Auburn, ME – CMCC Women's Hockey opened the home portion of its campaign in style Sunday night with a 9-0 victory over UMass-Lowell at Norway Savings Bank Arena. Kylee Spugnardi registered a hat trick, and Taylor Melvin and Kylie Boardman each scored twice to help power the Mustangs to a dominant victory, reminiscent of some of their early success during last year's inaugural season.
Zoe Trepaney opened the scoring less than a minute in. The freshman from New Gloucester, ME scored her first collegiate goal after only 53 seconds. Claire Bath poked the puck free by the blue line and Trepaney did the rest, swooping in from left circle before burying a wrist shot upstairs over the shoulder of goaltender Bridget Bayles.
The Mustangs got two in quick succession after two minutes played. First, Fiona Landry's shot from the right point hit defenseman Emily Ryan's stick in front and deflected into the back of the net just inside the post to make it 2-0 after 2:06. Spugnardi then scored her first of the night 16 seconds later, taking a feed down the right wing and wiring a shot up under the crossbar.
UMass-Lowell got a power play after Lauren Hanlon was called for hooking, but that did not stop the Mustangs' offense from rolling right along. Landry got to the puck off an offensive zone face-off and picked out Boardman all alone at the top of the crease. The defenseman-turned-forward stopped the puck before quickly deking around the goaltender's right pad and shoveling it home.
It was 5-0 with 6:39 remaining in the period. Boardman threw a pass to the front of the net from the right corner. Spugnardi stopped it on her backhand before quickly whirling and shooting through the five-hole before the defense could converge on her. That brought a change in net with goaltender Katlin Sacco going in between the posts for the River Hawks for remainder of the game.
Spugnardi, the Mustangs captain, completed her first-period hat trick with 4:17 left in the opening frame. Landry found Boardman on the right wing to trigger a two-on-oh rush. She fed a pass across the slot and Spugnardi did the rest, deking back to the near side, around the netminder, for a backhand finish.
Melvin added a highlight reel tally early in the second period. Trepaney passed back to the point for Mackenzie Grenier, and the defenseman put her shot right on Melvin's stick at the back post. The Lewiston High School product did well to redirect the puck off the ice and just over the shoulder of Sacco to make it 7-0 at 1:43 into the middle frame. That also triggered a running clock for the remainder of the contest with the Mustangs up by seven.
Melvin scored her second goal of the night in the third period to make it 8-0. An innocuous looking shot from the right circle found a hole to sneak through the goaltender.
There was an interesting moment in the final four minutes. Central Maine goalie Tatum Hunt fell awkwardly and had to be helped off the ice with an injury that meant she could not continue. UMass-Lowell sportingly lent their goaltender, Bayles, who had started the game for them before being replaced, to finish out the game in net for the Mustangs.
The night was capped off with one more goal with 2:41 left to play. Boardman added her second tally from another offensive zone draw. Spugnardi won it back to Boardman, who fed Hanlon at the left point. Her low shot was deflected past Sacco to make it 9-0.
The victory was CMCC's first win as an official member of the IWCHL Adirondack Division North, defeating the River Hawks of the Central division. Next up for Central Maine is a visit from divisional rival Norwich University on Sunday, November 2nd. Puck drop against the Cadets is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
