Women’s Hockey Shuts Down Adrian, Moves on to NCAA Semifinals

Season Update

The nationally ranked No. 6 Continentals (22-5-2 overall) will play at No. 3 Amherst College in a national semifinal on Friday, March 17 at 7 p.m.

The fifth-ranked Bulldogs (26-4-0) had won their last six games and was 18-0 at home this season coming into today.

How It Happened

• There were plenty of good scoring chances but no goals in the first period. Hamilton finished with seven shots on goal and Adrian had nine.
• The Bulldogs dominated the second period until a faceoff in the left circle in their defensive zone with just under five minutes left. The Continentals’ Allie Curry '23 won the draw back to Grace Crowley ’26 and Crowley faked a shot before she passed to her right. Cuora Sullivan &rsquo26 took the pass near the point and launched a wrist shot through traffic that settled into the back of the net with 4:53 remaining in the period.
• Adrian held an 11-4 shot advantage in the second period.
• Except for a 47-second span midway through the third period when Hamilton put three shots on goal, the Bulldogs controlled the third period as well.
• The Continentals took a two-minute penalty for body-checking at 6:27 of the third. Adrian took five shots, but Sheridan stopped four of them and Abby Kuhns '23 blocked the other.
• Hamilton went more than seven minutes without a shot late in the period, and then the Bulldogs pulled their goaltender for an extra skater with 1:30 to go. Four seconds after Adrian gained the 6-on-5 advantage, Sheridan made her 30th save.
• Lydia Bullock ’26 forced a turnover by the Bulldogs in her defensive zone and pushed the puck forward to Abby Smith ’24. Smith passed the puck to herself off the left-side boards in the neutral zone, avoided two defenders and clinched the historic victory on an empty-net goal with 56.4 seconds left.

Notes

• Sheridan has a 1.43 goals against average, a .940 save percentage and a 15-4-1 record with five shutouts in 21 starts.
• Sheridan and her teammates thoroughly frustrated an Adrian offense that averaged more than five goals and 50 shots on goal this season.
• Sullivan – a defender -- didn't score in the regular season or the NESCAC championship, but has a goal in each of the Continentals' two NCAA games.
• Smith has a point in five of the last six games and is second on the team with 10 goals.
• Crowley recorded her first point in just her fourth collegiate contest.
• Bullock registered her first point since Jan. 24.
• Curry has nine assists and 22 points in her Hamilton career.
• The versatile Maddie Hong ’23, who played on the blue line in the NCAA first round win against Nazareth College on March 8, won 9 of 12 faceoffs against Adrian.
• Sophie Goldberg made 15 saves for the Bulldogs.
• Adrian's power play in the third period was the only one for either team.