NORTH ADAMS, MA – Hilbert College Women's Hockey earned its first win of the 2025-26 season this evening with a 3-1 road victory over Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA). The win, the Hawks' first since Oct. 28, 2023, marked the first in the collegiate career of Head Coach Brian Becker.

Hilbert used a goal in each period and a nearly flawless performance from Tia Card between the pipes to take down the Trailblazers tonight. Kelsey Fuller recorded the first two goals of the evening for the visiting Hawks, while Brooke Kwiecien added an empty-net tally to seal the deal late in the third period.

After Card stopped the first five Trailblazer shots of the contest, the Hawks got on the board over halfway through the opening frame to open the scoring. Victoria Battaglia and Victoria Koenig worked the puck to Fuller, who beat a defender and buried the puck behind the MCLA goalie for the early lead. Card turned aside four more Trailblazer attempts before the horn sounded to send the Hawks into the locker room up 1-0.

Following four more stops from Card, Fuller used an individual effort to add her second goal of the night and double the Hilbert lead 7:22 into the middle frame. Fuller stole the puck from the defender, before sending her own rebound into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

However, the hosts would cut the lead in half five minutes later on a powerplay opportunity, sending the game into the third period with the Hawks up 2-1.

When play resumed in the final 20 minutes, MCLA pressed offensively looking to even the score, but Hilbert, led by 21 stops from Card and blocked shots by Fuller, Alexandra Yockell, Jacqueline Alaburda, Sophia Gannon, Angelica Hoogerdyk, and Victoria Koenig shut the door on a Trailblazers comeback.

With the net vacant, Brooke Kwiecien found the beck of the net from the Hilbert blueline to restore the two-goal advantage and wrap up the win for the Hawks.

Card earned her second-career win with 41 saves on 42 shots. Her one goal allowed matched Brook Thompson's effort earlier this season for the fewest goals allowed in a contest by a Hilbert goaltender.

Battaglia and Amelia Murphy led Hilbert with six shots on goal each, while Battaglia also contributed a game-high 12 faceoff wins.

Fuller tallied her first two goals of the season of five shots and Kwiecien added a game-high four blocked shots to her first goal of the year.
 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will stay in Massachusetts to take on the Trailblazers tomorrow night at 5 pm.