The Massachusetts women’s club hockey team tied Michigan 2-2 in its fourth home game of the season on Friday night. The matchup put the Minutewomen back on track after falling to their previous two opponents.
UMass (2-1-3) hosted the Wolverines (5-1-1) at the Mullins Center Community Rink in a tight matchup. The Minutewomen entered the game coming off of a 5-2 loss against Niagara University on the road.
UMass found its footing with three minutes left to play when Joanna Zhu leveled the score after facing a 2-0 deficit in the third period. Riley Evans shot at Michigan goaltender Sandy Ponnath near the Wolverine’s blue line. Zhu received the puck and scored in front of the net, tipping in the shot from Evans to bring the score to two apiece.
“[Friday] was a good hockey game,” head coach Bill Wright said. “It was competitive. Both teams played hard. We got down but we didn’t quit, that was important. Just goes to show you what one goal can do for momentum and the girls just fed off it and kept rolling… and it paid off.”
With the score level, UMass rode a wave of momentum from Zhu’s game tying goal entering overtime, yet tensions ran high.
With about three minutes left in the overtime period, Ivorie Arguin earned the Minutewomen’s sole penalty of the evening. While going for the puck, she checked Michigan’s Lucy Hanson, bringing her to the ground and sending her stick flying. Arguin found herself in the penalty box and the Wolverines had an extra woman on the ice.
“I thought it was amazing we killed that penalty … cause four on three is not easy to defend,” Wright said. “So kudos to the girls. They did a good job.”
UMass allowed Michigan to come alive in the second period after a tight contest on both sides of the puck. Nine minutes were left in the second frame of play when the Wolverines took their lead. Assisted by Izzy German, left wing Lucy Hanson found the back of Minutewomen goaltender Sarah Matthews’ net and kickstarted their domination of the remaining minutes of the second frame.
Despite allowing Michigan to get the upper hand, UMass found its offensive strength and momentum during the third frame of play. Abby Dunn scored her second goal of the season with nine minutes remaining in the matchup.
After receiving the puck from Lily Sparrow, Dunn shot from in front of Evans’ net and slid the puck underneath her to get UMass onto the scoresheet.
With just over 13 minutes remaining in the third, the Wolverines seemingly secured their victory when Kelsey Swanson scored their second goal of the evening.
Swanson shot underneath Matthews after receiving the puck from Michaela McGoff, giving Michigan a 2-0 lead.
Matthews faced a total of 40 shots on net, highlighting the importance she played in the Minutewomen’s defense.
“I usually just take [the game] a period at a time, pretend each period is a different game,” Matthews said. “So, tie the first, lose the second, just keep going no matter what. [It] keeps your energy up so it’s not one long [game].”
UMass will return to action on Saturday Nov. 9 for its second matchup against Michigan. Puck drop is scheduled for 11:20 a.m.
“Consistent hard work is important and our best players [have to] be equal to their best players,” Wright said.
Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected].
