The women’s hockey team hit the ice this past Saturday, losing 7-1 to Trinity in a tough start to the season. The nationally ranked Bantams dominated as Wesleyan struggled to stay out of the penalty box. Izzy Huston ’10 had the Cardinals’ lone goal to break the shutout with less than a minute left in the second period, but the women couldn’t carry this momentum into the third. Plagued with penalties, Wesleyan had a hard time penetrating the offensive zone, recording 14 shots on goal to Trinity’s 36. This game marked Trinity’s eighth win over Wesleyan in the past nine contests. The Cards will be looking for some revenge next week as the teams face off once again.
The first period both started and ended with a Trinity power-play goal, sending Wesleyan into the locker room with a 2-0 deficit. The Bantams controlled most of the second period, scoring four goals on seven shots, including another power-play goal along with a breakaway. The Cards started showing signs of life near the end of the period, culminating in a goal from Huston after Julia Cohen’s ’09 shot from the point to end the period down 6-1. The Cards put pressure on Trinity in hopes of a comeback, but penalty trouble quickly put Wesleyan on the defensive. The Cards spent six of the first eleven minutes playing shorthanded, hindering the team from establishing an offensive presence. Trinity ended the game with its fourth power-play goal as junior Britney McKenna recorded a hat trick to give the Bantams a 7-1 win.
Even with such a disparity in the score, the players feel it was a solid start to the year.
“It was inspiring to see our team keep working hard no matter what the situation,” said Huston. “At the end of the second period and in parts during the third we were still able to take control of the game.”
Her teammates agreed.
“We have a lot of work to do, but we have a solid foundation to build on,” added Rebecca Snelling ’12.
The team is looking forward to a rematch next Saturday at home but is hoping for better conditions. Due to warm weather and high humidity Saturday, fog was a significant issue, making for impaired visibility around the rink.
The women will use this week to touch up on their system of play to better implement it in the next game. So far in practice this season, the team has been scrimmaging while working defensively on one-on-one situations and puck possession. Intensity and communication are high, but the women need to work on consistency and their play without the puck.
“Early games are an opportunity for us to test combinations of players,” said Huston. “Our first four games are league games, so I also think that it’s important for us to come out of the next two weekends with some wins.”
The team has a different look this year, as seven freshmen join to replace a large graduating class.
“Because the team is so young, the majority of us have years left to play together,” said Snelling.
The primary goal of this winter is to improve on Wesleyan’s historically lackluster NESCAC record. The Cardinals haven’t won more than two league games in a season since 2003-04, ending the season last year with a 1-14-1 record against conference rivals. This year, the women open with a seven-game home stand that will hopefully help them begin the season on a high note. In that stretch, Wesleyan faces off against Trinity once more, along with Williams, Middlebury, and three non-conference schools.
This week, the women will gear up for another shot at Trinity. After a week of touching up mistakes and working on the basics they will look for a different outcome on Saturday night.
Leave a Reply