PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Karlee Lehner (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) tied the program record with her fourth shutout of the season and Plymouth State University moved into the top spot in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) standings as the Panthers held off Rivier University, 1-0, in a MASCAC women's ice hockey game at Hanaway Rink on Friday evening.
With the win, Plymouth State has matched its program record for victories in a season improving to 10-5-1 on the year. The lone unbeaten team in MASCAC play, PSU moves to 6-0-1 in the conference and stands two points ahead of Worcester State for first place in the league.
After a scoreless first period, senior
Emily DeSimone (Norwood, Mass.) provided PSU all the scoring it would need when she rifled a perfectly placed shot just inside the top left corner roughly five minutes into the second. The lone goal would prove to be plenty of offense for Lehner, who was solid between the pipes once again.
Rivier slides to 7-8-0 and 4-2-0 in conference action. The two teams will meet again tomorrow (Jan. 25) afternoon in Nashua.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, Rivier 0
- Plymouth State (10-5-1, 6-0-1 MASCAC)
- Rivier (7-8-0, 4-2-0 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- After up-and-down action over the first few minutes, Plymouth State built up steady zone time near the midpoint of the opening period. Senior Brenna Smith (Medfield, Mass.) had the game's first chance when she teed up a blast that was deflected by a Rivier skater out of play.
- Junior Katie Porrello (Milford, Conn.) snagged a loose puck at center ice and toe-dragged around a defender with 9:07 left in the first, but her close-range shot was kicked aside.
- Rivier's best opportunity of the period came with 5:30 left when a misplay led to a breakaway, but Lehner blocked the shot aside.
- Plymouth State broke through at the 5:08 mark of the second. Sophomore Laura Castronova (Hauppauge, N.Y.) won the puck along the left half wall and flipped a pass to DeSimone, who skated to the middle and sniped a shot to the top left corner for the 1-0 lead.
- The Panthers held the puck in the zone during a power play late in the stanza, but the Rivier goaltender made several saves to keep it a one-goal game heading into the second intermission.
- DeSimone nearly doubled the lead with five minutes left to play but the Raiders' goalie made another great save on her wraparound bid.
- Rivier went to the extra skater for the final 1:16, but Lehner came up with two huge stops and graduate student Lauren McNeil (Ottawa, Ontario) blocked a shot as the Panthers held on for the win.
By the Numbers:
- DeSimone's goal was her fifth of the year. She also won 7-of-11 faceoffs.
- Lehner matched the program record for shutouts in a season with her fourth.
- With her assist, Castronova moved into double digits with ten points on the year.
- Plymouth State held a narrow 26-23 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Raiders' defense blocked 17 shots in the contest.
- The Panthers finished 0-for-2 on the power play, while Rivier was 0-for-1.
- PSU won the only other matchup between the two programs, a 5-1 home win during the 2021-22 season.
Up Next:
- The teams complete the home-and-home series tomorrow (Jan. 25) with a 4:20 p.m. clash at Conway Arena in Nashua, N.H.
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