BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (2/6/2026) – The Nichols College women's ice hockey team fell 5-1 to the Western New England Golden Bears Friday evening at Levy Rink.
 
Nichols drops to 5-16-0 (2-12-0 CNE) after the night, while Western New England moves to 14-6-0 (10-3-0 CNE).
 
Nichols started the game strong, but the momentum changed after a Nichols penalty at 9:47, sending WNE into a power play. The Golden Bears capitalized a minute into the power play with a goal from Michaela Birmingham, making it 1-0. With 1:20 left in the first, there was a minor penalty assessed to Nichols' Cela MacDougall for roughing, which gave the Golden Bears another power play to close out the first.
 
To start the second period, the MacDougall penalty carried over with 39 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, the Bison couldn't hold them, and the Golden Bears put another power play goal up on the board 15 seconds into the 2nd period to make it  2-0. Things weren't looking up for the Bison when Rhea Bullens received a 2-minute penalty for tripping, which led to a Golden Bears goal a minute into the power play. This put the Golden Bears up 3-0. With time running out in the second period, the Bison had a spark when a shot from freshman Kiera Goffe was saved, and the rebound landed right on Kaylyn Bourque's stick, which she then buried one in the back of the net to give the Bison some hope. Bourque's goal was not enough to hold off the Golden Bears from scoring their 4th goal late into the second. The second period ended with the score being 4-1.
 
Nichols opened the third period battling to climb back, with an even battle for the majority of the third. Time was running low and the Bison needed a goal to keep their spirits alive. With 3:35 left in the game, the Bison earned themselves a power play to give their last push. After pulling the goalie, Taylor Daley, the Bison gained an extra player to make it a 6-on-4 and pushed to close the gap. After failing to capitalize on the power play, the Bison gave up an empty-netter with just over a minute remaining in the game, sealing Western New England's 5-1 victory.
 
Despite the scoreline, the Bison outshot the Golden Bears 38-36 and narrowly lost the faceoff battle 27-28. Sophomore Sienna Reeves led the team with her season-high 6 blocked shots.
 
Nichols returns home play on February 14th, where they will face Curry College in a senior day matchup. Puck drop is set for 3:40 PM.