Box Score Pearl Scores Twice for the Huskies
HARRISVILLE, R.I. -- Seniors Talia Hohmann (Marina, Calif.) and Grace Murphy (Montclair, Va.) scored 41 seconds apart with less than two minutes to play in regulation to give the Nichols College Bison a stunning 4-3, come-from-behind victory over the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies in ECAC Women's East action Saturday at Levy Rink.
The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Bison and improved their record to 7-13-0 overall and 4-8-0 in the league. The Huskies slipped to 7-13-1 overall and 5-7-1 in ECAC play.
With Southern Maine protecting a 3-2 lead, Hohmann tied the game with a power-play goal at 18:23 with her third goal of the season. Seniors Lisa Coskren (Norwood, Mass.) and Alyssa Bufis (Linden, N.J.) set up Hohmann.
Moments later, Murphy scored the game-winning marker on a 2-on-1 break to give the home side its first lead of the game with only 56 seconds remaining. Senior Taylor Brown (Winthrop, Mass.) received the lone assist.
Southern Maine pressed for a tying goal lifting senior goalie Liz Bergstrom (Chanhassen, Minn.) for the extra attacker with 36 seconds to play, but Nichols senior goalie Tori Gianformaggio (Huntington Beach, Calif.) preserved the victory. Gianformaggio finished the game with 25 saves to earn her sixth win of the season. Bergstrom stopped 20 shots before heading to the bench.
The Huskies enjoyed three one-goal leads in the game, but could never put more separation between themselves and the Bison. After a scoreless first period, sophomore Lynn Kozlowski (Stoneham, Mass.) put the visitors on the board with her fifth goal of the season at 4:28. Sophomore McKenna Russell (Stoughton, Mass.) and junior Chelsea Boucher (Gilford, N.H.) picked up the assists.
Less than two minutes later, Bufis tied the game with her seventh goal of the season.
USM senior Julia Pearl (Essex Jct., Vt.) scored the first of her two power-play goals at 15:29 to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. Junior Kaleigh Heath (Jericho, Vt.) picked up the lone assist.
Again the Bison came back to tie the game as Brown tallied an unassisted marker at 4:40 of the third period. Pearl restored the Huskies' lead just eight seconds after going on a power play with her sixth goal of the season at 7:09.
Southern Maine returns home next weekend to host nationally-ranked Norwich University on Friday (4:00 p.m.) and Castleton State College on Saturday (1:00 p.m.). Nichols will host Salve Regina University in its next game on Friday (6:40 p.m.).
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