Bobcats Sink Lakers in Back-to-Back Games

Saranac Lake, NY ~ It was a bountiful homecoming on Friday and Saturday night at the Saranac Lake Civic Center as the Paul Smith's College women's hockey team opened their season with two double-digit wins against the visiting SUNY Oswego Lakers.  In total, 25 goals were scored for the Bobcats over the course of the two games as their high-powered offense piled on the shots and skated away from Oswego.

On Friday, the hosts blanked their competition by a lopsided scored of 12-0.  Evelyn Noakes (Clifton Park, NY) got the scoring started just 1:24 into the game and the rest was history.  She would add a second goal two minutes later and contributed an assist in the win.  Five more Bobcats scored goals as senior captain Leah Coulombe (Jay, NY) recorded her seventh career hat trick and added two assists.

"It's great to be back on the ice and working with my line mates from last season," said Coulombe.  "We've had great chemistry in practice and it translated in the games this weekend.  I'm proud of the team for finding the back of the net and can't wait to keep it rolling for my last semester!"

She was joined on the stat sheet by Samantha Barrett (Oak Park, IL) with 2G/3A, Riley Newcomb (Cazenovia, NY) with 2G, Dariana Patterson (Wilmington, NY) with 2G/1A, and Lilly Gogan (Cornish, NH) with 1G/1A.  Brooklynn Shumway (Bloomingdale, NY), Leola Brown (Brooklyn, NY), and Logan Shumaker-Gromek (Sparta, NJ) added two, one, and one assists, respectively.

Lola De Toni (Ottawa, ON) recorded the complete game shutout with eight saves in the winning effort.  The Bobcats put up 78 shots on net which is a record for the early season in AAU College Hockey.

On Saturday, it was more of the same as the Bobcats defeated the Lakers 13-1.  Dariana Patterson recorded her first collegiate hat trick as the Wilmington, NY native used her quick release and accurate shot to her advantage.

"Scoring makes everyone feel on top of the world, but hockey isn't just about the goals and who scores them," said Patterson when asked how it felt to score a hat trick in her second collegiate game.  "It's about trust, effort, and overall teamwork.  Even though I scored the three goals, they wouldn't have happened without the passes from my teammates," she added.

Other contributors for the hosts were Samantha Barrett (3G), Logan Shumaker-Gromek (2G/2A) who also scored her first collegiate goal, Brooklynn Shumway (1G/1A), Evelyn Noakes (1G/1A), Leola Brown (1G/1A), Riley Newcomb (1G), Lilly Gogan (1G), and Leah Coulombe (1A).  Junior defender Lindsay Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) was excellent on the blueline, adding three assists as every single PSC skaters contributed at least a point.

"It was great to get our season started at home with everyone on the roster contributing on the scoresheet across both games in front of our home crowd," said Bobcat head coach Rob Burke. "Our three rookies fit right in seamlessly with our veteran players, so it was a fun two games to watch them all find success right away together as a team," he added.

Sophomore goaltender Maddi Summa (Pekin, IL) earned the win, stopping six of seven shots in net for the hosts.  The Bobcats are 2-0 on the early season and host Binghamton in two weeks at the Saranac Lake Civic Center.

You can follow the women's hockey team on Instagram at @pscwhockey or follow the general athletics account at @smitty_nation for scores, highlights, pictures, and much more!

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At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith's provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences, and natural resources. We can draw on industries and resources available in our backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive, and adventurous individuals collectively provides experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu.