Lady Bobcats Sweep Opening Weekend at Home vs. Oswego

Saranac Lake, NY ~ The Bobcats are back.

On Friday and Saturday night at the Saranac Lake Civic Center the Paul Smith's College Women's Hockey Team showed everyone in the building why they are the defending AAU College Hockey Women's National Champions by drubbing the visiting ACHA Women's D2 SUNY Oswego Lakers 12-1 and 12-3.

2024 National Tournament MVP Leah Coulombe (Jay, NY) picked up where she left off last season, scoring five goals and adding two assists for seven points in Friday night's opener.  Coulombe is this season's captain and spoke about what will be needed moving forward.

"It was a lot of fun getting on the ice with the girls... we did a ton of positive things and we are at a great starting point but we certainly have plenty to work on in practice for the upcoming games," said Coulombe.

"Considering the season we had last year we're all going to have to put in extra time and work to ensure we stay on top where we belong," she added.

Friday night's game was never in doubt, as the Bobcats buried four goals in the first period, followed by five in the second.  Samantha Barrett (Oak Park, IL) recorded four goals in the game and added three assists to lead the Bobcats with Coulombe with seven points each.  Senior assistant captain Amanda LaMonda contributed two goals, two assists, and two penalties, which could be considered the "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" two times over if you substitute penalties for the traditional statistic of a fighting major, which is the third metric for the legend's eponymous expression.

Lillian Gogan (Cornish, NH) rounded out the scoring for the Bobcats while Lindsay Palmer (Clifton Park, NY) and Samantha Friend (Reston, VA) contributed an assist each.  Riley Newcomb (Cazenovia, NY) added two apples (assists) of her own while Lola De Toni earned the win with 15 saves between the pipes.

On Saturday, the game was much closer after the first period than anyone would've expected as the Lakers dressed a few more players who were unable to make the game on Friday.  Barrett, Gogan, and first-year player Aubrey Brown (Campbell River, BC) scored goals, but it was only enough for a 3-2 lead going into the first intermission.  The game broke open in the second period as Leah Coulombe and Samantha Barrett scored two goals and three goals, respectively, in 10 minutes to put the Bobcats up 8-2.  Brown would get her second collegiate goal late in the period, followed by newcomer Brooklynn Shumway (Bloomingdale, NY) who also scored her first goal for the Bobcats.

"It was so fun to seeing Aubrey and Brooklynn score their first collegiate goals and it's always fun to be back slaying on the ice!" Exclaimed Barrett.

The energy from Barrett's statement was punctuated by the large crowd who came out to show support for their Lady Bobcats.

The stat sheet on Saturday mimiced Friday as Barrett found the net five times to lead the Bobcats.  Brown's and Coulombe's two goals were supplemented by Gogan, Palmer, and Shumway who had a goal each.  Samantha Friend led the assists category with two, while Coulombe and Gogan picked up solo helpers.  Eastynn Savage (Tupper Lake, NY) and Maddi Summa (Pekin, IL) split time in net, with Savage recording 14 saves on 16 shots and Summa adding seven saves on eight shots as the two were crowned Co-Players of the Game.

Head coach Rob Burke was pleased with the result, stating that "After only eight practices together, it's always exciting to start your season at home, and sweeping your home-opening weekend is a great way to start the season in terms of building confidence and trust in each other."

The Bobcats have had injury and illnesses early on and two of their players are currently in their respective fall sports seasons, but the team was fortunate to have a few non-recruited players join from around campus.

"We've already had to handle some adversity with injury and illness on an already depleted roster, so to be able to come together and accomplish some of fundamental on-ice objectives through two games within less than 24 hours of each other in front of our home crowd, with family and friends supporting the team so vocally, is always very rewarding," added Burke.

The Bobcats are 2-0 on the young season and will play Syracuse University on October 19th at home at 4pm.

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.