BOSTON, Mass. - UMass Boston Women's Hockey's reward for finishing 10-6-2 in conference play and earning a home playoff game in the New England Hockey Conference Quarterfinals was a date with the University of Southern Maine and Haley McKim, the NEHC Goalie of the Year. McKim lived up to her billing, shutting down the Beacons offense and ending their season with a 5-0 defeat.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 0, The University of Southern Maine 5

UMass Boston (11-12-3)
The University of Southern Maine (14-10-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED
After 17 scoreless minutes to open the game, the Huskies struck twice in just over 50 seconds, racking up back-to-back goals to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. 

Despite trailing 2-0 throughout the first 10 minutes of the second period, the Beacons were building momentum behind a barrage of shots and strong play in net from Leah Bosch. A tripping penalty in the 11th minute, however, gave the Huskies an extra skater on the attack. Southern Maine needed all of six seconds of the power play to stretch their lead to 3-0.

The Huskies tacked on two more scores in the third period, but the first three were more than enough for McKim, who finished the afternoon with 33 saves and her seventh shutout of the season.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Emily Hansen won 11 of her 17 faceoff draws against USM
• In her fifth and final season with the Beacons, Hannah MacDougall led the team with a +1 rating on the year
• First-year head coach Moe Bradley - who was named the NEHC Coach of the Year earlier in the week - led the Beacons to their best conference record (10-6-2) since 2021-22 (11-7-0), and their best overall record (11-12-3) since 2019-20 (12-11-3)
• The Beacons lead the all-time series with the Huskies 22-15-3