Women’s Ice Hockey Falls to Worcester St. in OT of ECHA Championship, 2-1

WORCESTER, Mass. – The second-seeded Rivier women's ice hockey team fell to No. 1 Worcester St., 2-1, in overtime of the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Alliance (ECHA) Championship game on Sunday evening at the Worcester Ice Center.

The Raiders concluded the season with the best record in their three-season history at 12-11-3. The victory meant the third consecutive championship for the Lancers.

The first two periods would be scoreless with the shots favoring Worcester St., 27-14.

Just 1:09 into the third period, the Lancers' Katie Puumala would break the deadlock, burying a feed from Lea Gaspar in the low slot. Over nine minutes later, Rivier would respond as Caeli Reed crept into the slot and wristed a shot past Kelsey Czerniawski in net to tie things up at 1-1. The score would remain tied at the final buzzer, forcing overtime for the second-consecutive playoff game for the Raiders.

Fiona Hatton would score the game-winning goal for Worcester St. 3:08 into overtime, beating Rachel Hinkley on a wrist shot on a two-on-one.

Hinkley made 38 saves in the loss. Neither team was able to convert on the powerplay, as the Lancers went 0-for-4 while Rivier went scoreless on two opportunities.

Rivier will look to return to the ice in 2024-25 with the core returning for a chance to compete for a Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) title.