FREDERICK, MD – Hilbert College Women's Hockey opened their season this afternoon at Rockville Ice Center in Maryland against Hood College. The Hawks and Blazers played a back-and-forth season opener as the teams were separated by a single goal in a 3-2 Hood College victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After action in both ends to start the game, including a successful penalty kill by each team, the Blazers capitalized on their sixth shot on goal of the contest. Astrid Wilbur deflected Lucianna Szczubiala's point shot to open the scoring nine minutes into the game. Three minutes later, Hood doubled their lead on a net-front scramble for a 2-0 lead. The Blazers looked to add another to the lead, but Hilbert goalie Tia Card stopped five straight shots to end the period to keep the score 2-0 heading to intermission.

Hilbert came out of the locker room looking to cut into the Hood lead, which they did less than two minutes into the second period. After Brooke Kwiecien and Izabelle Wagner worked the puck down low, Jacqueline Alaburda found an open area in front of the net and buried the puck past the Blazers' goalie to make it a 2-1 game.

Eight minutes later, Alaburda's second tally of the game knotted the score at 2-2. Wagner collected her second assist of the game after another good play down low that led to Alaburda finding the back of the net from the slot. Hilbert applied pressure looking for their first lead of the game with six more shots after tying the game, but it would be the Blazers who would leave the period with an advantage on the scoreboard.

Caroline Kittell found the back of the net with seven seconds left in the second period to restore the Hood lead and make it 3-2 heading into the third period.

The first ten shots of the third belonged to the Blazers, but Card stood tall in net to keep the Hawks in the game and in search of an equalizer. Hilbert did all they could in the final 15 minutes of the game with eleven shots, but Hood goalie Maggie Grijalva shut the door to secure the 3-2 win for the hosts.
 
GAME NOTES

• Card made 42 stops, including 20 in the third period.
• Jacqueline Alaburda and Kaitlin Cowie each fired six shots on net for the Hawks, while Kelsey Fuller took five shots in her collegiate debut.
• Wagner's assists on each of Alaburda's second-period goals marked the first two points of her collegiate career in her first career game.
• Anna Faulkner took four shots, won 17 faceoffs, and blocked four shots in the game.

 
UP NEXT
The two teams are back in action tomorrow morning as the Hawks will look to split the weekend doubleheader. Tomorrow's contest will take place at Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex with a 7:15 AM puck drop.