SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – Junior Abby Burke (Bedford, Mass./The Rivers School) had a 37-save shutout and the Saint Michael's College women's ice hockey team closed out the home portion of its schedule with a 3-0 win against New England College in New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) action at Cairns Arena on Saturday. The Purple Knights improve to 4-15-1 overall and 2-11 in the league, while the Pilgrims are 8-12-1 and 3-9-1. Saint Michael's has won the last three meetings against New England College.

With a goal in Saturday's game, Saint Michael's junior Erin Dwyer (Weymouth, Mass./Archbishop Williams) has 18 career tallies, tying her with Michelle Miaskiewicz '06 and Macey Thomas '14 for ninth in program history. Dwyer also picked up her 38th career point to take sole possession of 10th in school annals.

Dwyer and juniors Lauren Cuculino (Glen Mills, Pa./Quakers) and Tori Dinger (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) scored for Saint Michael's. Classmate Athena Akiki (Allendale, N.J./New Jersey Rockets), sophomores Katherine O'Brien (East Sandwich, Mass./Tilton School) and Jillian Witwicki (Danvers, Mass./Pingree School) and first-year Brenna Galvin (Dorchester, Mass./Boston Latin School) each contributed one assist. Senior Kaly Spilhaus (Bourne, Mass./Groton School) was 9-of-17 on faceoffs, while junior Carolyn Avery (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) went 6-for-11 on draws. Burke registered a 37-save shutout for her third clean sheet of the season. Burke also has eight 30-save performances on the year.

New England College senior Morgan Braniff (Tustin, Calif./Anaheim Lady Ducks) won eight draws. First-year Lindsey Powers (Stittsville, Ontario/Northwood) stopped eight shots in the opening 24:59 and classmate Ashley Castriotta (Framingham, Mass./The Winchendon School) turned aside all 18 shots she faced in 32:58 of relief action.

Saint Michael's scored twice on nine first-period shots, while New England College sent 10 shots on net. At 3:29, Pilgrim junior Mackenzie Meegan (Phoenix, Ariz./Dallas Stars Elite) skated down the left side half boards and sent a wrist shot that was gobbled up by Burke. Cuculino then put the hosts up at 5:04 when she let loose a blue line shot that popped up and over Powers' blocker before trickling over the goal line. Witwicki looked to extend the margin eight minutes later when she backhanded a slot shot that was blocked away by Powers. Less than one minute later, Dinger skated through the offensive zone and backhanded a shot five-hole at 13:29. Sophomore Amanda McGoldrick (Natick, Mass./Boston Junior Shamrocks) wristed a right circle shot kicked out by Burke with just under two minutes left.

Skating with a power play carried over from the opening period, New England College senior Lindsey Stewart (Houston, Texas/Anaheim Lady Ducks) struck the right post 48 seconds in. The hosts went up by a 3-0 margin at 4:59 thanks to Dwyer. Wiwticki snapped a shot from the right circle that was initially stopped by Powers, but the puck trickled through her pads and Dwyer tapped in the loose puck to the left side. Saint Michael's nearly went up 4-0 when first-year Christiana Akiki (Allendale, N.J./New Jersey Rockets) saw her point blast hit the left post at 7:37.

New England College led shots, 10-6, in the final period. At 7:40, first-year Alexa Scribner (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) missed left on a breakaway chance and senior Rachel Vigliano (Monroe, N.J./New Jersey Colonials) snapped a point-blank wrister into Burke's chest at 12:45. The hosts killed off a late penalty thanks to a Burke stop and a blocked shot by the Purple Knight defense.

Four Purple Knight seniors were recognized before the game as part of Senior Day: Spilhaus, Amanda Kempainen (Chazy, N.Y./Chazy Flyers U19), Emily Loebs (Acton, Mass./Minuteman Lady Flames) and Naomi Major (Telluride, Colo./Telluride Lizard Heads).

Saint Michael's closes out its regular season with four road games, beginning next Friday at 7 p.m. at Saint Anselm College.