The William Smith ice hockey team defeated Vermont State University Castleton 4-0 in a New England Hockey Conference quarterfinal at The Cooler this afternoon. With the win, the Herons advance to the semifinal round for the third straight year.
Sophomore Kelly Howe led the way for William Smith, recording a goal and an assist in the win. Senior Annie Hauserplayed all 60 minutes in goal and made 38 saves as she earned the shutout. It was William Smith’s ninth shutout of the season, a new single-season record.
Kristen DiCicco played just over 58 minutes in goal for Castleton (11-13-2). She made 33 saves.
KEY STATS
- William Smith finished the contest with a 39-38 edge in shots on goal. The Herons raced out of the gates, holding a 22-8 edge after 50 minutes.
- William Smith was 1-for-3 on the power play and had a shorthanded goal. The Spartans were 0-for-5 with the extra skater.
SCORING SUMMARY
- The Herons opened the scoring at the 18:00 mark of the first period. Senior Brittany Foster banged home a rebound for her first goal of the season. Kayla Ketchabaw and Annabel Ziskin were awarded assists on the power-play goal.
- Howe gave William Smith a 2-0 lead under two minutes into the second period. She intercepted a breakout pass skated into the slot and wristed a shot under the crossbar. Her 11th goal of the season was an unassisted tally.
- Sydney Foster put the game out of reach with her second goal of the year. She wristed a shot from the left faceoff circle past DiCicco for her second goal of the year. Howe and first-year Tara Valas had assists on the goal.
- Lauren Jackson rounded out the scoring with an empty net shorthanded goal. It was her first goal of the year.
RECORD WATCH
- William Smith’s 17 wins this season are second on the single-season list. The Herons won 18 games in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.
UP NEXT
Next week’s opponent was not determined at time of publication stay tuned for more details.
Read the full article here
