WASHINGTON DC – The Division 2 Michigan State University women’s hockey game spent the weekend in an away single-game series with George Washington University, and their third game of the season against the United States Naval Academy. The ladies snagged a huge 21-0 victory against first-time opponent George Washington University, and fell to Navy the following evening in a tough 2-0 loss.
Friday night’s game against George Washington University (GWU), the Spartans started the game strong with nine unanswered goals in the first period. Freshman Katerina Poulos tallied the first goal less than five minutes into the game, assisted by fellow freshman Lindsay Reiss and junior Maura Glynn. Up next was a shot by sophomore Gabriela Rowe that found the back of the net after receiving the puck from freshman Christina Berels and sophomore Lindsey Garrett. Sophomore Sydney Taylor rallied the team by scoring the Spartan’s third goal just 20 seconds after goal two with assists from fellow freshmen Lily Kirkman and Berels. Senior Erin Panter was able to find the back of the net halfway through the first period with an unassisted goal to tally the Spartan’s fourth goal, followed by the fifth just a mere eight seconds later with Poulos’ second goal of the game, also unassisted. Junior Caelie Lane-Powers scored the sixth and eighth goals, and her first two of three goals during the first period with assists from Rowe (2) and once each form Berels and senior Lauren Larson. Freshman Marnie Waggoner tallied the seventh goal with an assist from Glynn. The period was shut out with an unassisted goal from Kirkman, her first of four goals this game, just 28 seconds from the end of the first period.
Following the whopper of a first period, the green and white tallied another seven goals during the second period. Scoring was consistent throughout the period, with sophomore Erin Bailey rocketing the puck to the back of the net to score the
first goal of the period and goal number ten. Bailey’s goal had assists from Taylor and Waggoner. Senior alternate captain Alex Paquette tallied her first point of the game a couple minutes into the period with an assist from Poulos to bring the score to eleven to zero, Spartans railroading their way toward a victory. Rowe’s second goal of the game followed just one minute later with Larson and Lane-Powers snagging points for the assist. Halfway through the second Garrett locks and loads and rockets the puck to the net for a solo goal. Kirkman holds out for another five and a half minutes before sending the puck between the posts with an assist from freshman Sydney Crawford and Larson. Waggoner went for the fifteenth goal 17:43 into the second, Crawford tallying another assist and Kirkman adding to her collection of points earned this game. Sophomore and alternate captain Cara Hodgins closed out the second period with her first goal of the game, the Spartan’s sixteenth, assisted by Poulos.
Heading into the final period of the game, GWU had yet to score, but the Spartans were not done yet. Kirkman once again scores, first just 4:07 into the period, and then tallies the second of the period 13:19 into the third. Glynn assisted the first goal, and Waggoner swiped another point with her assist on the second Kirkman goal. Bailey followed withan unassisted goal to nab her second goal of the game. Lane-Powers whips out another goal to complete her hat trick with assists from Poulos and Panter. The game is rounded out by a twenty-first and final goal for the Spartans by Rowe who also earned a hat trick, assisted by Lane-Powers and Larson.
Junior Danielle Williams spent the whole game between the posts, saving all five shots that the GWU ladies sent her way. Across the rink in the GWU net, the goalie battled 59 shots on the goal by the Spartans, saving only 38 of them.
Kirkman found herself as the top scorer during the game, gaining another six points for her record, four of those goals. Rowe followed with five points and a hat trick, as did Poulos (2G, 3A) and Lane-Powers (3G, 2A). Larson tallied four assists, and Waggoner earned just as many, with two goals and two assists. Gylnn, Berels, and Crawford all packed back three assists each. Panter, Bailey, and Garret earned two points each in the game against GWU. Finally, Taylor, Paquette, Hodgins, and Reiss also each produced one point each.
The following night the women faced the United States Naval Academy in their third match-up this season. The Spartans first faced off with the Navy in their second and third games of the season, tying the first game 1-1, and finding a 6-4 victory in the second game of the series. The Navy was back with a vengeance, seeking revenge. There was no scoring in the first period, and one goal in each of the following periods. The Spartans failed to score any points, but valiantly fought to defend the net.
While scoring was low, the number of penalties was off the charts. The penalties came in slow, with just two in the first period, one for each team. The second period heated up, with three Spartan penalties, and just one against the Navy.
Finally, the third period saw a whopping fourteen penalties, starting with a Spartan penalty, the first of eight penalties that period saw. The ladies pushed hard, and prevented goals during all eight Navy power plays, showing their strong defense. Freshman Katelyn Cygal guarded the net, only letting two of the nineteen shots on goal past.
The MSU ladies rounded out the season’s games against the Navy with a 1-1-1 record, well-earned and fought against a strong team of women.
After a busy weekend with split results, the ladies record stands at 7-7-1, with 86 goals earned, and only 39 against the Spartans.
Cheer on the green and white Saturday February 1, 2020 for some morning hockey, with the puck dropping at Suburban Ice in East Lansing, MI at 9am against Boston University. The Spartans round out the two game series home at Munn the following morning, February 2,2020 at 11:45am.
Author: Audrey Kahler, Communications Assistant
Editor: Mackenzie McMahon, Communications Manager
Photos: Katie Smith, Graphic Design Assistant