LEWISTON — On the day the Niagara University women’s hockey team held its annual senior day to honor its four seniors, it was the underclassmen who were the heroes.
Freshman Jessica Hitchcock scored two goals while sophomores Jenna Hendrikx and Natasha Fryer also tallied to lead the Purple Eagles to an important 4-2 triumph over Wayne State on Saturday.
The victory upped the Purple Eagles to 8-4-2 in College Hockey America action and 11-14-5 overall. Niagara has rolled to a 7-2-1 record in its last 10 games, with the only two losses coming against fifth-ranked Mercyhurst.
“We are doing well, and the big difference is we are finding ways to win games, where at the beginning of the year we were not,” Niagara coach Chris MacKenzie said. “That’s come with some experience. Our team is really coming together and getting better and better every week.”
Niagara trailed 1-0 from the midpoint in the first period but scored three times in a span of 7:33 in the third to take control of the game.
After Jenna Hendrikx got Niagara on the board at 9:49, Fryer gave the Purple Eagles a 2-1 lead just 89 seconds later when she snapped a shot from just outside the crease past Warriors goaltender Delayne Brian.
Hitchcock then scored the eventual game-winner when she banged in a rebound from close range with just 2:38 left in the third period for a 3-1 Niagara lead. She added her second goal with just 18 seconds left to ice the win.
“Mac (MacKenzie) challenged us between periods,” said Niagara senior goaltender Jenni Bauer, who recorded 32 saves in the win. “He told us it was going to be a test as a team. He told us, ‘You are down 1-0 and Wayne St. is a good team. Let’s see what you can do.’”
The four seniors honored before the game were Bauer (Social work, Communications), Nathalie Larsen (Sports Management) Jacqueline Spring (Education) and Autumn Stuntz (Management).
“I think we all have strong personalities,” Bauer said of the seniors. “But it is also a respect thing. The freshmen and sophomores... I would like to think they look up to us and respect us. And the juniors helped us out a lot. We just tried to do the best we could all year to set an example on and off the ice.”
Hitchcock — who has five goals this season — acknowledged the importance of how well the younger players have performed this season and how valuable the seniors have been.
“Our underclass is pretty big, and it is important for us to contribute,” Hitchcock said. “We wouldn’t be able to play the way we have without our upperclassmen leading us. With the seniors showing us the ropes and how to do things, it helps a lot.”
Lauren Coxon and Alyssa Baldin scored for the Warriors (1-13-2 CHA, 8-20-2 overall).
The Purple Eagles conclude their regular season with a pair of games at CHA rival Syracuse next weekend. The teams skate Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Syracuse is also the site of the CHA Tournament on March 3-4.
Freshman Jessica Hitchcock scored two goals while sophomores Jenna Hendrikx and Natasha Fryer also tallied to lead the Purple Eagles to an important 4-2 triumph over Wayne State on Saturday.
The victory upped the Purple Eagles to 8-4-2 in College Hockey America action and 11-14-5 overall. Niagara has rolled to a 7-2-1 record in its last 10 games, with the only two losses coming against fifth-ranked Mercyhurst.
“We are doing well, and the big difference is we are finding ways to win games, where at the beginning of the year we were not,” Niagara coach Chris MacKenzie said. “That’s come with some experience. Our team is really coming together and getting better and better every week.”
Niagara trailed 1-0 from the midpoint in the first period but scored three times in a span of 7:33 in the third to take control of the game.
After Jenna Hendrikx got Niagara on the board at 9:49, Fryer gave the Purple Eagles a 2-1 lead just 89 seconds later when she snapped a shot from just outside the crease past Warriors goaltender Delayne Brian.
Hitchcock then scored the eventual game-winner when she banged in a rebound from close range with just 2:38 left in the third period for a 3-1 Niagara lead. She added her second goal with just 18 seconds left to ice the win.
“Mac (MacKenzie) challenged us between periods,” said Niagara senior goaltender Jenni Bauer, who recorded 32 saves in the win. “He told us it was going to be a test as a team. He told us, ‘You are down 1-0 and Wayne St. is a good team. Let’s see what you can do.’”
The four seniors honored before the game were Bauer (Social work, Communications), Nathalie Larsen (Sports Management) Jacqueline Spring (Education) and Autumn Stuntz (Management).
“I think we all have strong personalities,” Bauer said of the seniors. “But it is also a respect thing. The freshmen and sophomores... I would like to think they look up to us and respect us. And the juniors helped us out a lot. We just tried to do the best we could all year to set an example on and off the ice.”
Hitchcock — who has five goals this season — acknowledged the importance of how well the younger players have performed this season and how valuable the seniors have been.
“Our underclass is pretty big, and it is important for us to contribute,” Hitchcock said. “We wouldn’t be able to play the way we have without our upperclassmen leading us. With the seniors showing us the ropes and how to do things, it helps a lot.”
Lauren Coxon and Alyssa Baldin scored for the Warriors (1-13-2 CHA, 8-20-2 overall).
The Purple Eagles conclude their regular season with a pair of games at CHA rival Syracuse next weekend. The teams skate Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Syracuse is also the site of the CHA Tournament on March 3-4.
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