Women’s Hockey Piles On the Goals to Remain Undefeated

Saranac Lake, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College women's hockey team remains undefeated through the first four games of the season after sweeping Binghamton at home over the weekend.

Every single player got their name on the score sheet as the Bobcats defeated the Bearcats 14-1 Friday and 8-1 Saturday.  One of those players was Riley Newcomb (Cazenovia, NY), who combined for five goals and four assists over the two-game homestand, including four goals on Friday night at the Saranac Lake Civic Center.

"I am excited to take what we've done this weekend and turn it up a notch for the games to come," said Newcomb.  "It's just the begining of the season, but SU is going to be a familiar and exciting challenge that will hopefully keep us rolling through this season," she added.

Newcomb is referring to Syracuse University, last year's AAU College Hockey Women's Division national champions.  The Orange will look to continue their undefeated streak, but the Bobcats are going to do everything they can to take down the reigning champs.

If Paul Smith's College plays like they have during the first four games, their chances of knocking off the Orange are quite high.  Leah Coulombe (Jay, NY) and Sam Barrett (Oak Park, IL), both former All-Americans, have had great starts to the season, as the pair have 30 points between them over just four games.

Another player who has stepped up to fill a key role is junior defenseman Lindsay Palmer (Clifton Park, NY).  Palmer notched a goal and an assist in the 8-1 win on Saturday, and spoke about the team outlook after fellow defenseman Brooklynn Shumway (Bloomingdale, NY) went down with a broken arm.

"It was really nice to finally get a goal last night knowing that every member of our team has now been able to score this season," said Palmer.  "Losing Brooklynn will be a massive loss for our season, especially on the back end.  Running three defenders will certainly be difficult and tiring, but it's nothing this program hasn't done before.  I know we are all wishing Brooklyn well in her recovery," added Palmer, ever the consummate teammate.

Head coach Rob Burke also spoke to the work Shumway and the rest of team have put in over the course of the young season.  "Watching Brooklynn literally sacrificing her own body to successfully protect our goalie against one of Binghamton's biggest and most physical players in Friday night's win filled my heart with pride because she's such a complete team player."

The Bobcats are down to nine skaters, but all of them have experience playing with a short bench as last year's team can attest.  Shumway's broken arm is a tough result, but this team is built on resilience.

"Unbeluevably, she (Shumway) came out to our game on Saturday to support her teammates," continued Burke.  "That shows just how tough this amazing multi-sport athlete truly is!  We had to make some lineup adjustments for Saturday's game... so I'm very proud of everybody for coming together as a team to get the sweep this weekend," added Burke.

The women's hockey team takes on Syracuse this coming weekend in back-to-back home games.  Friday's game is at 6pm, followed by Saturday's game at 1pm - both games are at the Saranac Lake Civic Center.

You can follow the women's hockey team on Instagram at @pscwhockey or follow the general athletics account at @smitty_nation for scores, highlights, pictures, and much more!

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At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. As the only four-year institution of higher education located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith's provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences, and natural resources. We can draw on industries and resources available in our backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive, and adventurous individuals collectively provides experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond, and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu.