POTSDAM, N.Y.- Sophomore forward Rebecca Holmes (Lawtons, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) and senior captain Kaylee Merrill (Wasilla, Alaska/Anchorage North Stars) each scored twice as the SUNY Potsdam women's hockey team (11-11, 6-9 NEWHL) defeated Buffalo State (7-15, 1-12) 5-0 on Senior Night. Holmes and Merrill also had two assists each for four-point evenings. Senior forward Megan Teachout (Auburn, N.Y./Oswego State) had a power-play goal and two assists for three points. Junior goalie Ellie Zurfluh (Arvada, Colo./Team Colorado) stopped all 24 shots she faced for her second career shutout.
Potsdam controlled the play territorially early, but neither team generated many shots over the first half of the period. Merrill finally got the offense rolling at 9:23. After Holmes dug the puck free from the wall, the Bears' captain picked it up and looped around to the right side of the net and ripped it past Bengals sophomore goalie Jessica Auge (Laingsburg, Mich./Honeybaked Detroit). Nearly two minutes later, Merrill struck again from in front of the net to make it 2-0 at 11:20. Teachout and Holmes picked up the assists. The Bears went on the power play a few minutes later, but Buffalo State managed to kill the penalty. The score was unchanged after one.
Play evened out in the second period. Buffalo State was able to generate a few chances on their first power play, but the Bears successfully killed the penalty. The Bengals got into penalty trouble with just over six minutes left. Potsdam went on a brief five-on-three power play, but Buffalo State escaped more damage. With just over 51 seconds left, Holmes broke loose and beat Auge on a breakaway to give the Bears a 3-0 lead heading into the second intermission. Teachout and Merrill assisted on the goal.
Potsdam outshot Buffalo State 12-10 in the third period. Holmes buried her second goal at 4:54, finishing a two-on-one pass from Merrill. Each team had a power play and Potsdam converted on its opportunity. At 9:01, Teachout scored from just outside the left faceoff circle, wristing a shot into the upper left corner of the net. Sophomore forward Lyvia Chambers (Buffalo, N.Y./Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles) and senior forward Emily DellaNeve (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Bisons) assisted on the play. Zurfluh's 10, third period saves cemented the victory.
Auge had 24 stops for the Bengals. Buffalo State was 0-for-2 on the power play and Potsdam finished 1-for-4.
Prior to the game, seniors Merrill, DellaNeve and Alex Quinn (Potsdam, N.Y./St. Lawrence Steel) were honored for their careers.
Merrill now has 72 career points on 54 goals and 18 assists, ranking fifth and second in those respective categories in the program's NCAA-era. She leads the NEWHL with 35 points this season, just one point shy from tying Bears Hall of Famer Jordan Ott '17 and Jessica Silveira 's ('14) 2014 single-season mark of 36. She already owns Potsdam's NCAA-era single-season goals record with 25.
The Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they head to SUNY Cortland for a 3 p.m. NEWHL showdown.