HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College Women's Ice Hockey team clinched a 1-0 shootout victory after a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation, earning a crucial NESCAC win over host Wesleyan University to kick off their two-game conference series. With the win, the Bantams improve to 9-12-1 overall and 6-8-1 in NESCAC play, while the Cardinals drop to 8-14-1 overall and 3-11-1 in conference action.
The game started with the Cardinals taking an early 1-0 lead at 1:52 in the opening frame, as Ainsley Lonczak scored an even-strength goal. Trinity quickly responded with a power-play goal, as sophomore Kate French capitalized on a rebound from Jelani Adorno's shot to even the score at 1-1.
However, Wesleyan regained the lead at 10:41 of the period after a miscommunication behind the net. Bantams goaltender Madeline Carter attempted to pass a loose puck to one of her forwards, but the puck was intercepted by a Cardinals player. Amelia Molin received a centering pass and tipped the puck into the net before Carter could recover. Down 2-1 with just minutes remaining in the period, Trinity earned a power-play opportunity. Annika Dyczkowski took advantage, firing a rebound shot from the left faceoff circle to even the score at 2-2 as the period ended.
The second period remained scoreless despite Wesleyan's 25 shots, 9 of which were on net. Carter was solid in goal, stopping all attempts. Trinity, on the other hand, found greater accuracy with 8 of their 9 shots on goal.
The third period saw Trinity ramp up their offensive pressure, ripping 12 shots on the Wesleyan net. However, Wesleyan goaltender Jenna Guglielmi stood strong, turning away every shot. With neither team able to break the tie, the game went into overtime.
In overtime, Wesleyan had the upper hand in shots (8-2) and faceoff victories (4-3). They also earned a 2-minute power-play opportunity, but were unable to capitalize on it.
With the game still tied 2-2, the teams headed to a shootout to determine the winner. Trinity's Gabriella Gross, Jenny Guider, and Paige Kehoe took to the ice, with Carter defending the Bantams' net. Gross and Wesleyan's Shannon Burke both lost the puck during their shootout attempts. Guider broke the deadlock, scoring with a backhanded flick into the top shelf to give Trinity a 1-0 shootout lead. Wesleyan's Sam Galanek tried to equalize but was denied by Carter. Kehoe then had a chance to extend Trinity's lead but was stick-checked by Guglielmi, ending her attempt. In the final round, Wesleyan's Effie Tournass aimed to keep the Cardinals alive but was also stopped by Carter, who made a crucial stick check to secure a 1-0 shootout victory for the Bantams after the 2-2 tie.
Trinity outshot Wesleyan 35-25 and converted 2 of their 3 power-play opportunities. The Bantams also held a 34-33 advantage in faceoff victories and added 6 blocked shots. Carter finished with 23 saves for a .920 save percentage, while Guglielmi made 33 saves for a .943 save percentage.
Trinity will return to action on Saturday, February 22nd, when they host Wesleyan at 4:00 PM in the Koeppel Community Sports Center for Senior Day.
TRINITY ATHLETICS
