D1 women’s hockey earns first win in inaugural weekend

Game 1 (L, 0-1)

Inside the numbers

• Purdue Northwest held Indiana Tech scoreless through the first two periods before the Warriors scored the game's only goal early in the third period.
• Indiana Tech outshot PNW 39-21, including a 14-6 advantage in the first period and an 18-6 edge in the second.
• Freshman Kalia Starcok delivered a strong performance in goal, stopping 38 of 39 shots over 60 minutes.
• PNW went 0-for-3 on the power play while holding Indiana Tech scoreless on all five of its power-play opportunities.
• The Lions defense limited Indiana Tech to one goal despite the Warriors generating 39 shots on goal.

The breakdown

• Purdue Northwest opened its inaugural home game with a scoreless first period, with Starcok turning aside all 14 Indiana Tech shots.
• The two teams remained deadlocked through the second period as PNW continued to battle defensively.
• Indiana Tech finally broke through at the 3:48 mark of the third period when Halle Murray scored to give the Warriors a 1-0 advantage.
• PNW continued to battle until the final horn but was unable to find the equalizer.
• Despite the result, the inaugural home game marked the beginning of Purdue Northwest's first season of ACHA D1 women's hockey.

Game 2 (W, 5-1)

Inside the numbers

• Purdue Northwest earned its first-ever program victory with a 5-1 win over Indiana Tech.
• The Lions scored twice in the opening period before adding three goals in the third to pull away.
• PNW was outshot 48-28 but received an outstanding performance from senior Evi Allerding, who stopped 47 of 48 shots over 60 minutes.
• Junior Petra Cernicek recorded a goal and an assist, while freshmen Ainslie Zubec, Payton Burnett, Alanna Dunks, and Emma Durand each found the back of the net.
• PNW finished the game without a power-play opportunity while successfully killing off both Indiana Tech power plays.

The breakdown

• Purdue Northwest wasted little time making program history, scoring twice in the opening 8:55 of the game.
• Zubec opened the scoring at 8:10, with freshman Mackenna Steeves earning the assist.
• Just 45 seconds later, Cernicek doubled the PNW advantage.
• Indiana Tech answered at 13:52 of the opening period, but the Pride carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
• After a scoreless second period, PNW erupted for three goals in the third, beginning with freshman Payton Burnett at 4:19.
• Dunks added an insurance goal at 18:21, with Durand following just 58 seconds later to complete the 5-1 victory.
• Allerding stood tall throughout the contest, making 47 saves to preserve the four-goal victory and help PNW secure the first win in program history.

Up next

• Purdue Northwest returns to action this weekend as they hit the road for a series at Penn State. Game 1 is Saturday, October 3 at 6:30 p.m. CT and Game 2 on Sunday, October 4 at 8:30 a.m. CT at University Park, Pennsylvania.