HENNIKER, N.H. – New England College freshman forward Alexis Hornsby (Atkinson, N.H.) scored the game-winning goal while assisting on three others as the NEC women's ice hockey team closed out their 2023 calendar year with a 4-3 win over visiting Worcester State University on Saturday afternoon at Lee Clement Arena in Henniker, New Hampshire.

THE BASICS
Score:                    Worcester State 3, New England College 4
Records:               Pilgrims 4-9-0, 0-7-0 NEHC | Lancers 5-7-1, 4-1-1 ECHA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lancers jumped on the Pilgrims in the opening period, scoring three goals within the first ten minutes, as senior forwards Cassidhe Wozniak (Turners Falls, Mass.), Sydney Vautour (Hamilton, Mass.) and Amy MacGlashing (Marlborough, Mass.) each found the back of the net. With 4:40 left in the first, NEC sophomore forward Meadow Gilchrist (Stamford, Conn.) gave the 'Grims some daylight as she scored her fourth goal of the season, assisted by sophomore forward Olivia Lindberg (Stockholm, Sweden) and Hornsby. The hosts found themselves trailing 3-1 after one.
• Still down two, the 'Grims came rallying back late in the second period as NEC graduate forward Cassie Kelly (Alexandria, Minn.) took control of the game, scoring her second goal of the season with 4:20 to go and then her third 1:16 later to tie it up at 3-3 all. Kelly's first goal was on a power play assisted by Hornsby and sophomore defender Gabrielle Iwinski (Batavia, Ill.), while her second included assists to Gilchrist and Hornsby. Just like that, it was effectively a new game entering the final period.
• With 8:16 left in the game and the chance to go into their holiday break with a victory, the 'Grims turned to their standout rookie in Hornsby as the first-year forward from Atkinson scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season with assists to Gilchrist and freshman forward Sofia Gualtieri (Montreal, Quebec) as NEC took its first lead of the game. Worcester State busted out all the stops in the closing minutes, pulling their goalie with 1:10 remaining. But the Pilgrims held on for their first-ever win over the Lancers.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• NEC sophomore goaltender Amy Donnelly (Taunton, Mass.) finished with 20 saves on the day for her third career victory.
• Worcester State first-year goaltender Lana Pacific (Marlborough, Mass.) completed her night with 23 saves in the loss.
• Hornsby took part in all four Pilgrims goals, assisting on the first three before scoring the game-winner. With seven goals and five assists on the season, Hornsby leads NEC in points with twelve.

UP NEXT

• NEC is on break, but they'll be back on the ice on Friday, January 5^th when they travel to Salem State University for a 6:00 p.m. New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) battle.
• Worcester State plays their next game at Western New England University on Saturday, January 6^th for a 7:00 p.m. matchup.

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.