Bowdoin College women’s hockey coach Marissa O’Neil wanted her team to shoot the puck, battle in front of the net, tip shots and score “dirty” goals.

The Polar Bears did enough of that in Tuesday’s home opener, scoring a 4-1 victory over the University of Massachusetts Boston at Sidney J. Watson Arena.

“It was as ugly as it could be,” said O’Neil. “The toughest games are those mid-week, non-conference games coming up on a break, and fortunately we put enough into the net.”

“We wanted to get a jump on them and put away goals, which we did in the first period,” said Kenzie Novak, who assisted on freshman Ariana Bourque’s first career collegiate goal for a 3-0 lead after the first period. “The dirty goals from in front of the net are the ones we need, and we capitalized on that tonight.”

Bowdoin improved to 1-1 and will have time to rest, with the Polar Bears having 10 days off before playing a home-andhome series with rival Colby. Bowdoin visits Waterville on Nov. 30, before hosting the Mules on Dec. 1.

“We are taking a couple days off for Thanksgiving, so we will start fresh on the weekend, let the kids work on their academics and come back rested, with a full week to prepare for Colby,” said O’Neil. “This will allow them to clear their heads.”

Quick start

Bowdoin was the aggressor in the opening period, outshooting UMass-Boston 12-6.

Polar Bear netminder Tara Connolly was tested by Beacon forwards Katie Loiselle and Emily Howard, who was stopped on a breakaway midway through the period.

By that time, Bowdoin had already claimed a 1-0 lead, courtesy of a Mallory Andrews goal. Jay Greene put a shot on UMass-Boston (2-4-1) keeper Casey Schaejbe (34 saves), with Andrews gathering the puck and beating Schaejbe to the near post for a 1-0 lead.

“The first goal was just putting a shot on net and following the puck,” said O’Neil.

A 2-on-1 break on the power play was finished off by a hard wrister inside the right post by Schuyler Nardelli for her first college tally, with Emily Tang assisting on the power-play marker, and Bourque tipped a Novak shot past Schaejbe with just three seconds remaining in the opening frame for a threegoal edge.

The Beacons got one the board during a 5-on-3 power play late in the second period, with Alexandra Karlis slipping the puck past a screened Connolly (16 saves).

But, Bowdoin answered two minutes later with another one of those “ugly” goals. Stephanie Ludy fired a shot into a crowd in front of Schaejbe, with Chelsea MacNeil cleaning up for a 4-1 Polar Bears advantage through 40 minutes.

In the third period, Bowdoin defenders Gabby Grandin, Novak, Tang, Tara Celata, Maura Allen and Topsham native Madeline Lane held the Beacons to just four shots to finish off the Polar Bears’ first win after a season-opening 4-1 loss at Plattsburgh State on Saturday.

Bowdoin held a 38-17 shots advantage. The Polar Bears were 1-of-4 on the power play, while UMass-Boston finished 1- for-5.

Bowdoin 4, UMass-Boston 1

At Sidney J. Watson Arena
UMass-Boston—010—1
Bowdoin— 310—4
First period — 1. (B) Mallory Andrews
(Jay Greene), 8:30; 2. (B) Schuyler Narbelli (Emily Tang), pp, 18:37; 3. (B) Ariana
Bourque (Kenzie Novak, Kim Tess-Wanat),
19:57. Penalty — (UM-B) Kelly Sharlow
(roughing), 16:41.
Second period — 4. (UM-B) Alexandra
Karlis (Emily LaRosa), pp, 16:55; 5. (B)
Chelsea MacNeil (Stephanie Ludy, Rachel
Kennedy), 18:58. Penalties — (B) Kenzie
Novak (tripping), 2:58; (UM-B) Bench (too
many), 5:38; (B) Tara Celata (interference), 15:35; (B) Jay Greene (cross
checking), 16:32.
Third period — No scoring. Penaties —
(B) Emily Tang (body checking), 2:33;
(UM-B) Emily Howard (slashing), 13:05;
(UM-B) Kayla Kieman (body checking),
16:22; (B) Schuyler Nardelli (body checking), 19:53.
Shots on goal — UMass-Boston 6-7-4 —
17; Bowdoin 12-14-12 — 38
Saves — (UM-B) Casey Schaejbe 34; (B)
Tara Connolly 16.
Power play opportunities — UMass-
Boston 1-5; Bowdoin 1-4.
Records — Bowdoin 1-1, UMass-Boston
2-4-1.
Next — The Polar Bears visit Colby on
Nov. 30 (7 p.m.) before returning to Watson Arena on Dec. 1 against the Mules at
3 p.m.

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