ROCHESTER, NY – Freshman Mckenna Wiljanen scored twice and assisted on a third goal as the Nazareth College women's hockey team scored a 6-1 victory Saturday afternoon to complete the season-opening home series over Suffolk University at the Bill Gray's Iceplex.
Wiljanen helped open the scoring with a crisp pass to sophomore Madison Nichols for a quick goal in the first 1:30 of the contest for the early 1-0 Nazareth (2-0) lead.
The Golden Flyers continued the early offensive pressure freshman Rae Rice netted her first career goal less than two minutes later to double the Nazareth lead with only 3:19 expired in the first period. Sophomore Mikaila Rubin earned the assist on the scoring play.
Just more than five minutes later, freshman Celena Rea capped the early scoring outburst with her first career goal as sophomores Abbey Luth and Stephanie Kubis set up the scoring opportunity with quick passes in front of the Suffolk goal.
The Golden Flyers maintained the three-goal advantage until midway through the second period when sophomore captain Keeley Rose unloaded a hard slap shot at the 13:00 mark of the period as Nazareth scored on a power play opportunity and Nichols and Rea set up the shot with passes around the outside of the Rams (0-2) defense and Rose finished the play from the right side of the formation.
In the third period Wiljanen scored back-to-back goals in a span of five minutes with the first coming at 8:30 and the second at 13:17. Both goals were power play tallies and Rea earned assists on both plays while Rose also assisted on the first.
With less than five minutes to play, Suffolk broke up the shutout and scored its first goal of the weekend to make it a 6-1 game. Suffolk applied late pressure but Nazareth goalie Adrianna Brehm made three nice saves in the closing minutes to preserve the five-goal lead and her second win of the season.
Brehm finished 28 saves including 14 in the third period.
The Golden Flyers return to action Friday and Saturday with a two-game series at Anna Maria College in Massachusetts.
