BOSTON, Mass. –  In a game that could help UMass Boston Women's Ice Hockey climb in the New England Hockey Conference standings, the Beacons fell to William Smith College on Friday night at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink, 2-0, dropping back to .500 in conference play and remaining in sixth place overall.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 0, William Smith College 2    

UMass Boston (8-11-1, 6-6-1 NEHC)

William Smith College (9-9-1, 7-6-0 NEHC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

A first period highlighted primarily by the defense of both teams led to just 12 combined shots on goal, 7-5 in favor of William Smith College. The Herons would get on the board first just over 15 minutes into the frame when a loose puck behind the net found the stick of senior forward Emma Faso. Faso located sophomore forward Kayla Ketchabaw, the team's leading scorer, on the left side of freshman goalie Leah Bosch for her eighth goal of the season.

Despite two power plays for UMass Boston through the opening 20 minutes, the Beacons would be unable to respond against sophomore goalie Erin Murray and trail 1-0.

Despite a flurry of shots to kick off the second period, UMass Boston would be continuously shut down by Murray before William Smith netted their second goal of the contest on the power play. Ketchabaw and Faso would team up to help sophomore defender Annabel Ziskin beat Bosch with a wrist shot in the middle of the zone. A power play towards the end of the second would result in a few more scoring chances for the Beacons, but Erin Murray stood tall for the Herons, helping them maintain their 2-0 lead into the third period.

Junior goalie Annie Hauser replaced Murray in goal for William Smith in the third period as a defensive stalemate between both sides resulted in only six shots for the Herons and five for the Beacons who were shutout for the first time since November 26^th, 2-0.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Leah Bosch made 19 saves on 21 attempts for UMass Boston, falling to 4-5-1 on the season
• Erin Murray picked up the win, her fifth of the season, stopping all 16 shots she faced in two periods while Annie Hauser shut the door on the shutout for William Smith with five third period saves
• The UMass Boston power play was 0-for-4 in the game while the penalty kill was 2-for-3
• This is the fifth time the Beacons have been shutout this season

WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston closes the weekend with a matchup against Elmira College, ranked 10^th in the USCHO Division III Poll, at home on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM. An early season road matchup between the two teams ended with the Soaring Eagles besting the Beacons, 5-0, back in November.