GORHAM, Maine – Sixth-seeded Plymouth State University outshot third-seeded University of Southern Maine, 10-3, in the third period, the Huskies relied on their special teams play to knock off the Panthers, 3-0, in the first round of the 2026 Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Ice Hockey Tournament, presented by Townshend Hockey, at USM Ice Arena on Wednesday afternoon.
After a scoreless first period, the Huskies used a pair of power-play goals in the middle stanza to build a 2-0 lead. Plymouth State controlled play throughout the third period, outshooting Southern Maine by a 25-7 margin overall, including a 10-3 edge in shots on goal, but the Huskies added a shorthanded goal just seconds after an expired penalty gave PSU the skater advantage late in the period to account for the final score.
Plymouth States ends the season at 12-14-0, while Southern Maine improves to 11-14-1 and advances to face second-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston in a semifinal game on Saturday (Feb. 28).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, Southern Maine 3
- Plymouth State (12-14-0)
- Southern Maine (11-14-1)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State outshot the Huskies, 15-9, in the first period, though shots on goal were even at 7-7. Both goaltenders were perfect as the game remained scoreless into the first intermission.
- Southern Maine opened the scoring at 6:03 of the second period with a wraparound goal in the final seconds of a power play.
- PSU generated sustained zone time midway through the period, with junior Grace Bonnell (Madison, Wis.) firing a shot from the right dot, but the USM goaltender got a piece of it with her glove to deny the chance.
- Southern Maine doubled the lead with another power-play tally with 3:31 remaining in the period when a point shot point deflected off a skater in front to make it 2-0 heading into the third.
- Plymouth State controlled the third period, holding significant advantages in shots and shots on goal, but the Huskies' goaltender held firm.
- Southern Maine added a shorthanded insurance goal with five minutes left in regulation. Just seconds after an expired penalty put the Panthers on the power play, USM skated in on a 2-on-1 break. Freshman Jorja Moore (Penticton, British Columbia) made the initial stop, but Southern Maine converted on the rebound to seal the 3-0 final.
By the Numbers:
- Senior Katie Porrello (Milford, Conn.) won 17-of-25 faceoffs. She leaves PSU as the program's all-time leader in assists (35), tied for second in career goals (20), and second in career points (55) – just one shy of the all-time record.
- Junior Emily Gerrie (Littleton, Colo.) ends the season with 30 career assists, trailing only Porrello among the program's all-time leaders.
- Freshmen Mylee Serkis (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Lisi Palmer (Brunswick, Maine) led the Panthers with three shots on goal apiece.
- Moore finished with 15 saves.
- Plymouth State held a 55-34 advantage in total shots and a 22-18 edge in shots on goal.
- USM went 2-for-4 on the power play and added a shorthanded goal, while PSU finished 0-for-with the skater advantage.
- The Huskies blocked 18 shots.
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