The Massachusetts women’s club hockey team won a tight contest against Rhode Island in its third meeting of the season. The two teams met in Rhode Island in late November for back-to-back contests, with each team securing a 2-1 victory. The Minutewomen (10-9-1) and the Rams (9-10-1) entered the game with equal records, creating a heightened sense of intensity.
Through a grueling and physical game, the Minutewomen entered the third period tied with their rivals. The teams were trapped in a stalemate, as the goalies of both squads were putting up gargantuan performances. There were several moments where UMass goalie Sarah Matthews and Rhode Island goalie Morgan Ainley stopped shots from breakaway attackers.
It was Shelby Little who snapped the horns of the Rams with a strong slap shot that landed the puck in the bottom right of the goal. The puck movement from Lila Roche to Little found the defense just a step too late. This occurred during a power play with seven minutes and 25 seconds left in the third period.
In such a low-scoring affair, Rhode Island was forced to make a risky play with two minutes and 32 seconds left, which completely backfired. It pulled its goalie for an extra attacker, which gave it a brief chance, but Joanna Zhou shut that down with a precise full-ice goal just moments later.
The Rams did not learn their lesson and stuck with the strategy, leading to another long-range goal. This time, it was Hannah Gromko with just 16 seconds left, leading to heartfelt cheers from the Minutewomen and their fans.
“We played ‘My House’ in the locker room, and that got us all fired up because this is our house, and we aren’t going to let them beat us here,” said Abigail Dunn. “So, we came out with that energy and won the game.”
The Minutewomen certainly came out of the gates with that energy. UMass had great puck control, keeping the Rams on the defensive for the majority of the first period. With proactive defense and excellent puck movement, the Minutewomen had several more shots on goal that eventually led to the first goal of the game. With a shot just being blocked by Ainley, Hannah Gromko was able to drop to the ice and put the puck back in at six minutes and 40 seconds left in the first period.
The Rams were able to retaliate and flip the script in the second period. They kept UMass to their only scoreless period of the game, finding themselves on the scoreboard. They were the aggressors in this period and blindsided the Minutewomen with a goal by Grace Gibbins just two minutes into the period. UMass stabilized and prevented any further goals for the rest of the game.
The Minutewomen remain at home Saturday, when they will face the Rams for their fourth matchup of the season. Puck drop is set for 11:20 a.m.
Jonathan Charlier can be reached at [email protected].
