The Keene State Women’s Ice Hockey team faced Curry College on Saturday, Feb. 7, in a competitive matchup. Both teams created scoring opportunities throughout the game, but Curry secured a 2-1 win after maintaining its lead in the final period.
Before the game began, the Owls celebrated Senior Day for the team’s only senior, Grace Bazin, for her contributions to the team and KSC athletics at Keene State.
The first period saw strong defensive plays from both sides as sophomore goalie Abby Tanner for Keene State and senior goalie Sarah Kerr for Curry stood tall in net. Tanner faced 15 shots in the opening frame, turning them all away to keep the game scoreless. Keene State’s defense, anchored by sophomore forward Ellie Patrick and first-year defender Kenzley Goode, came up big with multiple blocked shots. The Owls killed off two penalties on first-year defender Emily Edmunds, who was called for interference twice in the first. Despite spending much of the period defending, Keene State produced a few strong chances from first-year defender Maddie DeSouza and sophomore forward Ava Iantosca, but Kerr kept the game even at 0-0 after the first period.
Curry came out firing in the second period, breaking the deadlock midway through the frame. At 12:20, senior defender Ava Doyle found the back of the net for the Colonels on a goal, assisted by junior forward Eleanor Rowe Smiley and junior forward Kayley Hansen, giving Curry a 1-0 lead. Keene State responded with renewed pressure, creating several offensive chances, but still struggled to solve Kerr in the net. The Owls finally broke through late in the second period when Curry’s first-year forward Kylie Harrison was sent to the box for hooking at 18:38. On the ensuing power play, first-year forward Emerson Spinale buried a shot off a setup from DeSouza and first-year forward Loreli Norman to tie the game 1-1 at 18:55. The goal was Spinale’s fourth of the season, giving Keene State the momentum.
The third period was filled with intensity and back-and-forth action as both teams fought for control. Keene State started strong, earning another power play less than thirty seconds after Curry’s first-year forward Morgan Slough was called for body checking. The Owls fired multiple shots on goal from Edmunds and sophomore forward Ellie Partrick and first-year forward Brianna Finke, but Kerr continued to shut the door.
At 5:08, Curry retook the lead when Harrison capitalized on a rebound in front of the net, scoring the eventual game-winning goal assisted by senior defender Megan Sawatzky. Despite the setback, Keene State refused to back down, dominating puck possession and spraying Kerr with 12 shots in the final period. Curry found themselves in penalty trouble midway through the period, giving Keene State two more chances on the power play, including a 5-on-3 opportunity after Slough was called for interference and Doyle for tripping. The Owls created high-quality chances, including point shots from Finke and Patrick, but Kerr was again flawless, finishing the night with 18 saves.
With time winding down, Keene State pulled Tanner with just under two minutes to go for an extra attacker. The Owl’s offense pressed hard, recording three more shots in the final minute, but the Colonel’s defense held strong. A late penalty on DeSouza for body checking with 19 seconds left effectively sealed the game, and Curry escaped with the 2-1 win.
The loss drops Keene State to 8-14 overall, while Curry improves to 11-9-2. Keene State will look to bounce back when they are back home on Saturday, Feb. 14, to face Vermont State Castleton.
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