(Courtesy of Plymouth State Sports Information)

Sherman, Kozlowski Score Late 3rd Period Goals

            PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- Junior Cassandra Sherman (North Smithfield, R.I.) and sophomore Lynn Kozlowski (Stoneham, Mass.) scored goals 1:36 apart late in the third period to give the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies women's ice hockey team a 2-0 victory over the Plymouth State University Panthers in ECAC Women's East action Friday evening at Hanaway Rink.

            The Huskies, unbeaten in their last three games (1-0-2), improved to 8-13-3 overall and 6-7-3 in the conference heading into Saturday's regular-season finale.  The Panthers dropped their fourth straight game to slip to 3-19-2 overall and 3-12-1 in the league.

            Sherman snapped a scoreless tie with 6:55 remaining in regulation when she received the puck near the left circle and snapped a wrist shot that went top left, connecting on her third goal of the season. Kozlowski and freshman Jess Avery (Kingston, N.S.) did some solid work in the left corner to set up the play and earned assists on the game-winning goal.

            Kozlowski followed less than two minutes later with an insurance power-play goal for the Huskies, firing a shot from the slot that found the left side of the goal.  Senior Julia Pearl (Essex Jct., Vt.) and junior Chelsea Boucher (Gilford, N.H.) picked up the assists.

            PSU pulled junior goalie Alyssa Altschuler (Cheshire, Conn.) with more than four minutes remaining, but could not get on the scoreboard.

            Junior goaltender Nia Kelly (Santa Rosa, Calif.) made 16 saves in the Husky goal for her first win of the season (1-3-3) and her second career shutout. Altschuler turned aside 17 shots in the Panther net, but suffered the setback.

            PSU had a 4-3 advantage in shots in a scoreless first period, but USM had the two best scoring opportunities, both by sophomore Katie Couture (Harrisville, R.I.).  Altschuler stoned Couture on a breakaway just three minutes into the game, and Couture rang one off the post 10 minutes later.

            Plymouth State managed just one shot on goal in the scoreless second period while the visitors got off 11 attempts, several coming on their two power-play opportunities.  Neither team had any good chances in the third period until Sherman potted the game-winner.

            Southern Maine returns home to host Franklin Pierce University for a Senior Day game on Saturday (1:00 p.m.).  Plymouth State hosts Nichols College on Saturday (2:00 p.m.). 

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