The Bobcats took down the University of Tampa Spartans 4-2 at the IceLine Quad Rinks in West Chester, Pennsylvania to win the national championship.

Paul Smith’s Lauren Taber of Howards Grove, Wisconsin opened up the contest with a goal on a low shot from the top of the circle to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead around two minutes into the game.

A few minutes later, the Bobcats extended their lead to 2-0, when Riley Newcomb of of Cazenovia buried her third goal of the tournament. Rhoda Peterson of Havre, Montana and Taber picked up assists on the first and second goals, respectively. Tampa recorded one goal to close out the first period to make the score 2-1. The Bobcat’s Leah Coulombe of Jay scored the lone goal in the middle period, making the score 3-1.

Tampa connected on its second goal of the contest at 12:24 in the third period to bring the game within one. However, after a tripping penalty with 1:11 left in the game, the Tampa bench pulled their goalie and put the Spartans on the 6 on 4 advantage to try to tie it up. After strong defensive presence and multiple saves from Finch, Coulombe gathered the puck in the slot and sent the puck the full length of the ice to record the final goal of the game.

The Paul Smith’s College women’s hockey team poses at the AAU College Hockey Women’s Division National Tournament in West Chester, Pennsylvania. (Provided photo)

“The girls deserve everything,” Paul Smith’s College women’s hockey coach Gibson Gilmore said. “Good teams find a way to win, and they have proved that it takes will, not numbers, to succeed.”

The Bobcats entered the tournament with just 12 skaters plus two goalies for 14 total players.

“To end the season with a national title leaves us hungry for the future, not just for the possibility of success, but for the opportunity to build women’s hockey in the North Country,” Gilmore said. “I believe we have something special at Paul Smith’s College.”

Coulombe received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors. She finished the tournament with four goals and one assist for five points in three games.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our women’s ice hockey team and Coach Gilmore,” Paul Smith’s College Athletic Director Zack Luzzi said. “They made the most out of a season that started with some low numbers and some adversity, and they were able to transform that into a national championship run.”

Sunday’s championship game was a rematch of the tournament’s first contest, in which the Bobcats scored eight goals against the Spartans, who at that point were undefeated conference champions from College Hockey South.

Leola Brown of Brooklyn led the charge for Paul Smith’s with two goals and three assists. The Bobcats outshot the Spartans 40-29 — the first time Tampa had been outshot all season.

Paul Smith’s goalie Lola De Toni of Ottawa, Ontario, was named player of the game. She stopped 26 of 29 shots en route to the first-ever victory in the first-ever AAU College national tournament game this past Thursday.

Multiple Bobcats contributed on the score sheet. Coulombe and Peterson netted two goals apiece. Newcomb and Samantha Barret of Oak Park, Illinois each tallied one goal and two assists, while Alli Cherry of Grasonville, Maryland, Lillian Gogan of Cornish, New Hampshire and Amanda LaMonda of Saratoga Springs added one assist each.

On Saturday, Bobcats’ goalie Ashley Finch of Oswego earned player of the game honors. She finished with 30 saves in a 7-0 shutout. LaMonda got things started for the Bobcats, scoring her first game-winning goal at 4:56 of the first period. Cherry scored two goals and had an one assist, while Barrett scored twice.

Newcomb and Taber rounded out the scoring as five Bobcats recorded assists. Samantha Friend of Reston, Virginia and Lindsay Palmer of Clifton Park got their name on score sheet in the assist category.