Women’s Hockey Shutout at Rivier, 2-0

MCLA goalie Katie O'Brien made 44 saves today in a 2-0 loss at Rivier.

Kaitlyn O'Brien had 44 saves at Rivier
Kaitlyn O'Brien had 44 saves at Rivier
February 21, 2025
Video Box Score

NASHUA, N.H. – The MCLA Women's Ice Hockey team took to the road for their final regular season road game this evening when they traveled to Rivier University for a MASCAC matchup at the Conway Arena. Kaitlyn O'Brien finished the evening with 44 saves, but the offensive barrage from the Raiders overwhelmed the Traiblazers to the tune of 2-0.

THE BASICS:

  • Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
  • Score: MCLA 0, Rivier 2
  • Records: MCLA Trailblazers 9-14-1 (MASCAC 3-10-1) | Rivier University Raiders 12-10-1 (MASCAC 9-4-1)
  • Series History: Rivier leads the all-time series 5-1-0, including a 2-0 MCLA win on February 11th in Nashua. Rivier won the teams' first-ever meeting, 3-0 on January 26, 2024.

HOW IT WENT DOWN

  • Despite the first period being scoreless, the hosts set a tone, outshooting MCLA 12-7.
  • Just over four minutes into the second period, Rivier's Briana Paxson (at 4:22, assisted by Keegan McGaheran). The Raiders doubled up that lead on the power play with 70 seconds left in the second frame when Paxson (18:50, Jillian Hallee and Brianna Rumptz) notched her second goal of the night.
  • The third period mirrored the first with both teams playing to scoreless draw, while Rivier again held significant edge in shots, 15-8, nearly matching the 19-3 advantage they had in shots in the second period.
  • The Raiders' Rachel Hinkley stopped all 18 shots she faced to even her season record at 7-7-0. The Trailblazers's sophomore goalie Kaitlyn O'Brien (Ridley Park, PA / Philadelphia Jr. Flyers) recorded her fifth 40+ save game of the season, stopping 44 of 46 shots, but still saw her record fall to 4-8-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • Shots: MCLA 18, Rivier 46
  • Saves: MCLA 44, Rivier 18
  • Faceoffs Won: MCLA 19, Rivier 29
  • Penalty/Minutes: MCLA 1/2:00, Rivier 2/4:00
  • Power Plays: MCLA 0 for 2, Rivier 1 for 1

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it hosts Rivier University at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink for a MASCAC re-match with the Raiders. The puck will drop at 5 p.m. The Trailblazers will be honoring their seniors before the game so fans should plan to arrive early for the festivities.

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