MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State Women's Ice Hockey team opened their 2017-2018 campaign on Friday night, and walked away with a 2-0 victory over the visiting Buffalo State Bengals.
The Mustangs dominated offensively throughout the contest, outshooting the Bengals 47 to 19.
Despite the lopsided shot total, it took Morrisville half of the first period before they found the back of the net. Alexziz Giannamore (Pittsburgh, Pa.) gave the Mustangs the 1-0 lead at 10:01. Shanley Austin (Rochester, N.Y.) created the opportunity by ripping a shot from the right side, just inside the blue line. Austin's shot was denied by the Bengals' goaltender, but a heads up slip pass off of the deflection by Jessica Ujcik (Munich, Germany) found the stick of Austin at the front of the crease for the opening.
The Mustangs took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Morrisville continued to pound the Buffalo State defense with shots, but the Bengals' net-minder, Justine Silva denied every shot that came her way for the rest of the game, recording 45 saves.
It wasn't until the Bengals pulled Silva late in the third period that the Mustangs were able to score again. Morrisville capitalized on the empty net opportunity with 38 seconds remaining in the game. Chyne Kennedy (Southwold, Ont.) broke up a pass and alertly found Sierra Voeller (Penticton, B.C.). Voeller then passed ahead to Kylie Cameron (Burlington, Ont.), flicking the puck into the open net for the 2-0 lead.
Defensively for the Mustangs, Karoline Arvik (Trondheim, Norway) picked up her first collegiate victory and her first collegiate shut out between the pipes, recording 19 saves, ten of which came in the third period.
Morrisville will return to the ice tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM as they host the Bengals in the second game of the series.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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