Murray stops 28, Herons tie Spartans 0-0

William Smith College junior Erin Murray stopped all 28 shots she faced as the Herons and Vermont State University Castleton battled to a 0-0 draw in a New England Hockey Conference Contest at The Cooler this afternoon.  With their second consecutive shutout, the Herons are now 11-3-1 overall on the year and 6-1-1 in NEHC play.

Murray finished the weekend with two shutouts. She is now 5-1-1 on the season with a 0.89 GAA and a .965 save percentage.

Victoria Bankopanos played all 65 minutes in goal for the Spartans (5-8-2, 3-3-2). She stopped all 35 shots she faced, including 35 in the overtime period. It was her first shutout of the season.

STREAKING

• With the tie, William Smith extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games. It matches the longest unbeaten streak in program history. The Herons won 10 straight games in 2019-20 and opened the 2018-19 season with 10 straight wins.
• This is the second time this season William Smith has posted back-to-back shutouts.

KEY STATS

• William Smith finished the game with a 35-28 advantage in shots on goal.
• William Smith was 0-for-3 on the power play and Castleton was 0-for4 with the extra attacker.

GAME SUMMARY

• The Spartans finished the opening frame with an 11-10 edge in shots on goal.
• Castleton had the first chance of the game on a flurry in front of the goal, but Murray stopped shots from Taylor Adams and Ellie Schliebenner.
• The Herons’ best chance in the opening frame came off the stick of Colleen Quirk, but her shot was stopped by Bakopanos.
• Over the next 40 minutes, William Smith outshot Castleton 20-13. Despite their chances, the Herons could not slip a shot past the Spartan goalie.
• In the extra session, William Smith had a 5-4 edge in shots on goal, but Castleton had the better chances. Fifty seconds into the frame, Murray made a pad save on Julia Carpenter.
• Emily Harris hit a post at the 3:24 mark of the period.
• With just under 90 seconds remaining, William Smith drew a power-play opportunity. The Herons had three golden chances…