Women’s Ice Hockey Blanks Worcester St. to Advance to MASCAC Championship

WORCESTER, Mass. – With 1:17 remaining in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Semifinal, senior forward Briana Paxson walked out from behind the goal line and fired a low shot past Worcester St.'s Kelsey Czerniawski to take down the Lancers by a final score of 1-0 Friday afternoon at the Worcester Ice Center.

With the win, the third seeded Raiders punched their ticket to the inaugural MASCAC Championship game and now hold a 15-10-1 record. The No. 2 seed Lancers bowed out of the tournament, finishing the campaign with a 13-11-2 record.

This was the first victory over Worcester St. for Rivier in the 2024-25 campaign after posting an 0-2-1 mark against the Lancers in the regular season.

After two scoreless periods, the Raiders were ahead in the offensive battle, outshooting the Lancers 24-16. Despite their efforts, both teams headed into the locker for the second intermission with zeros on the board.

The third period started off much like previous two, but this time Worcester St. had been the dominant offensive power. With just over a minute remaining in regulation, first-year forward Keegan McGaheran won an offensive-zone puck battle along the low boards with Paxson taking it off her stick and sending home the eventual game-winner.

After calling a timeout, the Lancers elected to pull Czerniawski in an effort to send the game to overtime but were unable to score and prolong the contest.

Senior goaltender Rachel Hinkley recorded 29 saves in the shutout win, her fourth of the season and her eighth of her career. Rivier outshot Worcester St. 34-29 in the victory.

Both teams went 0-for-2 on their powerplay opportunities.

The Raiders advance to the MASCAC title game on Friday, March 7 with a time and location to still be determined. Rivier will face-off against the winner of No. 1 Plymouth St. and No. 4 Anna Maria.