Nichols College Athletics

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (10/30/2026) - The Nichols College women's ice hockey team opened its 2026-27 season with a dominant 5-0 shutout victory over Framingham State University on Friday night at Loring Arena. 

The victory gives Nichols a 1-0-0 record to open the 2026-27 campaign. The Rams drop to 0-1-0 in their start.

Nichols wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Goffe opened the scoring just 1:05 into the first period. Kaylyn Bourque assisted on the early tally, giving the Bison a 1-0 advantage. Nichols continued to apply pressure, doubling its lead at 6:34 when Ambruso found the back of the net off assists from Anna Lehan and Alexis Pacheco.

Just one minute later, Devlin extended the advantage to 3-0, scoring an unassisted goal at 7:34. The three-goal opening period gave Nichols control of the contest heading into the first intermission.

The Bison's offensive momentum continued into the third period, as Devlin recorded her second goal of the night just 2:02 into the frame. Elizabeth Kilpatrick picked up the assist on the tally, extending the Nichols lead to 4-0. MacDougall capped the scoring at 9:20, finishing a feed from Bourque to give the Bison a commanding five-goal advantage and a second career-goal.

The Bison continued to dominate the shot count throughout the contest, finishing with 73 shots compared to just 21 for Framingham State. Nichols also controlled the faceoff circle, winning 43 of 69 draws. Defensively, the Bison were perfect on the penalty kill, holding the Rams scoreless on both power-play opportunities while killing all six of their own penalties.

In goal, senior Paige Almon delivered a shutout performance, stopping all 21 shots she faced across 60 minutes of action to earn her first victory of the season. Freshman Elizabeth Kilpatrick also made an immediate impact, recording her first collegiate point with an assist on Devlin's second goal. Bourque led the Bison with two assists, while Goffe, Devlin, Ambruso and MacDougall each finished with multiple points or a goal.

The Bison will look to carry their momentum into the second game of the home-and-home series against Framingham State on Saturday, October 31st, at Levy Rink. Puck is set to drop at 3:40 PM.