Women's Ice Hockey Set for First Road Games at Robert Morris University This Weekend
Links: Live Stats | Video
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Merrimack College women's ice hockey team will take the ice at an opposing school for the first time in program history when they play a two-game series at Robert Morris this weekend. Friday puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.
The Basics
Date/Time: Friday & Saturday, Oct. 9-10 | 7:05 p.m. & 3:05 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (0-2-0, 0-0 WHEA) | Robert Morris (0-3-1, 0-0 WCHA)
Location: 84 Lumber Arena | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Last Time Out:
Despite impressive efforts in both the offensive and defensive aspects of their first-ever games, the Warriors fell to the St. Cloud State Huskies in the program's opening two games last Friday and Saturday. The games would finish with final scores of 6-4 and 6-2, respectively.
In the first game, after falling behind 2-0 and time winding down in the second period, freshman forward Katelyn Rae (Courtice, Ontario) would score the first goal in Merrimack College women's ice hockey history to cut St. Cloud's lead in half heading to the third.
Just a minute and a half into an action-packed third period that featured a combined seven goals, freshman defenseman Paige Sorensen (Plymouth, Minn.) ripped a hard slap shot from the point that blew past the goalie top corner to tie the game. In an eight-minute span after Sorensen's goal, sophomore Jackie Pieper (Edina, Minn.) and freshman Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.) would each add their first career goals and give the Warriors a two-goal lead. But in the final half of the third, St. Cloud would respond loudly with four unanswered goals in a four-minute span to regain the lead and hold it for the win.
In the second game of the weekend, the Warriors got off to a hot start as freshman defenseman Felila Manu (Anchorage, Alaska) scored just 25 seconds into the game. Fellow freshman defenseman Dominique Kremer (West Fargo, N.D.) would also add a goal for the Warriors early in the second period, but the two scores would not be enough.
The Warriors:
- Freshman Samantha Ridgewell (Outlook, Saskatchewan) got the start in goal in the first contest, making 38 saves in the game. Freshman Kate Kowalchuk (Chestermere, Alberta) would start the second game, making 16 saves, but would be replaced by Ridgewell in the third.
- Voight led the Warriors in scoring in their opening weekend, finishing with 1-3-4 line against the Huskies. Fellow freshmen Beatrice Dufour (Sarnia, Ontario) and Madison Morey (Fairbanks, Alaska) would both notch two assists in the program-opener.
- The Warriors currently have the most potent power play in the nation, going 5-9 with the man-advantage in the opening weekend and scoring five of their six goals with said advantage.
The Colonials:
- Robert Morris is 0-3-1 to start their 2015-16 campaign, featuring an impressive 4-4 tie with #9 Bemidji State, going on to top them in a shootout 2-1.
- Forward Brittany Howard leads the Colonials in point totals through their first four games with a 1-3-4 line, while forward Amber Rennie is currently the team's top goal scorer with three.
Up Next
The Warriors return to North Andover next weekend for a pair of Homecoming Weekend games at Merrimack, starting with their Hockey East opener against New Hampshire on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The game will air on WBIN Classics and ESPN3.
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