UMass Boston Women’s Hockey has found themselves in a bit of a rough patch. According to Beacons Athletics, the Beacons entered the Codfish Bowl Tournament coming off a 4–1 victory against Salem State University, but would go on to lose both tournament games. They’ve been on the hunt to bounce back from a not-so-ideal tournament outing, but it has been a struggle. [1]
Their first post-tournament game was at home against William Smith College. [1] According to Beacons Athletics, the Beacons had a golden opportunity with a five-on-three advantage for two minutes straight. During this time, they were able to get 11 shots off, but nothing was able to find the back of the net. [2]
The Herons and Beacons were in a stalemate for almost the whole first two periods. However, the last few minutes in the second saw the Herons score two goals, putting UMass Boston in a hole going into the third. Jenna Majewski was able to get them on the board in the final period of play, but that was all they could manage, losing the game 2–1 [2].
The next day, the Beacons found themselves hosting the 11th-ranked Elmira College Soaring Eagles, a very tough opponent that had UMass Boston in for some trouble. [1] According to Beacons Athletics, it did not take long for the Soaring Eagles to build a 2–0 lead, as they did so in the first period. They added one more to that total in the second period, totaling a three-goal lead going into the final period of play. [3]
Similarly to the William Smith College game, the Beacons scored for the first time in the third period; this time, it was Gianna Skrelja. That would be the last goal of the game from either team, and the Beacons would drop back-to-back games with a final score of 3–1 as they prepared to head on the road. [3]
New London, Conn. was the next stop for women’s hockey, and this is where they would face off against Connecticut College and the Camels. According to Beacons Athletics, there was a good defensive effort from both teams. Shots were flying back and forth all throughout the game, with Ana Gustafson leading the Beacons in shots, with three. [4]
With a scoreless game going into the third period, the Beacons thought they could finally end their cold streak here and potentially pull this game out. However, the Camels had other plans. Camels’ Gillian Kibbey dished it over to Serena Seiple who went on to score the only goal of the game. UMass Boston was able to get six shots off after Seiple’s goal but were unable to tie things up. The Camels won 1–0 and the Beacons had now lost their fifth game straight. [4]
This season hasn’t exactly been ideal for the Beacons thus far. Their offense has struggled, as they have only scored more than one goal in three games all season, one of which they lost. The month-long break is just about here, but perhaps the time off could be exactly what they need to readjust. [1]
Once the break is over, the Beacons will play Curry College, but after that, they will be running a New England Hockey Conference gauntlet. All 10 games left in the season will be against NEHC opponents, which will be very important when the tournament comes around for seeding. UMass Boston will be looking to rack up as many points as they can in these matches. [1]
According to Beacons Athletics, women’s hockey was unable to win a tournament game last season. [5] They certainly would like a different result this time around, and the break may be the key to them turning things around and going on a much-needed run. Just because they are down, does not mean they are out; we shall see what this team looks like come 2024.
[1] https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/schedule
[5] https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/schedule/2022-23