Women’s Hockey Falls Short to Spartans

Women’s Hockey Falls Short to Spartans

Dan Gannon
For The Clock
drgannon@plymouth.edu

The Plymouth State Women’s hockey team left Spartan Arena empty-handed with a 3-0 loss to Castleton during the quarterfinals of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC).

The Spartans kept the pressure on Plymouth State’s freshman goaltender Emelie Lindqvist (Gullerasen, Sweden) who faced 40 shots on goal throughout the game Meanwhile, the Panthers put up just 14 shots total. Despite the goal deficit, Lindqivist was able to hold the Spartans off the scoreboard during the first 20 minutes on the ice.

The Spartans were able to score at the 5:17 mark during the second period when Taylor Steadman slipped the puck into the net. Steadman’s goal was followed by a goal from Brianna Keats at the 7:38 mark, putting Plymouth State down a pair late in the second frame.

The Panthers and Spartans clashed again in the third period trying vigorously to reclaim the lead. However, they fell short when Steadman capitalized on an empty net goal, sealing the fate of the Panthers. Lindqvist recorded an incredible 37 saves while the Panthers were on the ice, with one being an empty net goal.

The Plymouth State women’s hockey team ended their season in the Green Mountain state at 10-16-0 overall. Senior Kelsey Lynch (Collegeville, PA) led the Panthers in scoring with 9 goals on the season accompanied by an outstanding 14 points. Junior Hayley Branovan (Canandaigua, NY) ended up with the most assists during the season with nine on the books.

Goalie Emilie Linqvist had an outstanding freshman season leading the Panthers to record 9 wins. She personally finished the season with a 2.29 goal against average and an ended the season with an outstanding save percentage at .923. Plymouth State upset the nationally ranked Spartans on February 6, with a 3-2 win.