The William Smith College hockey team concludes its four-game homestand when it welcomes New England College and eighth-ranked Norwich University to The Cooler for a pair of New England Hockey Conference showdowns this weekend, Jan. 12-13. The Herons will take on the Pilgrims Friday, at 7 p.m. Saturday's game against the Cadets and is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
The Herons enter the weekend with an overall record of 11-3-1, including a 6-1-1 record in NEHC play. William Smith is third in conference standings with 19 points. Last week, the Herons defeated Plymouth State University 1-0. Mackenzie O'Neil scored the lone goal for the Herons and goaltender Erin Murray stopped all 27 shots she faced. On Saturday William Smith and Vermont State University Castleton tied 0-0. Murray stopped all 28 shots, earning her second shutout of the weekend. She was named the conference's goaltender of the week.
 
The Pilgrims are 5-10-0 overall with a 1-8-0 mark in conference play. NEC is ninth in the NEHC. This past weekend, NEC defeated Salem State University 7-2. Meadow Gilchrist (2g, 1a) and Alexis Hornsby (1g, 2a) led the Pilgrims with three points each. The following day NEC lost to the University of Southern Maine 5-1. Gilchrist scored the lone goal. 
 
The Cadets have a record of 10-3-1 overall with an 8-1-0 record in NEHC play. Norwich is first in the conference with 24 points. The Cadets' only conference loss was to the Herons. Norwich will be at 11th-ranked Elmira on Friday.
 
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ABOUT THE HERONS

• Junior forward Kayla Ketchabaw and senior Mackenzie O'Neil lead the team with 14 points each. Ketchabaw has a team-leading nine goals.
• Junior defender Annabel Ziskin leads the Herons with 10 assists. She is third on the team with 13 points
• Murray and senior Annie Hauser have split minutes in goal. Murray is 5-1-1 with a 0.89 GAA and a .965 save percentage. Hauser is 4-2-0 with a .956 save percentage and a 1.18 GAA.

 
NATIONAL NUMBERS

• Offensively, William Smith is ranked fifth in the nation in goals (57) and seventh in scoring offense (3.80).
• The Herons are sixth in the nation in scoring defense (1.00) and scoring margin (2.80).
• Murray is ranked third in the nation in save percentage and fourth in GAA. Hauser is 10th in save percentage and 17th in GAA.
• Junior center Lauren Legler is ninth in the nation in faceoff wins (159).

 
ABOUT THE PILGRIMS

• NEC is led by Alexis Hornsby with 15 points. She has eight goals and seven assists.
• Meadow Gilchrist is tied for the team lead with seven assists and is second on the team with 14 points. Gabrielle Iwinski also has seven assists.
• Goaltender Amy Donnelly has played a majority of the minutes recently. She is 4-3-0 with a 2.59 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Friday's game will be the sixth meeting between the Herons and the Pilgrims.
• William Smith has won all five previous meetings, including two in Geneva.
• On Nov. 4, 2023, William Smith beat NEC  6-1. Annabel Ziskin had a goal and two assists, and Erin Murray made 16 saves in the win.

 
ABOUT THE CADETS

• Norwich is led by Livia Brooks with 11 goals, 10 assists and 21 points.
• Madison Anderson is second on the team with eight goals and 15 points.
• Leocadia Clark has played the majority of the minutes in goal. She has a save percentage of .945 and a GAA of 1.17.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday's game will be the sixth meeting between the Herons and the Cadets.
• Norwich leads the overall series 3-2-0. The series is tied 1-1-0 in Geneva.
• On Nov. 3, 2023, the Herons defeated the Cadets 3-2, in Northfield, Vermont. Ketchabaw had two goals and O'Neil had two assists in the win. Hauser stopped 38 shots in goal, including 20 in the third period.