O'FALLON, Ill. | McKendree Metro Rec Plex - No.7 McKendree University women's hockey (8-4-1) claimed its first-ever victory over the Bulldogs of Adrian on Friday night, tallying a 2-1 result over Adrian. The Bearcats got back on track with the victory after a tough 0-1-1 road trip at No.2 Midland on November 4-5. McKendree plays host to Michigan in its second to last game of the semester on November 12 at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex.

The first period between the Bearcats and Bulldogs saw no scoring, as the squads fought for possession and advantages across the ice. Sophomore goaltender Rachel Staresinic held off the aggressive foward attack of the Bulldogs with 13 saves in the opening period. McKendree fired five shots in the first 20 minutes of action. 

Adrian found the net first in the game, taking the 1-0 lead at the six-minute mark of the second period. Just under a minute later, junior defense Aria Groot knotted the game up at 1-1 with her third goal of the campaign as sophomore forwards Jayna Barnden and Kerstyn Barron dished-out the assists. The contest remained tied at 1-1 going into the second intermission period. 

In the third, McKendree worked early with a score in the second minute as freshman forward Abby Jeffers added the game-winner with two more assists via Barnden and Barron. McKendree held on for the 2-1 victory, notching the program's first win over Adrian. 

Staresinic foiled the Bulldog offense, amassing 31 saves during full time in goal. 

NOTES
McKendree added its first ever win over the Bulldogs with the 2-1 result. The Bearcats were previously 0-10-0 versus Adrian since 2016.

Junior defense Aria Groot tallied her third goal of the season in the victory, now totaling 19 points (1.46ppg) behind those three scores and her 16 assists. She ranks fourth in the WMCH in points this season. 

Sophomore forwards Jayna Barnden and Kerstyn Barron both dished-out two assists in the game. Barnden moved her season total to seven while Barron owns nine so far on the year. 

Freshman forward Abby Jeffers scored the first game-winner of her career to give the Bearcats the program-first win over Adrian. Jeffers has five goals and eight assists for 13 points in McKendree's 13 games.

Sophomore goaltender Rachel Staresinic added another big win to her resume while collecting 31 saves in the win. Staresinic sits at 3-3 this season with 480 minutes in goal while owning 200 saves and a 0.926 save percentage. 

UP NEXT
McKendree hosts Michigan on Sunday, November 12 at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex with a 1:15 PM puck drop. The game is the second to last game of the semester for McKendree as they host Colorado State on November 17 at 2:00 PM to finish out the first half of play. 

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