HAMBURG, N.Y. ­­– The Lebanon Valley College Women's Ice Hockey team delivered a balanced performance at Hilbert College, as eight players tallied points in the program's 5-0 victory over the Hawks on Friday, Jan. 3 at Nike Base. Anna Dale helped lead the way with two goals, while Madelynn Debelis and Addison Taylert also netted the first goals of their careers. 

The Dutchmen (7-3-1, 5-2-1 MAC) were aggressive offensively from the start, taking 14 shots on goal during the first 9:17 of the game. Debelis, Taylert, and Tiffany Anderson contributed to these opportunities, taking a shot each within 23 seconds in the third minute. Norah McCauliffe also logged three attempts for LVC during this stretch. Lebanon Valley opened the scoring 10:09 into the first period, taking a 1-0 lead over the Hawks (0-9-0) on an unassisted goal by Dale. By dominating the possession, the Flying Dutchmen prevented Hilbert from putting a shot on goal until goaltender Lacy Bigelow recorded her first save at the 13:22 mark.

Lebanon Valley found the net again 13:45 into the opening period, taking a 2-0 advantage. The team went ahead by two when Debelis sent a shot into the net, courtesy of an assist by Erin Yorke. LVC also continued to send the puck toward the net as the frame progressed, as Leela Nemani and Jess Dawe registered back-to-back shots that were saved in the 16^th minute. 

Back on the defensive end, Bigelow kept limiting the opposition by coming through with stops at the 17:52 and 18:26 marks. The Dutchmen then capped off their strong first period by putting another point on the board, extending their lead to 3-0. The program continued its offensive clinic with a short-handed, unassisted goal by Dale. 

Lebanon Valley continued to create scoring chances when the second period got underway. Nemani took a shot that was saved 31 seconds into the frame before Maeghan Howson's attempt was saved at the 2:14 mark, and Cheyenne Wilk's try was saved at the 4:28 mark. Defensively, Bigelow remained dominant by making saves at the 5:26, 5:54, and 7:11 marks. The Flying Dutchmen then scored again 7:41 into the second, making it a 4-0 contest. Taylert extended the program's advantage by sending the puck into the net following assists by Najla Hatem and Anderson. 

LVC also kept generating opportunities as the frame rolled on, logging seven shots on goal over the next 3:36. Hilbert responded with an attempt at the 11:59 mark, but Howson blocked this shot for LVC. Bigelow also continued her strong effort for the Dutchmen, making a pair of saves within eight seconds in the 17^th minute. The goaltender then recorded big stops at the 18:23, 19:10, and 19:27 marks. Lebanon Valley later took the final shot of the second period, as Howson's try was saved with four seconds left. 

The Flying Dutchmen created a chance on the offensive end early in the third period, as Dawe took a shot on goal that was saved 45 seconds into the frame. The Hawks countered by putting a shot on goal at the 2:36 mark, which resulted in a save by Bigelow. This was followed by Lebanon Valley beginning its first power play of the night during the fourth minute, which led to the program taking three shots on goal during this stretch. Over this span, Anderson tallied two attempts within 14 seconds in the fifth minute, and Howson had a try saved at the 5:48 mark. Bigelow also faced more shots during the third period and responded with three saves in a 13-second stretch during the ninth minute. 

Offensively, the program continued to send the puck toward the net as well. In the 13^th minute, McCauliffe took a pair of shots that were saved, and Nemani had an attempt saved within 32 seconds. The Dutchmen then added an insurance point at the 14:22 mark, advancing the score to 5-0. Yorke found the net for the team's last goal of the game after assists by Wilk and Nemani. Lebanon Valley and Hilbert proceeded to go back and forth through the remainder of the contest. LVC recorded four more shots on goal during this stretch while preventing the Hawks from taking a shot. Ultimately, Lebanon Valley maintained its 5-0 advantage through the end of the matchup. 

Inside the Box Score

• Dale scored her team-leading eighth and ninth goals of the season. The sophomore also tallied her fourth game-winning goal of the winter, setting the single-season program record. The previous record was held by Wilk and Alexa Spiers, who both had three game-winning goals during the 2022-23 campaign. This marks Dale's sixth career game-winning goal as well, which is a program record. Olivia Cindrich previously held the record with five game-winning goals.
• Dale's short-handed goal was her second of the campaign and her career, setting LVC's single-season record and tying the program's career record. The sophomore tied Nikki Lloyd '18, who had two career short-handed goals. 
• Yorke netted her third goal of the campaign and dished out an assist on the goal by Debelis.
• Debelis scored her first career goal. 
• Taylert also found the net for the first time in her career. 
• Hatem recorded her first career point by assisting Taylert's goal. 
• Anderson registered an assist on Taylert's goal. The junior also posted a game-high 18 faceoff wins.
• Wilk tallied an assist on Yorke's goal.  
• Nemani logged an assist on the goal by Yorke. The first-year also had eight faceoff victories. 
• Lebanon Valley outshout Hilbert 62-15, setting a program record for shots on goal in a game. LVC's previous record was 57 attempts during a 7-0 victory over Hilbert on Oct. 29, 2022. 
• Yorke and Howson tied for a game-high nine shots. 
• Howson also blocked a shot on the defensive end. 
• Bigelow made 15 saves for her second shutout of the season. 
• The Flying Dutchmen had a 29-23 advantage in faceoff victories. 

Up Next
The Dutchmen will return to action at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 4, when the team will compete against the Hawks again at Nike Base in Hamburg, New York. 

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