Box Score

STAMFORD, Conn. - Sophomore Grace Murphy (Montclair, Va.) scored her second goal of the night with 12 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Nichols College women's ice hockey team to their first-ever win over No. 10 Manhattanville College, 4-3, in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Women's East action Friday night at Terry Connors Rink.

Senior Francesca Palazzo (Bernardston, Mass.) recorded 50 saves for the Bison (2-5-0, 2-2-0 ECACE), who entered the contest having lost all 10 of their previous meetings with the Valiants (4-4-1, 3-2-0 ECACE). Nichols had never scored more than one goal in any contest against Manhattanville and had been outscored 49-7 during that span.

Juniors Jordan Fencl (Amana, Iowa) and Taylor Brown (Winthrop, Mass.) also scored for the Bison while junior Talia Hohmann (Marina, Calif.) dished out three assists. Nichols killed off all 12 Manhattanville power plays and won despite being outshot 53-30.

Nichols was on a power play with 19 seconds remaining in the third when Hohmann won an offensive zone draw to junior Kerri Nadeau (Chepachet, R.I.) at the point. She fed Murphy for a shot that was kicked out by Valiants goalie Dana DeMartino (Massapequa Park, N.Y.), but she collected the rebound and scored her fourth goal of the season at 19:48.

"All we did tonight was play 60 minutes of hockey," said first-year Nichols head coach Wil Brown. "It was a total team effort. I've said this before and I will continue to say it: the only thing that matters is what the 35 of us who are around our program on a daily basis think of our program. We knew that Tuesday's game at Trinity was an aberration, and tonight we proved it."

The Valiants took the early lead in the first period when junior Sydney Asselstine (Hartington, Ontario) took a pass from sophomore Kyra Herbert (Plainfield, N.H.) and put it past Palazzo. Freshman Maddy Seabrook (North Gower, Ontario) was also credited with an assist on the play.

Fencl tipped home a centering pass from Hohmann to even things up at one 2:28 in the second period. Freshman Samantha DiReda (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was credited with the second assist on the play.

After a delay of over an hour during the second intermission due to zamboni complications, both teams came out on the offensive in the third period. Freshman Taryn Harris (Morrison, Colo.) evened things up for the Valiants at 7:24 after ricocheting the puck off the post, then off of Palazzo and into the net. The goal was assisted by freshman Michaela Murdock (Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.).

The Bison answered just two minutes later with Brown's goal, but Manhattanville evened things at three at 11:52 on a goal by junior Alla Traun (Edina, Minn.). Traun was assisted on the play by junior Michele Meggiolaro (Whippany, N.J.). 

The two schools complete the home-and-home tomorrow at 4:40 at Levy Rink.