BOSTON, Mass. – Senior goaltender
Karlee Lehner (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) made 38 saves to lead Plymouth State University to a 2-0 shutout victory over the University of Massachusetts Boston in the Little East Conference (LEC) women's ice hockey opener at Edward T. Barry Ice Rink on Friday evening.
After a scoreless first period, Plymouth State needed just eight seconds to break through in the second. Senior
Emily Gerrie (Littleton, Colo.) skated up the left side before slipping a pass to classmate
Laura Castronova (Long Island, N.Y.), who finished at the far post to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Senior
Grace Bonnell (Madison, Wis.) doubled the margin when her wrist shot snuck through the UMass Boston goaltender with 7:35 left in the frame, giving the Panthers a two-goal cushion that proved more than enough.
Looking to get on the board, the Beacons pulled their goaltender for the final two minutes, but sophomore
Mylee Serkis (South Park, Pa.) and senior
Erika Johnson (Salt Lake City, Utah) each blocked two shots, while Lehner made the necessary saves to thwart the comeback attempt.
Plymouth State improves to 2-0-0 (1-0-0 LEC), while UMass Boston falls to 0-2-0 (0-1-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 2, UMass Boston 0
- Plymouth State (2-0-0, 1-0-0 LEC)
- UMass Boston (0-2-0, 0-1-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Action went back-and-forth during the first period, but neither goaltender would budge as the game remained scoreless into intermission.
- Plymouth State broke through just eight seconds into second period. Bonnell got the puck off the opening faceoff and sent a diagonal pass to Gerrie, who skated up the left side. Gerrie drew the defense, then slipped a pass to Castronova for a tap-in at the far post to give PSU a 1-0 lead.
- The Panthers doubled the margin midway through the frame. Sophomore Sofia Cuozzo (Guilford, Conn.) skated up the middle during a 3-on-2 break, then hit senior Juliet Rutigliano (Martinsville, N.J.) in stride on the left side. Rutigliano fired a cross-ice pass to Bonnell, who beat the Beacons' goalie to the five-hole with 7:35 left in the period.
- Plymouth State maintained the two-goal advantage into the second intermission.
- Looking to get on the scoreboard, UMass Boston increased the pressure in the third period, but the Plymouth State defense was up to the task. The Beacons went empty net for the final two minutes, but Serkis and Johnson each blocked two shots while Lehner made three more saves to preserve the shutout.
By the Numbers:
- Lehner's 38 saves were her most since making 51 in a win at Curry last December.
- Bonnell finished with a goal and an assist.
- Castronova scored her 24th career goal.
- Gerrie's assist was the 31st of her career. She is four shy of the program record.
- Cuozzo and Rutigliano registered their first points of the season.
- The Beacons held a 38-23 shot advantage.
- Plymouth State has won two of the last three meetings.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State travels to Southern Maine for another LEC matchup Saturday (Nov. 7) at 1 p.m.
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