Rams play Sacred Heart in hockey exhibition; lose 6-2
Mike Abelson
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Sports
10/29/09 - The University of Rhode Island women's hockey team fell to Sacred Heart 6-2 in exhibition play Saturday night at Boss Ice Arena.
The evening started out well for Rhody as sophomore forward Meghan Birnie tipped a pass from sophomore forward Kayla Robidoux past Sacred Heart freshman goaltender Emily Siira 3:08 into the game. However, the joy was short-lived as Sacred Heart took control and sophomore defenseman Caitlin Gottwald scored two of her game-high three goals in the first period to give the Pioneers a lead that they would not relinquish.
Gottwald finished off the hat trick at 14:45 of the second period to make it 4-1, but Rhody answered back 13 seconds later when senior defenseman Christina Ferencevych wristed a shot over Siira's glove to gnaw away at Sacred Heart's lead.
"After I scored everyone was upbeat, and everyone wanted to go out there and score," Ferencevych said. "It was a positive turn in the game, and then we just let up after that. We just couldn't finish."
Forty-eight seconds after Ferencevych fired up her teammates and the crowd, another Sacred Heart goal quelled any chance of a comeback.
"We were missing a few players tonight due to injury, and we had to switch around our lines a little bit," Rhode Island head coach Beth McCann said. "But it is the beginning of the season and they're trying to gel. We were a step off and if we can just tweak that, then we would be coming out with wins."
Sacred Heart sophomore defenseman Nicole Palazzo finished the scoring at 3:44 of the third period. Sacred Heart's six-goal performance doubled their goal output through their first five games. It also earned the Pioneers their first win of the season.
"We have to improve on finishing," McCann said. "The team really stepped it up in the third period and were beating them to the puck. The second period we were chasing them around a bit. We've got about five practices to correct those mistakes before our next game."
The Rams were outshot 42-25 and junior Nina Goncarovs had a fine night between the pipes with 36 saves for the Rams. The loss dropped Rhode Island to 0-3 on the year as they head into the bulk of their ACHA schedule.
"It's always a challenge playing a D-1 team," McCann said. "But we're going to play them again in February, and once we gel as a team, and our chemistry develops a little more, I think they'll be able to factor that out and rise to the occasion."
While the season has started slow for the Rams, Ferencevych and her teammates are positive about the season.
"This team could definitely be another Final Four team," Ferencevych said.
The Rams next take the ice on Saturday, Nov. 7 as they welcome the University of Colorado Buffaloes for a two-game series at the Boss Ice Arena. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.
The evening started out well for Rhody as sophomore forward Meghan Birnie tipped a pass from sophomore forward Kayla Robidoux past Sacred Heart freshman goaltender Emily Siira 3:08 into the game. However, the joy was short-lived as Sacred Heart took control and sophomore defenseman Caitlin Gottwald scored two of her game-high three goals in the first period to give the Pioneers a lead that they would not relinquish.
Gottwald finished off the hat trick at 14:45 of the second period to make it 4-1, but Rhody answered back 13 seconds later when senior defenseman Christina Ferencevych wristed a shot over Siira's glove to gnaw away at Sacred Heart's lead.
"After I scored everyone was upbeat, and everyone wanted to go out there and score," Ferencevych said. "It was a positive turn in the game, and then we just let up after that. We just couldn't finish."
Forty-eight seconds after Ferencevych fired up her teammates and the crowd, another Sacred Heart goal quelled any chance of a comeback.
"We were missing a few players tonight due to injury, and we had to switch around our lines a little bit," Rhode Island head coach Beth McCann said. "But it is the beginning of the season and they're trying to gel. We were a step off and if we can just tweak that, then we would be coming out with wins."
Sacred Heart sophomore defenseman Nicole Palazzo finished the scoring at 3:44 of the third period. Sacred Heart's six-goal performance doubled their goal output through their first five games. It also earned the Pioneers their first win of the season.
"We have to improve on finishing," McCann said. "The team really stepped it up in the third period and were beating them to the puck. The second period we were chasing them around a bit. We've got about five practices to correct those mistakes before our next game."
The Rams were outshot 42-25 and junior Nina Goncarovs had a fine night between the pipes with 36 saves for the Rams. The loss dropped Rhode Island to 0-3 on the year as they head into the bulk of their ACHA schedule.
"It's always a challenge playing a D-1 team," McCann said. "But we're going to play them again in February, and once we gel as a team, and our chemistry develops a little more, I think they'll be able to factor that out and rise to the occasion."
While the season has started slow for the Rams, Ferencevych and her teammates are positive about the season.
"This team could definitely be another Final Four team," Ferencevych said.
The Rams next take the ice on Saturday, Nov. 7 as they welcome the University of Colorado Buffaloes for a two-game series at the Boss Ice Arena. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.
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