HARRISVILLE, R.I. – The Nichols women's ice hockey team dropped its season opening contest to Worcester State by a score of 5-4 in overtime on Friday night at Levy Rink. Prior to puck drop, the team honored former standout
Mel McAleer for her program-best 106 career points with a banner unveiling ceremony.
The visitors got on the board just 2:52 into the game when Cameron Payne found the back of the net with help from from Kierston Erickson and Caroline Gates.
The Lancers controlled the pace of play through much of the opening frame, and yet again converted with under two minutes to play, as Clare Conway struck for her first of the night to give the visitors a 2-0 cushion at the first intermission.
Worcester State converted for a third-straight time early in the second period, as Emily Pavoni pushed one past the Bison netminder in
Julia Carroll on the powerplay.
The Bison would find their stride through the middle of the second stanza, as
Isabella Portt notched her first goal of the season on the powerplay to get Nichols on the board and cut the Lancers' lead to just two.
Conway added her second tally of the night under two minutes into the third period to put the Lancers back up by three, but Nichols would not go down without a fight.
Trailing 4-1, the Bison went on a tear, scoring three-straight goals to tie the game at 4-all and force an overtime period.
Sydney Royce notched her first goal at the 6:07 mark, with
Grace Melanson and Melanson picking up the assists. Just over six minutes later, Portt tacked on her second goal, dropping the deficit to one.
With just 22 seconds left to play,
Megan Buxton slipped one past Amber Lee with the goalie pulled, tying the game at 4-4, sending the teams to a 3-on-3 overtime period.
In the opening seconds of overtime, Kylian Kelly found Conway streaking towards the Nichols zone on a breakaway, and Conway made no mistake, finishing the hat trick bid to give her squad the 5-4 victory on opening night.
Nichols will return to the ice on Friday, November 4 in its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener against Endicott at Levy Rink. Puck drop is slated for 4:40 p.m.
