Ladies win overtime thriller as five are honored on Senior Day

The women's hockey team split their last home weekend of the season against Utica, following up a 4-0 loss Saturday with a 2-1 overtime win Sunday.

Sunday was also the Bengals' Senior Day, as the team honored its five graduating players - captains Lauren Mallo and Rio Flynn, forwards Tara Boliard and Courtney Carnes and defenseman Jen Seguin.

Megan Myers led the Pioneers to victory on Saturday, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Kelsey Dowdall and Carmen Johnson also scored for Utica, and goalie Marissa Hotaling made 23 saves. Jordan Lee stopped 29 shots for the Bengals.

The Bengals also had a goal disallowed, as it went in after the referee blew the whistle. They played a tighter game than the score suggested, as two of the goals allowed were labeled as "soft" by coach Robert Burke.
 

"The second Utica goal was completely our fault," he said. "It was a three-on-none situation on a bad line change, so we eliminated that (on Sunday). And our third goal, we failed to pick up the bodies in our defensive zone, and they just walked it right in. It was a soft goal by us. So we eliminated that one as well.
 

"If you take away those two and the empty-netter, it was really a 1-1 game between the two."

Caitlyn Moccaldi put the Pioneers up 1-0 in the first period of Sunday's game, but the Bengals overcame frustration and a couple of questionable calls by the officials to tie the game. Nikki Kirchberger tied the score at one, picking up a pass before shoveling it past goalie Jennifer Hamel.
 

"I felt a player on my back and called for the puck, turned to kind of block the girl guarding me, and put it in," Kirchberger said, adding that she had been getting frustrated with herself earlier in the game, but managed to calm down and keep going.
 

The two teams went to overtime and looked to be heading to a 1-1 tie, until the Bengals managed to hit a stroke of good luck on a play made by forward Melissa Ash.

"I came out of our defensive zone and knew there wasn't a lot of time left, so I skated as fast as I could, and I heard everyone on the bench yelling, 'shoot!' so I was like, 'Okay,'" Ash said of the goal.
 

The game-winner was a perfectly placed wrist shot from the Utica blue line that beat Hamel over her left shoulder.

The bench and stands erupted as the puck settled into the net, and Ash was mobbed by her teammates to the left of the goal. It was a fitting way to end five seniors' last game at the Ice Arena.
 

"We knew exactly who we were playing for when we went out there today," Ash said, alluding to the five seniors whose careers are coming to a close. "Everyone was playing for them."
 

Lee made 32 saves in the game and kept her team on an even keel as they trailed 1-0. Her best save was in the third period when she caught the puck behind her back while sprawled out during a scrum in front of the net.

"She was okay," Burke joked of the junior goalie. "She had made some saves on Saturday that indicated to me that she was on her game, but she gave up a couple of five-hole goals.
 

"I saw she had eliminated those (Sunday). It was really a no-brainer, putting her in net - Quigs (Sarah Quigley) has been great for us, but on Senior Day, you go with your absolute best option."
 

The win broke an eight-game losing streak and gave the Bengals their third win in the ECAC West. Now, with playoffs out of the picture, they look to carry their strong play from this weekend into next weekend against Potsdam.
 

"We weren't supposed to tie or beat Utica, so this win definitely makes it easier to look forward to Potsdam," Burke said. "It gives us the confidence that we were really struggling to find over the last few games."
 

Buffalo State plays their last two games of the season against Potsdam at Clarkson University at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m on Sunday.
 

Angelica Rodriguez can be reached by email at rodriguez.record @live.com