GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith hockey team was edged by Utica 2-0 in a non-conference contest at The Cooler this afternoon. With the weekend split, the Herons are now 1-1-0 on the season.
Sophomore
Julia Echavarria started in goal for the Herons. She played just over 57 minutes in goal and made 22 saves.
Kendall Best and Samantha Dobryzynski scored the goals for the Pioneers (1-1-0). Yael Fatiev played all 60 minutes in goal and made 40 saves as she earned the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- William Smith finished the game with a 40-24 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Pioneers were 1-for-3 on the power play and the Herons were 0-for-5 with the extra attacker.
FIRST PERIOD
- Neither team found the back of the net in the first period, but Utica emerged from the opening stanza with a 13-8 edge in shots on goal.
- The Herons got solid goaltending from Echavaria in the opening frame. The sophomore netminder made 13 stops, including seven on two Pioneer power-play opportunities.
- Echavaria also benefited from a Maya Jerome shot that hit the goal post.
- Fatiev also held strong in the opening frame, keeping the Herons' offence at bay.
SECOND PERIOD
- William Smith held a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal in the middle stanza, but it was Utica that took a 1-0 lead after 40 minutes.
- After a successful penalty kill, the Pioneers hit Best, who was streaking into the offensive zone, with a clean breakout pass. The forward slipped a shot past the William Smith goalie for her first goal of the season.
- The Herons had chances to tie the game late in the frame, but Fatiev stood up to the task and stopped all 13 shots in the period.
THIRD PERIOD
- The Herons held a 19-4 advantage in shots on goal in the final 20 minutes, but they could not solve the Utica goalie.
- Junior Laine Heiser twice beat Fatiev cleanly, but her shots rang off the goal post.
- The Pioneers tacked on an insurance goal at the 6:30 mark of the frame. Dobrzynski forced a turnover at the offensive blue line. While falling to the ground, she sent a shot towards the net. The puck trickled through Echavaria's legs and across the goal line.
UP NEXT
The Herons will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 5, when they continue their five-game homestand. William Smith welcomes Chatham to The Cooler for a pair of games. Thursday's game will get underway at 3 p.m.
