ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University women's hockey team had its season come to an end in the first round of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) playoffs on Saturday afternoon, falling at the hands of visiting Stevenson University by a score of 2-1.

Helen Cooney was the standout performer on the afternoon for the Knights, making 45 saves on her way to setting a new program record for saves in a career. Georgia Wunder was the lone goal scorer for Neumann.

It didn't take long for Cooney to set a new standard for saves in the Neumann women's hockey history book. The senior netminder broke the record on her first save of the game just 1:36 into the first frame. The Neumann bench and fans in the crowd erupted in celebration and the Knights used the momentum from the moment as fuel for a solid first period. Stevenson generated two early power-plays early on but the Knights were excellent on the penalty kill, shutting down both attempts to keep things scoreless. The game remained knotted up at zeroes until the Neumann power-play unit got a chance of its own. With under three minutes in the period, a Braeden Ott point shot was deflected home by Wunder to give the hosts a 1-0 lead heading to intermission.

Despite being down a goal, Stevenson started to assert itself in the second stanza. The Mustangs outshot the Knights by a count of 19-7 in the frame and levelled the contest up just 2:10 into the period. Neumann's best chance in the middle 20 minutes came off the stick of Claudia Trionfo, but her shot from the slot was cleared off the goal line by the skate of a Mustang defender. The Knights also had a late power-play opportunity in the period, but could not get anything going on it as the game moved to the third still tied at one apiece.

An early penalty to Neumann gave Stevenson the opening it needed to push its way in front. The Knights fought valiantly to kill off the two-minute advantage, but just one second after the penalty ended the Mustangs banged home a loose puck in the crease to take a 2-1 lead with 13:12 left to play. Neumann tried its best to get the game tied up, but a stingy Stevenson defense kept the hosts off the board throughout the period. The Knights pulled Cooney with 1:40 left to play for an extra attacker, but despite a few good lucks at the net, they could not find an equalizer. Stevenson held on for the 2-1 road victory and will now move on to the UCHC semifinals next weekend.

Neumann finishes its season with a record of 12-13-1. Despite the first-round loss, the Knights have much to build on after hosting their first playoff game in nine seasons. The team will miss its three graduating seniors but will look to make it back to the playoffs and go even further next year.