William Smith first-year goalie Maggie Salmon was tabbed the ECAC Women’s West Co-Rookie of the Week by the conference office this afternoon. She backstopped the Herons to a 1-1-0 record in their weekend series against Cortland. Salmon stopped 89 of the 92 shots she faced. Fellow first-yearRebecca Begley was named to the ECAC West honor roll.
Salmon got the nod in goal for the Herons against the Red Dragons in both games this weekend against the Red Dragons. In Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Cortland, Salmon turned aside 47 of the 50 shots she faced and kept the Red Dragons off the scoreboard stopping 18 shots in the third period. On Sunday, she notched her first collegiate win and shutout, blanking Cortland 4-0. Salmon made 42 saves in the first shutout in program history. She made a pair of sprawling saves in the game’s final minute to preserve the shutout. Salmon held the Red Dragons off the score sheet for 83:32 from Saturday into Sunday.
Salmon finished the season with 593 saves and a .908 saves percentage. She played her best hockey down the stretch making 40-plus saves in each of her last six games. She had a season-high 58 saves in a 2-1 loss to Neumann on Nov. 23. Salmon notched her first collegiate point assisting shorthanded goal against Elmira. Salmon’s save percentage was ninth best in the ECAC West among goalies that have played at least 33 percent of the team’s minutes.
Begley recorded a team-high three points (1g, 2a) for the Herons this weekend. On Saturday, she recorded an assist on Fewster’s third period goal. On Sunday, she collected an assist on Rachel McKay game-winning goal at 11:38 of the first period. She fired a shot from the right corner and McKay banged home the loose puck. At 9:47 of the third period, Begley scored her second goal of the season to ice the game for William Smith. Sarah Garrett drove hard into the corner and sent a pass to Begley at the point. Begley blasted a shot that snuck just under the crossbar giving the Herons a 4-0 lead.
Begley finished the 2014-15 season with eight points. She recorded her first collegiate point in a 4-3 loss to Potsdam. Her first career goal came in January against Franklin Pierce. Begley finished the season with points in three of her last four games. She finished tied for 12th in the ECAC West among blue line scorers with seven points.
