The Massachusetts women’s club hockey team finished its weekend with a 5-1 victory over Concordia on Saturday morning.
The Minutewomen (11-14-1) faced off against the Cardinals (9-13) at the Mullins Center Community Rink in hopes to turn the tide within the two-game series. Previously losing against Concordia in a disappointing 3-1 matchup the night before, UMass utilized the chip on its shoulder and came out victorious.
“Since Christmas it’s been rough,” head coach Bill Wright said. “So any win we get is huge right now”.
UMass came out of the gates strong, clinching its first goal within the first 10 minutes of the first period. On a breakaway, Abigail Dunn took the puck down the right side of the rink strategically dropping the puck back to Danielle Craig for a clear shot on net. Craig’s decisive shot found its mark, igniting a spark of energy within the Minutewomen. The goal not only bolstered their confidence but also served as a catalyst for their momentum, setting off a chain reaction of determined play and intensified effort.
Shortly after, UMass gained a power play within the last few minutes of the first period. Seizing the opportunity, the Minutewomen hit shot after shot towards the Cardinals’ goaltender, Rose Lennon. Joanna Dustin passed the puck to Kaleigh Wall who proceeded to take the puck down the right side of the rink. Virtually unguarded, Wall looped around the back of the net to drop the puck off into the left side of the goal.
“I think that game was really big for us,” Wall said. “I mean we haven’t done that well [in a while].”
The second period had goals from both teams. Just 15 seconds into a power play opportunity, UMass capitalized on its advantage, swiftly converting it into a goal and seizing the momentum in their favor. However, Concordia swiftly retaliated and quickly responded with its first and only goal of the period mere seconds after UMass’ score.
“We’ve had a couple of games that ended in losses that we definitely could’ve won so I think winning that game was very big for team morale,” Wall said.
Hannah Gromko, the sole scorer for the Minutewomen the night prior, and Wall once again were responsible for UMass’ last two goals of the game in the third period of play. The Minutewomen ended the game with a total of 27 shots compared to the Cardinals’ 36.
“I think we got some crucial bounces,” Wright said. “We’ve been working hard. We haven’t had a lot of wins lately but it’s not for a lack of effort, it’s just that we haven’t gotten the bounces [and] we haven’t been in the right places at the right time. [Saturday] we were.”
The Minutewomen will once again face the University of Rhode Island in their final series of the season. UMass will be back in action on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Brad Boss Ice Arena and then will be coming home the 24th at 11:20 a.m. in the Mullins Center Community Rink.
Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Kate_e_endres
