RYE, N.Y. – A Manhattanville-Utica UCHC Semifinals matchup looms for a third-consecutive year as the third-seeded Valiants women's hockey team advanced past the quarterfinals on Wednesday night with a 4-0 win over No. 6 Alvernia. With the win, the Valiants make their sixth-straight trip to the UCHC Semis, now standing at 13-11-2 on the year.

Four different Valiants lit the lamp with goals while in net, Paz Hassan-Contreras (Lansing, Mich./Okemos) put on a show. In just the second start of her career and third total appearance, the rookie netminder made a season-high 21 saves to log a shutout in her postseason debut. Hassan-Contreras has shined in her time in the crease this season, having yet to allow a goal in her collegiate career in a touch over 146 minutes of ice time.

As Hassan-Contreras turned away everything fired in her direction with the Manhattanville defensive unit limiting Alvernia's offensive chances, the team was able to break a scoreless tie 15:55 into the second period. After the power play unit was held scoreless earlier in the period on an extended 5-on-3, the Valiants cashed in on the third Golden Wolves minor of the night. With time for one last rush on the woman advantage, Virginia Birnie (Ontario, Canada/Rosethay Netherwood School) took the puck after an Alvernia clear and passed it onto the stick of Lulu LePage (Swansea, Mass./Elmira College). The junior carried the puck all the way down the ice and penetrated into the offensive zone before dropping it off to Grace Genest (Wake Forest, N.C./The Gunnery (Conn.)) who was left all by her lonesome by the blue line. Genest rifled a shot on net that got past Julia Beven to put the Valiants up 1-0 on the senior captain's first of the season.

The Valiants soon after found themselves shorthanded as a roughing call just 27 seconds after the Genest goal had Manhattanville on the penalty kill for the first time on the night. Despite the numbers not being in their favor, the Valiants have the nation's leading shorthanded goal scorer from a season ago in the form of Gabrielle Cox (Niverville, NY/Ichabod Crane High School). After a clear by LePage, Annie Niedermier (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) drove in to apply pressure on the Alvernia defenders and knocked the puck loose onto the stick Cox, streaking in to the offensive zone. The graduate forward was one-on-one against Beaven and got the Alvernia netminder leaning the wrong way on a quick deke, able to slide home her third shorthanded goal of the season to put the Valiants up 2-0. The tally was Cox's 23 overall goal for the year.

Two more insurance tallies went up on the board in the third. With 8:30 gone, Danika Aubin (Guy, Alberta/Northern Alberta Xtreme (CSSHL)) tipped the puck to Cox in the defensive zone who lifted the puck into the neutral zone. There, it was corralled by Grace Felicio (Holden, Mass./Wachusett Regional) who carried it in toward the crease, dragging the puck to the right of the cage and shooting it past Beaven for her seventh of the year.

With their season hanging in the balance, Alvernia pulled Beaven for an extra attacker with 3:28 remaining in regulation. The Golden Wolves got one shot off with the six skaters on the ice before Charlotte Stanwood (West Vancouver, B.C./Penticton Secondary) scored the empty netter from Felicio to officially put the game out of reach.

Niedermier led all players with 13 faceoff wins, with the Valiants holding a 27-22 draw advantage on the night.

Manhattanville finished 1-for-3 on the power play with six total shots, while the Golden Wolves went 0-for-2 with three shots and the short handed goal allowed.

Up Next
With Utica's 5-0 win over seventh-seeded Chatham, the Valiants will load the bus up north for a third-straight semifinal showdown against the Pioneers. Puck drop between No. 3 Manhattanville and No. 2 Utica is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Nexus Center.

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