HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College women's ice hockey team won 7-3 over visiting Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts on Friday evening at Lee Clement Arena in Henniker, New Hampshire.

THE BASICS
Score:                    MCLA 3, New England College 7
Records:               Pilgrims 2-9-0, 0-7-0 NEHC | Trailblazers 2-8, 0-4 ECHA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The 'Grims got on the board first midway through the first period as NEC graduate forward Cassie Kelly (Alexandria, Minn.) capitalized on a power play to score her first goal of the season at 8:31 into the game with an assist to sophomore forward Meadow Gilchrist (Stamford, Conn.) as the hosts went ahead 1-0.
• NEC would make it 2-0 just 1:44 later when freshman forward Alexis Hornsby (Atkinson, N.H.), the reigning New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Rookie of the Week, scored her third goal of the season off an assist from sophomore defender Gabrielle Iwinski (Batavia, Ill.).
• Then with 5:31 to go in the opening period, NEC sophomore forward Isabella Marzano (Warwick, R.I.) would break through on the right side and finished for her first goal of the season to give the Pilgrims a 3-0 lead, that score assisted by graduate forward Mikayla Vincent (Newburyport, Mass.) and freshman defender Leila Stacy (Wilton, Conn.).
• The first period scoring would finally come to a close when NEC freshman forward Sofia Gualtieri (Montreal, Quebec) would score her third goal of the season with 4:53 to go with an assist to Iwinski.
• The second period began hotly contested, as the scrappy Trailblazers, representing a program in their first season of existence, attempted to climb their way back into the game. The Pilgrims finally seemed to shut the door on those prospects with 11:19 left in the frame when Iwinksi, already with two assists on the night, took the puck and went coast-to-coast for her third goal of the season to give NEC a 5-0 lead.
• With 8:40 to go in the second, NEC took a commanding six-goal lead when Hornsby scored her second goal of the night, assisted by Gilchrist and sophomore forward Olivia Lindberg (Stockholm, Sweden). It was the team-leading fourth goal of the year for the star rookie.
• The Trailblazers finally got on the board with 7:50 left in the second when MCLA freshman forward Katie Pica (Woburn, Mass.) scored her second goal of the season to make the score 6-1, assisted by junior forward Alex Bednar (Vita, MB) and freshman defender Summer Bissaillion (Algoma Mills, Ont.).
• MCLA pulled to within four with 1:52 left, MCLA freshman forward Belle Wurmser (Point Pleasant Boro, N.J.) scored her second career goal, assisted by rookie forwards Abby Davis (Clayton, N.C.) and Abby Pomajba (Chatham, Ont.). Going into the final period, the Trailblazers had a chance and prayer, trailing just 6-2.
• With 10:25 to go in the game, MCLA's Bissaillion made it 6-3 when she beat the goalie for her second career goal, assisted by Pomajba.
• Suddenly reeling after having given up three straight goals, NEC picked a much-needed score when Vincent scored her first goal of the season off a power play with exactly six minutes remaining, assisted by Hornsby and Gilchrist. With much-needed breathing room, the 'Grims held on for the rest of the way, picking up their second win of the season.

• NEC sophomore goaltender Amy Donnelly (Taunton, Mass.) tallied 24 saves between the pipes for the Pilgrims over two periods, picking up her second career win. The highlight of the game for Donnelly came early in the second period when she held off the Trailblazers despite a five-on-three power play opportunity for the visitors.
• MCLA junior goalie Juliette Barney (Braintree, Mass.), last week's Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA) Goaltender of the Week, finished with 16 stops for the Trailblazers in just over 31 minutes while freshman goaltender Katie O'Brien (Ridley Park, Penn.) had 19 saves in relief.
• Shots-on-goal were 42-33 in favor of the Pilgrims.

• NEC and MCLA will have a quick turnaround as they'll play each other again on Saturday at Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Stadium in North Adams, Massachusetts with the puck drop coming at 7:00 p.m.

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