Box Score STAMFORD, Conn. – For the second straight season in the ECAC East Conference playoffs, the No. 10 Manhattanville women's hockey knocked off the New England College Pilgrims by the score of 5-0. This time around, five different players netted goals in the shutout victory at Terry Conners Rink on Friday afternoon.
 
With the win Manhattanville advances to the ECAC East semifinals against an opponent to be determined after the remaining three quarterfinal matchups tomorrow will feature Norwich hosting Plymouth State, Castleton taking on UMass Boston; and Salve Regina against Southern Maine. The semifinals and championship games will be played at the highest remaining seed after this weekend.
 
All the scoring was done in the opening period as senior Jessica Kehoe (Kemptville, Ontario/Nepean Wildcats (PWHL)) got the scoring started after stripping a Pilgrim of the puck in the corner and skated her way into the slot before sniping a shot short side to put the Valiants up 1-0 just under five minutes gone by in the opening period.
 
Just over 10 minutes later, senior Katie Little (Victoria, British Columbia/Team British Columbia) got in on the scoring action as she found the back of the net for the fourth straight game against the Pilgrims, scoring seven goals over New England College during that stretch. Little took a short pass from classmate Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Saskatchewan/Sait Polytechnic (ACAC)), and snapped a quick shot past Pilgrim netminder Lauren Hopps to put the Valiants up 2-0.
 
Three minutes later the Valiants capitalized on its second straight power play chance as senior Mary Rose Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn./Connecticut Stars (MFYHL)) floated a shot in the direction of the net, after tipping off of a New England stick on its way to the net, the puck fluttered its way off of Hopps' glove and into the top corner of the net as Manhattanville added to its lead. Seniors Lynsey Schill (Waterloo, Ontario/Kitchener Rangers (PWHL)) and Erin Sidjak (Delta, British Columbia/Pacific Steelers (JWHL)) picked up assists on the third unanswered goal for the Valiants.
 
Taylor got a favor in return from Little from the play earlier in the period, as Taylor received a pass from her longtime linemate and after some swift stick-handling moves lifted a shot over the catching glove of newly inserted goalkeeper Kirstin Conners to increase the Valiant lead to four.
 
The fifth and final goal came off the stick of sophomore Aubrey Bachand (Harwichport, Mass./Vermont Academy), who tipped a pass taken by classmate Rachael Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn./Sound Shore Warriors (MAWHL)) into the corner of the net to cap off the scoring at 5-0. In addition to Morrison, Schill also picked up her second assist of the afternoon.
 
The period ended with Manhattanville leading in terms of shots at a 10-2 margin, but more importantly leading on the scoreboard at a 5-0 differential. Shots in the second period were even at six apiece, for a 40 minute total of 16-8 in favor of the Valiants.
 
In the third period, Manhattanville regained control of the game while outshooting the Pilgrims 14-3 over the final 20 minutes of regulation. In the third, there were penalties abound for both the Valiants and the Pilgrims, but neither side was able to finish as Manhattanville went 0-for-3 and New England went 0-for-1 on its power play chance.
 
Manhattanville (17-8-1, 14-3-1 ECAC East) heads to the conference semifinals next weekend against an opponent and place still to be determined. New England College (8-12-6, 5-9-4 ECAC East) wraps up its season with today's loss and will look ahead to the 2013-14 season set to begin the first weekend in November.