Hartford, Conn. – First-year forward Emma Tani (Orange, Calif.) had a warm welcome to college hockey and junior goalie Alexa Pujol (New Canaan, Conn.) followed up a strong sophomore campaign with a 30-save shutout to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 3-0 win over the visiting Connecticut College Camels in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's ice hockey action tonight on Williams Rink at the Koeppel Community Sports Center. Trinity starts their year with a 1-0 overall and league record, while Connecticut College is 0-1 after tonight's season opener for both teams.  

Tani, playing in her first game at the collegiate level, found the back of the net twice, and scored what would eventually be the game-winning goal, just 54 seconds into her debut.  The goal was assisted by classmate forward Cheeky Herr (Princeton, N.J.), also making her collegiate debut. 

"I thought we put forth a very solid effort for the first game of the year," Head Coach Carson Duggan, said.  "However, Connecticut College is a very resilient team and we know we have to come out even stronger tomorrow."

The upperclassmen added a cushion in the second period, as senior tri-captain defender Britney Ryan (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) found junior forward Emily Kleidon (Oakdale, Minn.) for the Bantams second goal of the evening, before Tani put the icing on the cake with Trinity's third goal of the night, later in the second period. 

Pujol was consistent all night, turning away shot after shot, en route to her sixth career shutout.  Despite allowing three goals, Kelsie Fralick (West Chester, Pa.) turned in a strong performance, stopping 24 shots for the Camels. 

Trinity and Connecticut College face off again tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. in game two of a two-game weekend series. 

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