshot NEC by a 16-5 margin in the opening period and freshman Morgan Morgan (Tustin, Calif.) tallied her first collegiate goal at the 12:38 mark. That would prove to be more than enough with Petito's strong play between the pipes, but sophomore Lauren McNeil (Ottawa, Ontario) added an insurance goal late in the second period and the Panthers were able to skate to the win.
 
Plymouth State picks up its first conference victory of the season to move to 3-2-1 (1-1-0 NEHC), while NEC falls to 0-4-0 (0-4-0 NEHC).
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 2, NEC 0
  • Plymouth State (3-2-1, 1-1-0 NEHC)
  • NEC (0-4-0, 0-4-0 NEHC)

Top Performers:

• Morgan Morgan (1 goal, GWG)
• Olivia Petito (22 saves, shutout)
• Meghan Hamilton (1 asst, 5 shots, 8-of-11 faceoffs)

How it Happened:

• Plymouth State came out firing, blasting 16 shots to the Pilgrims' five in the opening frame and Morgan picked up her first career goal at the 12:38 mark when she beat the NEC goaltender from the top of the left circle.
• NEC picked up its offense, testing Petito 12 times in the second period, but the goaltender was up to the challenge.
• McNeil doubled the lead when she picked off a Pilgrims' pass and scored from the slot to make it 2-0 with 3:11 remaining in the second.
• Petito closed out the shutout with another five stops in the final stanza as the Panthers held on for the league victory.

By the Numbers:

• Petito's shutout was her second since joining the Panthers.
• Plymouth State finished with a 38-22 advantage in shots and won 32-of-58 faceoffs.
• Junior Meghan Hamilton (Walpole, Mass.) was outstanding winning 8-of-11 faceoffs while contributing an assist and five shots.
• McNeil's goal was the first of her career.
• Neither team was successful on the power play. PSU's penalty kill held the Pilgrims scoreless on three tries, while the Panthers, who only had 30 seconds of a skater-advantage, did not score either.
• Plymouth State improves to 10-1-1 in the last dozen meetings between the two teams.

 
Up Next:

• The Panthers host University of Southern Maine on Friday (Nov. 19) to kick off another weekend of conference play. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m.