The Massachusetts women’s club hockey team made a late push in a 3-2 loss to Arizona State on Thursday. In the first of two matchups, the Minutewomen (2-3-2) showed peaks and troughs with long periods of sluggish playmaking countered by sparks of energy and offensive opportunities.
“We don’t quit,” head coach Bill Wright said. “The girls work hard, start to finish, and that’s a necessity for us. It’s got to be hard work start to end.”
The Sun Devils (2-0) put the game out of UMass’ reach with a goal early in the third period. The Minutewomen struggled to clear their defensive zone, leading Cameron Devenney to loop behind the net, firing a shot that Kelzi Olson tipped in for the first goal of her career.
UMass pushed back late in the third period as Kennedy Pierson took the puck swiftly in transition and created a two-on-one opportunity for the Minutewomen. The Canadian barreled down the right sideboard and split the defense with Hannah Gromko. Pierson passed laterally across the goal, while Gromko settled and hit a dagger to the bottom right corner.
Trailing 3-2 with just under four minutes left in the game, the hosts couldn’t cash in on another offensive outburst, falling short of a comeback.
Freshman forward Gianna Bonfilio made UMass’ only other offensive contribution with her first goal of her career late in the second period. The Massachusetts native collected a messy rebound in front of the net and put it away. This goal created a massive energy boost for the Minutewomen that carried into the beginning of the third period.
“[Bonfilio] hasn’t had a lot of ice time yet, but came up big and had a big goal for us,” Wright said.
Bonfilio joined the UMass squad after the season began. The freshman is already making a game-changing impact in only her third game for the program.
The Arizona State offense created momentum late in the first period that carried them through the game. Mia Gervais received the puck at the blue line, then found a slot and launched an attempt on goal, which Sarah Matthews saved. Devenney was in the perfect spot, collected the rebound and buried it. This play lit up the Sun Devils’ bench as the puck was collected and brought back, signifying the freshman’s first goal for the program.
Kylie Brown gave the visitors a 2-0 lead with a goal early in the second period, solidifying their lead as the pace winded down.
Ultimately, Arizona State’s early pressure and consistent coordination proved too much for the Minutewomen to handle. The Sun Devils, coming off a 2-0 win over Arizona, played hard from start to finish to secure their second win this season.
“We’re just giving them too much respect, too much time with the puck,” Wright said. “We need to be on that check a little bit quicker, and if we do that, then we can turn the puck over quicker.”
Stick work on defense was tremendous upside for the UMass. The Minutewomen started the third period with physical the defense, putting bodies on the line. Riley Evans made a body-sliding poke check off a rush to squander a Sun Devils scoring chance.
“When they have it, we’ve got to take away their time and space faster,” Wright said. “We can’t just let them play with it.”
UMass looks for redemption as it faces off against Arizona State again on Friday, Oct. 17, at 6:20 p.m. at the Mullins Center Community Rink.
Shelby Ball can be reached at [email protected]
