AMHERST, Mass. - McKendree University women's hockey split its pair of matches with UMass with a 3-2 victory on Saturday but dropped its Friday contest with the Minutemen, 2-4. The Bearcats improved to 6-3 with the win on Saturday morning and will travel to Rhode Island for a late morning matchup on Sunday.

GAME 1 (Friday, Nov. 19):
McKendree took the lead in the second minute of the game via a score from freshman defender Aria Groot. Groot fired the goal during a power play and and assisted by junior wing Quinn Atchison. The 1-0 lead for the Bearcats lasted for only three minutes before UMass put together an offensive push to tie it up in the fifth minute. 

The Minutemen took the lead in the 11th minute on a power play and held a 2-1 advantage through the 10th minute of the second period. Freshman defender Cassidy Dion evened the game off a pass from junior center Camryn Scully at the 10:03 mark. 

The game remained tied for only four minutes when UMass collected a third goal in the contest at the 14-minute mark of the second period, putting the Minutemen up for good. UMass then added an insurance score at the 15-minute mark of the third period, locking up the win for the host.

GAME 2 (Saturday, Nov. 20):
The Bearcats went for redemption on the morning matchup on Saturday, seeking to even the series with the Minutemen and did just that when the final horn sounded. 

McKendree scored early in the fourth minute to take a 1-0 advantage off a goal from Atchison, her goal was assisted on by junior forward Juliana Davis and Scully. Then the Bearcats tacked on a second goal just over one minute later from sophomore forward Jaynee Smothers, who was assisted by freshman defender Lainy Stienstra.  The 2-0 advantage for McKendree held until the 13th minute when UMass scored, cutting the lead to just one Bearcat goal. 

Period two led to no further scoring with the Bearcats maintaining a 2-1 lead over the hosting-Minutemen. 

The third and final period was a battle through the eventual game-winner by the Bearcats in the 15th minute of action by Davis, which was assited on by Atchison and Scully. The Minutemen added a second score with just under two minutes remaining but were unable to get through a stifling Bearcat defense.
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McKendree improved to 6-3 with the 3-2 win on Saturday, splitting the pair of matchups with the Minutemen of UMass, 1-1. 

UP NEXT:
The Bearcats will take on Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island on Sunday, November 21 at 10:20 A.M. ET. 

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