Womens Hockey game against Elmira College. Photo by Michael Vesci of Beacon Athletics.
It was a rough weekend for the UMass Boston women’s hockey team as they failed to put any points on the board in their matchups against the William Smith College Herons and the Elmira College Soaring Eagles (1).
The first game against the Herons was, for the most part, a competitive defensive matchup. There was a drastically low number of shots on the goal with seven from the Herons and five from the Beacons. The first goal of the game came 15 minutes into the first period (2).
Senior Herons’ forward Emma Faso dished the puck to sophomore forward Kayla Ketchabaw. Ketchabaw got the puck past freshman Beacons’ goalie Leah Bosch for her eighth goal of the season to put the Herons up 1–0 early on. Ketchabaw is the leading scorer on the season for the Herons, and she added on to her goal count against the Beacons (2).
The Beacons were given two powerplay opportunities in the first period but failed to capitalize on either of them. When the second period came around, it was all Erin Murray. The Herons’ sophomore goalie stopped every shot that came her way, which left the Beacons frustrated. The Herons scored in the second during a powerplay, in which Ketchabaw and Faso found sophomore defender Annabel Ziskin (2).
Junior goalie Annie Hauser took over for Murray in the third period, and despite several powerplay opportunities for the Beacons, they failed to convert, losing 2–0. It was a tough loss for the Beacons, as they were matched up against two very good goaltenders that gave them a run for their money. Their defense was respectable, but ultimately, failure to take advantage of power plays is what cost the Beacons the game (2). The two schools split this season’s matchup with one win apiece (1).
The second game was anything but ideal. The Beacons were matched up against the tenth ranked Soaring Eagles, looking to make a statement after their tough loss to William Smith. Unfortunately, what really happened was that the Eagles showed why they are ranked where they are.
The first two periods showed some great defense from the Beacons. Despite their efforts though, two goals were scored, one in each period. Graduate Eagles’ forward Mary McCafferty scored once off an assist from graduate Morgan Mordini, and again buried a shot on a powerplay while being assisted by senior forward Holly Riva (3).
The Beacons did not capitalize on their powerplay at the end of the second period, but with another period of play left, they were still very much in the game. Unfortunately, this hope was short lived. The Eagles exploded in the third period with two quick goals in the first minute.
The first goal was scored on a breakaway by Riva with the help of McCafferty, who assisted on the play (3). The second goal was scored less than 40 seconds later by sophomore forward Erika Goleniak, assisted by sophomore defender Madi Morton (4).
The Beacons did their best to get themselves out of the hole, but it was to no avail. A last second goal from Goleniak planted the flag for this Eagles win, the final score being a staggering 5–0 blowout (1). The Beacons ran into a tough team at the wrong time and suffered a hard to swallow defeat.
The Beacons, for the most part, played well on the defensive end throughout both matchups. However, their offense struggled even with powerplay opportunities, a key issue that is sure to be addressed in the next few games. The Beacons’ final game of the season against Castleton is approaching soon, but there is still an opportunity for them to finish the season strong and bounce back from these brutal losses.
Sources –
1. https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/schedule
2. https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/1/27/womens-ice-hockey-falters-in-defensive-game-at-home-versus-william-smith.aspx
3. https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/1/28/womens-ice-hockey-unable-to-ground-no-10-elmira-college-at-home.aspx
4. https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/stats/2022-23/elmira-college/boxscore/5133