GENEVA, N.Y.—For the second straight day, the William Smith hockey team needed overtime to defeat Vermont State University Castleton. This afternoon, first-year
Bella Hacker scored with 1:54 remaining in the extra session as the Herons slipped past the Spartans 1-0 in a New England Hockey Conference contest at The Cooler.
Senior
Erin Murray played 63:04 in goal. She finished the game with 29 saves as she notched her sixth shutout of the season and 11th of her career. Those numbers match William Smith's records for shutouts in a season and a career.
With the win, the Herons improved to 9-9-1 overall this year with a 9-3-0 record in conference play. With the weekend sweep William Smith clinched a spot in the NEHC tournament. The Herons are currently tied for second in the standings with Salve Regina.
Victoria Bakopanos started in goal for the Spartans (6-11-1, 2-5-1). She made 45 saves.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- William Smith finished the game with a 46-29 advantage in shots on goal.
- Neither team had a power-play goal. The Herons were 0-for-3 with the extra skater and Castleton was 0-for-4 with the extra skater.
THE WINNER
- Hacker collected a drop pass from senior Kayla Ketchabaw skated through the left faceoff circle and slot and wristed a shot from the right faceoff circle inside the goalpost. Ketchabaw and sophomore Tara Valas had assists on the goal. It was Hacker's fourth game-winning goal of the season.
MATCH MOMENTS
- William Smith dominated the opening 20 minutes, finishing the frame with a 14-8 advantage in shots on goal.
- While the Herons could not find the back of the net in the first period, senior Ketchabaw did ring a shot off of the goalpost.
- In the third period, junior Kelly Howe wristed a shot from the slot that hit the right goal post.
- Senior Brianna Felice nearly won the game with less than eight minutes remaining. She wristed a shot from the left faceoff circle that was stopped by Bakopanos. Felice picked up the rebound and flipped the shot into the back of the net. The goal was waved off because the official had blown the play dead after the initial shot.
- In the extra session Castleton's Nora Pollestad had a shot from the point turned aside by Murray. One minute later, Codi Bacon had a wrist shot smothered by Murray.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action next weekend, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, when it makes the trip down Route 14 to take on Elmira. The Soaring Eagles are currently fourth in the standings, one point behind the Herons.
