BUFFALO — Erin Gehen (West Seneca/West Seneca West) found the back of the net with just 1:47 left to play to lift Buffalo State to a 1-0, ECAC West win over No. 9 Utica this afternoon at the Buffalo State Ice Arena.
Buffalo State and Utica played an even first period with the Bengals holding a 9-7 edge in shots.
The second period remained scoreless as it was more of the same between the two evenly matched teams. Buffalo State held a 17-13 shooting edge heading into the third. The best chance for Utica came 8:34 into the third. The Pioneers found themselves on a 5-3 advantage, but Buffalo State’s defense rose to the challenge as it was able to kill off both penalties to keep the game tied, 0-0. The Bengals’ game-winner came six minutes later. Buffalo State gained control of the puck in its zone, before the outlet pass from Emily DeCock (Ramara, ON/Patrick Fogarty) in the corner fell on Gehen’s stick just before her own blue-line. Gehen and Christine Harris (Mountain Tops, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) played give-and-go at center ice, with Gehen bringing into the Utica zone. Gehen made a quick deke, and then roofed her shot into the upper right corner of the net to give Buffalo State a 1-0 lead. Utica went back on the power-play in the final minute and pulled its goalie, but Buffalo State’s Justine Silva (Baldwin Park, CA/Arroyo) stood strong and the Bengals held on for a 1-0 victory, its second-straight against the No. 9 team in the nation. Silva finished with 25 saves to record her first shutout of the season, including 12 stops in the final period.
Buffalo State will head to Potsdam for an ECAC West weekend series, Nov. 11-12. Friday’s game will faceoff at 7 p.m. while Saturday’s is set for 2 p.m.
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