Lancers Hold Off Rivier for Shutout Victory to Remain Undefeated

Worcester, MA - coming off a dominant win over Anna Maria last night, the Lancers Women's Ice Hockey team (3-2, 2-0) aimed to make it a clean sweep in conference play thus far with a Saturday night matchup over Rivier.

Final

Worcester State: 1

Rivier: 0

How it Happened:

Coming off a dominant 6–1 victory against the Amcats on Friday night, the Lancers opened this matchup with the same intensity on both ends of the ice. They did not find the back of the net in the first period, but they generated strong scoring chances and stayed in rhythm offensively. Both teams came out in full attack mode, with Worcester State firing off 14 shots in the opening frame and Rivier answering with 13 of their own. Defensively, the Lancers stayed aggressive and set the tone early, looking to carry that momentum into the second period.

The second period was a continuation of the first as each team continued to battle and Worcester was working on their power play defense over the first two periods, killing off four and again leaving a player in the box into third. The defense was noteworthy over the two periods for each team as Senior Kelsey Czerniawski (Chicopee, MA) knocked away 22 saves while Rivier's keeper recorded 28 in this back and forth cross ice battle. 

Going into the final period, both teams were eager to get the puck into the back of the net. Additionally, both defenses were looking to continue their success in protecting the net like they did the first two periods. Czerniawski continued to showcase her goalkeeping abilities, making some crucial saves down the stretch with contortion abounding for the stops. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the final period, Lancers sophomore forward Avery Ireland (Longmeadow, MA) found the back of the net from a senior Cailey Ryan (Acton, MA) slipper, to put the Lancers up 1 to nothing, highlighting a strong offensive play and skill on the offensive power play for Worcester. The Lancers were able to hold on and come out victorious against the Raiders. Lancers improve to 4-2 on the season.

Czerniawski would end the game with 34 saves in the shutout victory. 

Next Up:

The Blue and Gold (4-2-0, 3-0-0) are in action on Wednesday night when they make a return trip to Framingham State for a 7:40pm start.