HENNIKER, N.H. - The New England College women's ice hockey team fell at home in a non-conference matchup to the Worcester State Lancers 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
The Lancers generated pressure early on a power play just over a minute into the contest, but Pilgrims' goaltender sophomore Kayden Lallier Whissell (Stevensville, Ont.) stood strong, turning away multiple shots to keep the game scoreless. The opening period features steady back-and-forth action, with both sides trading penalties and quality scoring chances. Worcester State goaltender Maverick Margraf stopped several shots by the 'Grims as the teams entered into intermission locked in a 0-0 tie.
The teams continued to battle into the second period as junior Samantha Babbitt (Weathersfield, Vt.) connected with junior Alexis Hornsby (Atkinson, N.H.) who buried the first goal of the game to put the Pilgrims ahead 1-0. The Lancers responded a minute later with a goal from Princess Delano to even the score at 1-1 with 13 minutes remaining in the period. Senior Kate Devlin (Walpole, Mass.) and sophomore Jamie Blondin (Oakville, Ont.) fired several strong chances late in the period, but the Lancers defense held firm as the period came to a close with the score tied at 1-1.
The teams battled throughout a tightly contested third period, trading shots and defensive stands as both goaltenders remained tough in net. The Lancers called a late timeout to set up one final push and with under a minute left in regulation, Cailey Ryan broke through for the Lancers to lift the visitors to a 2-1 victory.
NEC had the advantage on faceoffs, winning 34 to WSU's 22. The Pilgrims put 38 shots on target to the Lancer's 25. The Lancers blocked 20 shots compared to the Pilgrims 11.
The Pilgrims return to action on Friday in their Little East Conference (LEC) opener as they host the University of Southern Maine Huskies with a 4:00 PM start.
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