NASHUA, N.H. - After a dominant 4-1 victory over Salem State last Friday night, the Rivier women's hockey team punched its ticket to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) championship game for the second straight season.
The No. 2 Raiders will travel to face No. 1 Worcester St. on Friday, March 6, at the Worcester Ice Center. Puck drop is set for 7:20 p.m. This matchup is a rematch of last season's semifinal, where the Raiders came out on top.
Rivier sophomore Lillian Wojcicki opened the scoring at the 16:21 mark of the first period. First-year Marina Bassett extended the Raiders' lead with a power-play goal 6:18 into the second period.
Just 3:04 later, first-year Lexi Davies applied relentless pressure and netted a shorthanded goal to give the Raiders a three-goal advantage. The Vikings cut the deficit to two with 2:40 remaining in the second frame, but just 27 seconds later, junior Rebecca McKelvey fired home the final goal of the game to restore the three-goal lead. Junior Taylor Bruno was a brick wall in net, allowing just one goal while making 31 saves on 32 shots in the victory.
Worcester St. finished the regular season 16-9 overall and 9-2 in MASCAC play to earn the No. 1 seed. The Lancers opened postseason play with a 4-0 shutout over Framingham St. on home ice.
Junior Fiona Hatton scored in the first period, and sophomore Avery Ireland doubled the Lancers' lead with the lone goal of the second frame. The third period featured goals from sophomore Leyla Tiernen and first-year Lindsay Wagner to complete the scoring. In net, senior Kelsey Czerniawski recorded her seventh shutout of the season, turning away all 47 shots faced.
During the regular season, these squads met three times, with the Lancers coming out on top in each contest. The first matchup took place on Nov. 15 at the Worcester Ice Center, where the Lancers earned a 1-0 victory.
Worcester St. then traveled to Nashua on Feb. 7 and secured a 3-1 win. In the most recent meeting, the Raiders' regular-season finale on Feb. 21; the Lancers completed a 3-2 come-from-behind victory at Worcester.
Players to watch include senior Cailey Ryan, who leads the team with 15 points (7g, 8a); sophomore Emily Johns, who has tallied 13 points (11g, 2a); and senior Lea Gaspar, who has added 12 points (4g, 8a). Between the pipes, Czerniawski has been outstanding, recording a .958 save percentage while turning aside 546 shots and posting a 1.29 goals-against average.
Friday's winner will lift the MASCAC trophy for the first time in program history!
