Spring Break
Women's hockey avenges semi-final loss
Anthony Arusso
Issue date: 10/17/08 Section: Sports
|
The Robert Morris College Eagles visited Kingston last Sunday and lost a close game to URI 2-1.
"That was the first time we've beat them since I've been here," said senior captain and three-time All-American Ashley Paglairni.
Paglairni also said while the team has had success thus far, they have not yet played its best hockey and can continue to improve in all aspects of the game.
URI's Kelsey Joseph started scoring against the Eagles with a first period tally. After a scoreless second, Ram freshman Johanna Leskinen added a goal early in the third period.
The Eagles made a late comeback effort with a third period goal their its own, but the Rams tightened up and were able to hold off the Eagles' late surge.
Leskinen, a freshman who already has six goals and eight assists this season, hails from from Helsinki, Finland and is a member of the Finnish national team. Joining her on a high-powered line are the Ram's other two top scorers, Justine Ducie and junior captain Jolene Rambone, both with seven goals.
"We're looking forward to seeing what that line can do for us this year," said head coach Beth McCann, last year's ACHA Division-I women's coach of the year.
The leadership of Rambone and the young talent of Leskinen combined with offensive production of Ducie, who McCann said has "always been a goal scorer," seems to have mixed together nicely. "The chemistry has already developed on that line," McCann said.
URI's season began away from home earlier this month. The Rams traveled to Dimondale, Mich., for the Great Lakes Collegiate Women's Hockey Tournament. The Rams cruised their way through the tournament with four wins en route to the tournament championship.
The Rams defeated the University of Michigan Wolverines 9-0, the Western Michigan University Broncos 11-1, the Ohio State University Buckeyes 11-1 and finally the Michigan State University Spartans 7-2 in the championship game.
"We didn't go in anticipating to dominate," McCann said. "But we got confidence in the first game and it carried over."
McCann also said that the teams they beat were competitive ones and that the confidence they built in Michigan is still with them.
The first rankings will come out on Nov. 2 and the Rams are projected to be ranked high, but the team is still focused on getting better.
"We can always get better," Paglairni said. "We can be as good as we want to be, we have the tools, and we just have to gel together."
Joining Paglairni and Rambone as the team's third captain is senior Kate Garcia.
The three captains have provided plenty of leadership and experience for the nine freshmen the team added this year, McCann said.
After a week off, the Rams will host Salve Regina University of NCAA Division-III on Friday, Oct. 24.
