BOSTON, Mass. – The UMass Boston women's ice hockey team skated past Nichols, 6-1, in its season opener Friday evening. Nichols first-year forward Mandy Manopla (Wellington, Fla.) scored the lone goal for the Bison in the third period.

Manopla prevented the shutout for the Bison with the program's first-ever goal on a feed from sophomore forward SueEllen Nault (Goffstown, N.H.) with just seven ticks left on the game clock.

Nichols (0-2-0, 0-2-0 ECAC) started off the game short-handed due to a protocol violation during warm-ups, and the Beacons (1-0-0, 1-0-0 ECAC) used the momentum to put up five first-period goals, including three within the first five minutes. Lauren Duran got the scoring going early and recorded a pair of goals and an assist in the scoring blitz.

The Beacons' Hannah Davis added a power-play tally with 2:28 remaining in the frame before the Bison regrouped for the second period, matching the Beacons with six shots in the stanza while holding UMass Boston scoreless.

Davis notched her second power-play tally of the night 3:12 into the third for a 5-0 lead before Smith added a second goal to her night when she came away with the puck on the Nichols' power play and fired a shot into the lower left corner with just over three minutes left in the game.

First-year netminder Christine Mazza (Dedham, Mass.) shouldered the loss with 33 saves, while Aly Garnett made 13 saves to pick up the win.

Nichols kicks off a four-game homestand at Levy Rink Saturday at 8:30 p.m. against #9 Manhattanville. 

Box Score