PLYMOUTH, NH— Following a long hiatus, an offensive explosion propelled the Ephs to their third win of the season this afternoon, as Williams downed non-conference opponent Plymouth State University 9-0. Senior Kristen Tubbs (Garden City, NY) led the Ephs offensively, netting a hat trick, while first-year Chloe Billadeau (Chaska, MN) recorded her first career shutout.
The Ephs got on the board early in the first period and built a solid two-goal lead, with Tubbs notching her first goal of the afternoon just 4:11 into play, with helpers coming from Aimee Dennett (Highlands Ranch, CO) and Ally Ensor (Sugarland, TX).
Junior Sam Weinstein (Marblehead, MA) upped the Ephs' lead to 2-0 on a powerplay goal, assisted by senior defender Sarah Herr (Princeton, NJ).
The second period yielded ample scoring opportunities for Williams yet again, as the visitors managed to slip 3 shots past Panther sophomore goalie Nicole Crandle (Bristol, CT). Sophomore Cristina Bravi (Montreal, QC) kicked off the scoring for the Ephs 2:51 into the middle frame, with help from Gabrielle Vukasin (Princeton, NJ) and senior captain Hannah Systrom (Winchester, MA).
Vukasin and Systrom would connect again less than 4 minutes later, when Vukasin fired a shot past Crandle for her first tally of the day. Tubbs capped off the Eph scoring in the middle frame with an unassisted goal with 7:23 remaining in the period, putting the Ephs up 5-0 after two.
Four powerplay goals in the game's final frame, three of which were on a powerplay, helped the Ephs finalize the contest at 9-0 in favor of the visitors. Systrom capitalized on a 5-on-3 opportunity with under 7 minutes left to give Williams the 6-0 lead, her first goal of the season.
A minute and a half later, the Ephs took advantage of the now 5-on-4 advantage. Vukasin tallied her second goal of the game, while Weinstein and Systrom chipped in the assists. Freshman Andree Heller (Toronto, ON) made good on the next Eph powerplay with 2:37 left to play, with help from classmate Alyssa Veil (Eden Prairie, MN) and Ensor, to put Williams up 8-0. Tubbs would cap off the scoring for the day with her third goal of the game, an unassisted tally coming with 1:36 remaining in the contest.
Billadeau's three saves were enough to earn the freshman her first career shutout and victory, while Plymouth's Ali Ponte (Richmond Hill, ON) and Crandle combined to deny 33 Eph shots.
"It was a good game for us in the sense that we had 4 powerplay goals, and everyone contributed in win," Eph head coach Meghan Gillis remarked following the victory.
The Ephs' 9 goals are the most scored by the program since 2005, with the squad's 10-1 performance against Wesleyan holding the distinction of the team's record for goals scored.
"We keep running toward being able to play a full 60 minutes," Gillis observed, "and we did a good job of building off the 2 really strong periods we played at Elmira before break."
Williams now stands at 3-5 overall (1-1 NESCAC) and will take on their second NESCAC opponent of the season, Trinity, in back-to-back games this weekend. Friday's contest begins at 7 pm in Hartford, CT.
