Box Score

BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Nichols College women's ice hockey team was held to just 15 shots as it fell to Bowdoin 3-0 in non-conference action Wednesday evening at Sydney J. Watson Arena.

The Polar Bears keep their undefeated streak alive to improve to 3-0-2, the program's first unbeaten five-game opening stretch since 2002. The Bison suffered their third-straight loss and fell to 4-8-0 in the first ever meeting between the two teams.

The Polar Bears controlled the opening period of play but were unable to convert until under-two minutes remained. Senior Chelsea MacNeil (Moncton, New Britain) looked to put away a rebound in the 16th minute on the left post, but freshman netminder Lindsay O'Connell (Danvers, Mass.) made the save, and the unprotected puck was collected in the crease and taken out of the zone. MacNeil finally put one away on that left post, poking in a rebound off junior Ariana Bourque's (West Barnstable, Mass.) shot with 1:47 remaining.

With both teams boasting four players on the ice, Bowdoin took a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. Senior Maddie Baird (Dundas, Ontario) teed up a shot from above the right faceoff circle, sending her shot cross-ice towards the left corner. Freshman Miranda Bell (Plano, Texas) connected with the puck and deflected the shot into Nichols' net to double Bowdoin's lead. Junior Julia Mastrototaro (Holden, Mass.) looked to chip away at the deficit as she took a quick shot from the doorstep on a Bison power play that soared just wide.

Following a timeout in the third period, Nichols picked up the offensive pressure after pulling its goalie to put an extra skater on the ice. Junior Beth Findley (Hingham, Mass.) stood tall for the Polar Bears, making several key saves in the final minutes. Sophomore Jessica Bowen (Rowlett, Texas) capped the day with an empty netter with nine seconds remaining off a pass from Bourque behind the net.

O'Connell stopped 29 shots but falls to 1-3-0 on the year. Findley played all 60 minutes for the Polar Bears, making 15 saves to earn her second career shutout. The Bison were outshot by Bowdoin 32-15, and were led by senior Alyssa Bufis (Linden, N.J.) with four shots. Borque paced the Polar Bears with six shots.

The Bison are done with the first half of their season and return to action at Franklin Pierce on January 17th at 7:00 p.m. The Polar Bears host Saint Anselm on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Contributions from Bowdoin Sports Information