HENNIKER, N.H. - NEC sophomore Jamie Blondin (Oakville, Ont.) scored the game-winning goal with just 28 seconds left in the game to give the Pilgrims a 3-2 win over VTSU-Castleton on Saturday afternoon. 

The team honored five seniors prior to the game as part of senior day, recognizing seniors Gina Sciortino (Billerica, Mass.), Kate Devlin (Walpole, Mass.), Meadow Gilchrist (Stamford, Conn.), Isabella Marzano (Warwick, R.I.), Jordan Pond (Gardner, Mass.). 

The five seniors got the start for one line shift together and the shift could not have been scripted any better; just 14 seconds into the game, Marzano, off a pass from Sciortino, scored the game's first goal to give the 'Grims an early lead on senior day 

Sophomore Angelina De Divitiis (St. Catherines, Ont.) tacked on a second goal for the Pilgrims around the seven-minute mark of the first period to grow the NEC lead to two. Sciortino was credited with the primary assist, part of a two-assist senior day performance, while Blondin was also in on the assist.  

Towards the end of the first period, a five-minute major penalty granted the Spartans an extended power-play opportunity. With just seven seconds left on the penalty, VTSU-Castleton came through on a goal by Morgan Arscott.  

Late in the third period, Castleton's Moa Carlsson, who led the Spartans in last night's 6-1 victory, scored a short-handed, game-tying goal to knot the game at 2-2 with under three minutes left to play. 

Looking bound for overtime, Blondin picked up the puck off a Castleton shot with around 40 seconds left in regulation. The sophomore took the puck the length of the ice, fired a shot on goal, picked up her own rebound and deposited it into the back of the Spartan net for the eventual game winner. 

Blondin's game-winner is her second of the season after she netted an overtime winner against MCLA in the team's season opener. She scored the team's lone goal in Friday night's loss to the Spartans, and this time gives the Pilgrims a senior day victory. 

Sophomore Anna McGinty (Duxbury, Mass.) had 40 saves on the night in a big bounce back win for the Pilgrims. Both the Spartans and Pilgrims move to 4-6-0 in Little East Conference (LEC) play – good for third and fourth in the conference standings, respectively. 

NEC will hit the road next Friday, January 23rd, for the first of two games against Keene State at 7:45 PM in a continuation of LEC play. 

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