Elmira College’s 11th-ranked Eagles soared past the Beacons, 6–1, as women’s hockey’s six-game winning streak and terrorization of the New England Hockey Conference came to an end on Friday, Feb. 2. Elmira more than tripled UMass Boston’s shot total, 39–11, according to Beacons Athletics, a top to bottom rout of the red-hot Beacons. [1]
UMass Boston entered Elmira with confidence after having upset #13 Norwich just weeks prior. The Eagles chased UMass Boston’s star goaltender Leah Bosch out of the rink in the second period after giving up all six scores.
Abby Seaman came in relief of Bosch, stopping 13 shots in 28 scoreless minutes. In seven appearances, Seaman, a freshman, has allowed just four goals. She has put up a 1.42 GAA this season, the same stat line reflecting her young career stats as well (1).
The Eagles’ beatdown of the Beacons marked UMass Boston’s worst loss since a 7–0 defeat against the now-seventh ranked Middlebury College (1). Very little offensive presence, overmatched by the overwhelming offense of Elmira invites much concern. Now was not the time for a no-show performance, but this team understands that.
UMass Boston followed this loss with another battle against NEHC brass. Saturday, Feb. 3—just a day after their demoralizing loss—they took on William Smith on the road, 4–3 (1). While catching the Herons in the standings, who sit third in the conference, per the NCAA (2), is far-fetched at this point, it serves as a strong, important bounce-back for the Beacons.
As of their win against William Smith, the Beacons sit just one point ahead of the University of Southern Maine. Their fourth seed position grants them home ice advantage over the fifth; UMass Boston will have to stay sharp down the stretch. They don’t want to go to Southern Maine—then again, who does?
UMass Boston received an impressive start from backup goaltender, Victoria Kennedy, in their win over William Smith. Kennedy stopped 31 of the 34 shots she saw (1).
However, their split weekend made it two consecutive games that the Beacons allowed 30+ plus shots. Strong team defense and limiting opportunities has been their formula to winning this year. They just haven’t shown the offensive firepower to come out as victors in a high scoring game, let alone compete in one. Chances are that likely won’t change, and forcing the tandem of Bosch and Kennedy to stand on their heads all night brings nothing but bad news to the table.
But credit to the team for making it out of their hectic weekend 1–1; after losing a game like they did to Elmira, they didn’t roll over. In a vacuum, over this eight-game stretch, UMass Boston comes out 7–1, having found their game. Even if they lost it a little in their road trip to the Empire State, they’ve stayed intact and hold their lead over Southern Maine.
UMass Boston’s six-game win streak propelled them to the fourth seed. It covered all but one game in January, and it’s been a while since they’ve put up a stinker. It’s important not to overreact, though. Impressively, they didn’t after their streak was snapped, and they seem to carry the right mindset that leads to overcoming adversity, a much-needed trait to have down the stretch.
The Beacons never got too high. Women’s hockey feels they’ve proved who they can be as a team, not letting the noise bother them. As depriving as a 6–1 late season loss can be, flipping the page and playing good hockey can be equally encouraging—and after their win against the Herons, a strong stretch of hockey is very much in the cards. The level-headed Beacons are set to embark on their road to NEHC glory in the coming weeks; it’s important the Beacons don’t play down to their opponent, and keep the same mindset that turned their season around just a month ago.
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/schedule
- https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/icehockey-women/d3/pairwise-ranking
