2008 Woodie Awards
Women's Hockey Splits Series With Niagara
McPartland, Andy
Issue date: 11/19/04 Section: Sports
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It is good to be home.
This is the mindset of the Colgate women's hockey team as it gets ready for this weekend's games, the team's first at Starr Rink since its victory over nationally-ranked Providence on October 17.
The Raiders took on Niagara last weekend in their sixth and seventh consecutive road games.
In the first game, senior goaltender Rebecca Lahar started in net for the Raiders after sitting for two games in a row. Lahar and the Raiders held the Purple Eagles scoreless until 15:35 of the first period when Ashley Riggs slipped one past Lahar for a power play goal.
Riggs added her second goal of the game, this time a shorthanded tally, just 2:29 into the second period. The Eagles would score two more goals to bust open a four-goal lead before Colgate managed to get on the board. Junior Becky Irvine scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season at 10:20 into the third period, with assists from senior Amanda Barre and junior Hilary Foord.
Irvine followed up that goal with another tally less than three minutes later after receiving passes from Barre and senior co-captain Chelsey Rhodes to cut the lead to 4-2, but that was as close as the Raiders would get as they dropped their fourth game in a row.
"I think we played well at times on Saturday," head coach Scott Wiley said. "We started well and were dictating play for a while, but we were forced to play catch-up after giving up the first goal."
Colgate continued to struggle on special teams, as it only converted one of 11 power play chances, despite recording 13 shots on net with the man advantage. Niagara was 2-for-7 on the power play.
Wiley noted that Lahar, who finished with 27 saves, played well in net despite not getting much support.
Sophomore goalie Brook Wheeler got the start on Sunday, her third start in four games. With about a minute left to play in the first period, junior Allison Paiano put the puck in the back of the net after passes from linemates Irvine and Barre. The goal, Paiano's third of the season, was all Wheeler and the Raider defense needed as Colgate went on to a one-goal victory, snapping the losing streak. In making 20 saves, Wheeler recorded her first career shutout.
"We played 60 minutes of hockey on Sunday," Wiley said. "We dominated play from the start of the game."
Without the line of Paiano, Irvine and Barre, however, the weekend's games would have most certainly had different outcomes. The team's top line has combined for 24 of the Raiders' 38 points this season, a knee-slapping 68 percent. The trio has also netted seven power play goals and has accounted for three of four game winning goals.