The Massachusetts women’s club hockey team claimed victory in its last home game of the season against the University of Rhode Island before heading to South Kingstown for its final game. The Minutewomen (18-8-1-2) battled their way to a shutout win in the first game of the weekend as they held off the Rams (6-15-1) in a 1-0 contest.
UMass looked to recover after a winless weekend against Niagara University in a late push to maintain its rank at No. 11 in the hopes of making a postseason appearance in Maryland Heights, Missouri, for the ACHA Division One Women’s club hockey playoffs.
The only goal of the game came at 8:07 in the first period off an intercepted pass in front of the net. Ivorie Arguin used her speed to negate an icing after Shelby Little forced the puck out of the defensive zone.
The forward provided strong pressure on the Rhode Island defender, pushing her to make a centering pass that Abigail Dunn intercepted. The Minutewoman defender skated into the zone before stuffing the puck past Amelia Lambert and into the back of the net. The junior’s goal marked her first of the season.
UMass’ goalie, Sarah Matthews, recorded her fifth shutout of the season, making 14 saves against the Rams in her 23rd start of the season. The senior’s win in the game on Saturday marks her 13th of the season. Matthews has acted as a crucial piece to the Minutewomen’s success throughout the season.
UMass has seen Rhode Island four times over the course of the season and Matthews has been the starting goaltender in three of the four games. The Highland Park, IL native guided the Minutewomen to three shutout victories, making 99 saves against the Rams across those three games.
Head coach Bill Wright has turned to Matthews to be a leader on and off the ice, describing her as “the backbone” of the team throughout the season.
Rhode Island had a chance to tie the game late after Arguin got called for roughing with four minutes remaining in the game. UMass’ defense stood tall, killing off the penalty and preserving its 1-0 lead.
The Rams’ Lambert made 38 saves in the contest and has tallied 30 or more saves in all seven games she has started this season. In her two previous games against the Minutewomen in December, Lambert stopped 43 of 48 shots in a 5-0 loss and 46 of 49 shots in a 3-2 loss.
Saturday’s win caps off UMass’ dominant stretch over Rhode Island, going undefeated in the season series and now gives it a 14-1-1 record against the Rams over the last five seasons. The Minutewomen outshot Rhode Island 39-14 on Saturday, including a commanding first period in which they generated 15 shots on Lambert while holding the Rams to four.
With the postseason beginning soon, UMass is looking to continue its streak of playoff appearances. The Minutewomen have made the postseason in 15 of their last 16 seasons, going as far as the championship game in the 2013-14 season, where they lost 3-1 to Miami University.
UMass will close out the weekend against Rhode Island and will look to end its season on a high note with its last game at Brad Boss Ice Arena. Puck drop is at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 22. The Minutewomen are 9-3-2 when playing in away arenas.
Olivia Pang can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X at @OliviaPang18.
