PSC Wraps Season in National Semifinals

Jacksonville, FL ~ The Paul Smith's College women's hockey team had an incredible run to the AAU College Hockey Final Four in March, finishing their season with an overtime loss to heated rival Syracuse University 2-1.

It was the second visit to the AAU College Hockey National Tournament for the Bobcats, who won the inaugural AAU College Hockey Women's National Championship in 2024 in West Chester, PA.  This time around, strong play from a very talented group of players got the team back to the semifinals where they faced Syracuse University.  The Bobcats had dropped each of their regular season games to the Orange, but this time around outplayed SU and held a 1-0 lead late in the game after Samantha Barrett (Oak Park, IL) buried her nation-leading 45th goal of the year.  

With just over three minutes left in the game, Syracuse had a penaty release.  As the player left the penalty box another Syracuse player jumped off the bench and both continued to participate in play.  For nine seconds, the crowd screamed as the Orange had six skaters on the ice in one of the most obvious too many players on the ice infractions of the tournament.  But the four people who should've seen the penalty, the referees, somehow missed it.  In a cruel twist of fate, both players who were on the ice illegaly participated in the game-tying goal to make it 1-1 as overtime loomed.

An unlucky bounce and a shot from the slot resulted in the 2-1 Syracuse victory.  The season, however, was viewed as a huge success by the players, coaches, and fans, as the Bobcats made it back to the national tournament and earned some superlatives along the way.

Barrett was named AAU College Hockey Women's Player of the Year as she led the nation in goals (45) and points (75).  Leah Coulombe (Jay, NY) joined Barrett as a First Team All American as she led the nation in assists (31) while finishing second in points (59), only behind her teammate.

The Bobcats were terrific during the national tournament, defeating High Point University 7-2 in their first game before knocking off #2-seed Quinnipiac 3-1.  Coulombe led the way offensively with five points (3G/2A) followed by Barrett with four goals, Grace Davis (Croghan, NY) with three points (1G/2A), Riley Newcomb (Cazenovia, NY) with three assists, Lindsay Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) with three assists, Dariana Patterson (Wilmington, NY) with 2G/1A, and Logan Shumaker-Gromek (Sparta, NJ) with two assists.  Leola Brown (Brooklyn, NY) added the game-winning goal against Quinnipiac while Evelyn Noakes (Clifton Park, NY) tallied an assist.  Goalkeeper Lola De Toni (Ottawa, ON) earned a 1.50 GAA and .955 save% in the first two games while Maddi Summa (Pekin, IL) had a 1.88 GAA and .931 save% in the loss to Syracuse as the team garnered terrific play from their goalies.

"This year's hockey journey was a ton of fun," said head coach Rob Burke.  "We had a great season statistically, achieving our two major goals of making it to both the IWCHL Adirondack Division playoffs and the AAU College Hockey National Championships.  "We posted the highest winning percentage in program history (.739)... I'm fiercely proud of each and every player on the team and of my two volunteer assistant coaches."

The Bobcats finish the season at 17-6 overall, the most wins in program history.  With seniors Leah Coulombe, Lola De Toni, Leola Brown, Lillian Gogan, and Maggie Mendes graduating, the team will retain a solid corps of returning players for next season, in addition to some impressive newcomers.  After such a prosperous season, the foundation has been laid for future success.

"This team and these players did everything that we asked of them, and we left everything out on the ice... we played a brand of hockey that we can be extremely proud of, ending the season as the third-ranked team in AAU," added Burke.

You can follow the men's hockey team on Instagram at @pschockey and the women's team at @pscwhockey or follow the general athletics account at @smitty_nation for schedules, updates, photos, 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.