Box Score

COLCHESTER, Vt. - Juniors Grace Murphy (Montclair, Va.) and Erin Dice (Ashburn, Va.) each scored for Nichols College in its 3-2 loss to Plymouth State in non-conference women's ice hockey action Friday afternoon at the Saint Michael's Holiday Classic at C. Douglas Cairns Recreation Arena.

Freshman Emily Auby (Stoughton, Wisc.) and junior Kate Banys (Newburyport, Mass.) scored consecutive goals six minutes apart midway through the third period for the Panthers (3-7-0).
 
Trailing 2-1 in the third period, PSU tied the score at the 8:08 mark when Auby tipped a loose puck home during a power play. Banys netted the only even-strength goal of the game at 13:52 for the game-winner, as senior goalie Francesca Palazzo (Bernardston, Mass.) vacated the net after coming out to challenge an initial shot, and the loose puck found its way to the left post and Banys, who found only a defender in position to try stopping her attempt.
 
Murphy scored the only goal of the first period for Nichols with a power play marker at the left post. Juniors Alyssa Bufis (Linden, N.J.) and Taylor Brown (Winthrop, Mass.) assisted on Murphy's fifth tally of the campaign. Sophomore Marisa Zamrock (Lewiston, Maine) evened the score for PSU just 1:26 into the second period, finishing off a short-handed breakaway for her fourth goal of the season.
 
Dice snapped a power-play shot from the left side that slipped through the PSU goalie to put Nichols up 2-1 at the 6:17 mark of the third period, but Auby started the PSU rally two minutes later. Senior Kayla Collins (Springfield, Mass.) was credited with the lone assist on Dice's second goal of the season.
 
PSU senior goalie Ali Ponte (Richmond Hill, Ont.) made 23 saves to earn the win as the Panthers out-shot the Bison, 35-25. Palazzo made 32 stops in the Nichols goal.
 
Nichols (2-7-0) tangles with host Saint Michael's Saturday at 4 p.m. while the Panthers – who snapped a four-game losing skid with the win – take on Sacred Heart at 1 p.m.

Contributions from Saint Michael's and Plymouth State sports information