Gulls Split Weekend Games, Prepare for Season Finale at Babson

SALEM, Mass. – Endicott's women's ice hockey team earned a split of their games this last weekend as they closed their home schedule for the 2012-13 school year. The Gulls fell to Salem Sate 6-0 on Saturday and then bounced back Sunday with a 4-2 win at MIT.

Senior Riley O'Neil (Barre, Mass.) switched back to defense and had a strong game in the final home contest for the four-year player on Saturday, though the Gulls suffered from a 2-week layoff. Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) and MacKenzie Hurst (Gilford, N.H.) had scoring chances early in the game, but they were turned aside by Salem State goalie Brooke Pinkham. The game was scoreless until late in the 2^nd period, when the Vikings scored twice in the final minutes and never looked back.

Sophomore goalie Taylor Witham (Cumberland, Maine) was exceptional in net, recording 47 saves in the game.

The skating legs returned for the Gulls on Sunday and Samantha Parr (Dedham, Mass.) scored the game-winner with 8:24 to go off a scrum in front of the net. Bilafer and freshman Stacy Tomlinson (Morrisville, Vt.) got the assists.

Parr added an insurance goal with 3:06 left to play to put the game away, this time taking a pass from Hurst. Also scoring for the Gulls were Bilafer and junior Addie Weeks (Harwichport, Mass.), while Weeks and first year Lindsay Sneider (Gorham, Maine) picked up assists as well.

Sneider and Tomlinson turned in great defensive efforts shutting down Arianna Etsenstein, MIT's prolific scorer, while Witham again played an outstanding game in net.

The Gull's final game of the year is Friday night at Babson College. Freshman goalie Katey O'Hara (Amherst, N.H.) will get her first start in net, while O'Neil and Sara Ankerud (Groton, Mass.) will play their final games for Endicott College Hockey.