EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – The magic for Post University Women's Ice Hockey ran out on Wednesday afternoon as the seventh-seeded Eagles were unable to replicate the upset success they had over the weekend at Franklin Pierce University against top-seeded LIU in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance Semifinals. In a single-elimination game, the Post offense was held silent by graduate goalie Abbie Thompson, falling 2-0 and seeing their season close with a 13-21-3 record overall. 

THE BASICS

Post University 0, LIU 2

Post University (13-21-3)

LIU (22-11-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED
As was the case for both of Post's NEWHA Quarterfinals games, offense came at a premium for both sides resulting in a scoreless first period that saw the Eagles hold the Sharks to no shots on goal for nearly the first nine minutes of action. Both junior goalie Hannah Saunders, who entered the game riding a three-game shutout streak, and Thompson were perfect between the pipes for 20 minutes in what would be the highest period of offense combined between the two teams with 14 total shots on goal. 

Junior forward Ryane Kearns, who ultimately had the game-winning goal, wasted no time getting LIU its first goal of the affair in the second period as a scrum for the puck behind the net ended up on her stick on a pass from senior forward Maggie Culp. Wrapping it around the left post, Kearns would find just enough daylight to squeeze the puck by Saunders to give her team the 1-0 advantage. Post's only two power-play opportunities of the game would come in the second period in which they generated just one shot on net against Thompson.

After coming out of the gates firing in the first period, the Eagle offense was grounded for nearly the final 40 minutes with just eight total shots thrown at Thompson in net for a game total of 14 shots that were all stopped by the graduate student. The Post defense was equally as stout through the final two periods, allowing LIU to generate nine shots for a game total of 19 shots with 17 saves made by Saunders between the pipes. 

Senior forward Jeannie Wallner added the only other goal of the game during the latter half of the third when a loose puck found her in a one-on-one situation going the other way. The senior would go for the slapshot from the right circle, finding the top left corner against Saunders with just over seven minutes to go in the game, giving LIU the insurance they needed to eliminate Post from the NEWHA Tournament with a 2-0 shutout win. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Hannah Saunders was handed the first NEWHA Tournament playoff loss of her career as she entered the game a perfect 3-0-0 in postseason play with just one goal allowed and two shutouts -- Saunders accounts for all three of the postseason wins that Post University has had in school history
• Post University's penalty kill finished the NEWHA Tournament going 9-for-9 across their three games played after going 2-for-2 today and in their weekend series against Franklin Pierce University finishing 7-for-7 in the two games played 
• Recording 13 wins this season, this is the most single-season wins for Post University in program history, as their previous record was 12 wins during the 2019-20 season, in which they went 12-23-0 overall 
• Today's matchup between Post University and LIU marked the first time in 21 matchups that the two programs have met in the NEWHA Tournament -- The Sharks are now 19-1-1 against the Eagles in the all-time series with the lone loss being their last regular season meeting