Hatch, Hari Lead No. 5 Wolverines to 4–2 Victory Over No. 8 Niagara
A pair of multi-point performances powered UM-Dearborn to another convincing win, extending the team’s dominant start to the 2025–26 campaign.
DEARBORN, Mich. – No. 5 University of Michigan-Dearborn women's ice hockey extended its dominant start to the season on Friday night, powering past No. 8 Niagara 4–2 at the UM-Dearborn Ice Arena behind a relentless offensive attack and a standout performance from goaltender Kenna Borso.
Niagara opened the scoring just 27 seconds into the game, but the Wolverines answered quickly. Finnia O'Neill Di Mascio buried the equalizer less than a minute later off a setup from Stephanie Hatch and Pallavi Hari, sparking UM-Dearborn's momentum. Hari then gave the Wolverines their first lead at 8:47 of the first, capitalizing on a defensive miscue for an unassisted tally.
The back-and-forth action continued early in the second period as Niagara converted on a power play to tie the game 2–2. UM-Dearborn regained control at 8:31 when Maddison McIndoo finished a rebound chance created by Nicole Hahn and Taylor Spence, sending the Wolverines into the third with a one-goal advantage.
UM-Dearborn sealed the win at 6:10 of the final frame when Hatch cashed in on the power play, firing home a feed from Cadence Pero to make it 4–2. From there, the Wolverines tightened defensively, allowing just two third-period shots.
Borso was steady all night, stopping 22 of 24 shots to earn the win. UM-Dearborn outshot Niagara 49–24 and controlled long stretches of play despite a penalty-heavy contest that featured 38 combined minutes.
With the victory, the Wolverines improve to 15–1–0, continuing one of the best starts in program history as they look ahead to a crucial stretch of conference play.
