After a weekend that saw it earn not only its first win of the season, but also over $15,000 in support of Mandi Schwartz’ battle for leukemia, the Yale women’s hockey team (1–5–2, 1–2–1 ECAC) returns to the Ingalls Rink ice Friday and Saturday for games against perennial ECAC powers St. Lawrence (4–6–2, 1–2–0) and Clarkson (5–7–1, 3–0–0).
Last weekend, the Bulldogs dropped a tough 4–1 game to RPI on the night of White Out for Mandi, but came back with a strong 4–1 victory over Union the next day, a game in which four different Yalies scored goals. The win was the first for new head coach Joakim Flygh, who is taking over the reigns this year from Hilary Witt, who moved to a position at her alma mater, Northeastern.
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Forward Bray Ketchum ’11 scored Yale’s only goal in the loss to the Engineers, a goal that, while it may not have meant a lot on Friday night’s scoreboard, may have sparked a Yale offense that came out firing to start Saturday afternoon, outshooting the Dutchwomen 10–4 in the first period. Danielle Moncion ’13, Jackie Raines ’14, Ketchum, and Tara Tomimoto ’13 all had goals for the Bulldogs.
Ketchum’s and Tomimoto’s goals both came on short-handed opportunities, as Union pulled its goalie to gain an extra skater down by one point with less than two minutes remaining. Ketchum’s shot from behind the red line gave her team some insurance, and Tomimoto closed things out with a bouncing shot that went nearly the entire length of the ice before finding the back of the net.
The Saints come to Ingalls fresh off a 1–1 tie with Boston College. Rylee Smith, Kelly Sabatine, and Vanessa Emond lead the way for the St. Lawrence attack, each with eight points apiece.
Clarkson’s most recent outing was a 4–1 win over St. Lawrence. Their leading scorer, Juana Baribeau, has tallied eight total points this season.
Ketchum has led the way so far this season for the Bulldogs with a goal and three assists. Linemate Alyssa Zupon ’13 has contributed three points, while two freshmen, Raines and Aurora Kennedy ’14, also have three apiece.
Genny Ladiges ’12 has been solid between the pipes for Yale, playing to a .929 save percentage and a 2.37 goals against average in five games this season. Ladiges took over the starting job when Jackee Snikeris ‘11 went down against Harvard in Cambridge in the Bulldogs’ first conference action of the season. Snikeris sustained a knee injury, and is out indefinitely, though making progress towards a quick return.
No matter who is between the pipes, the Bulldogs must score if they hope to make a run similar to the one they made through the ECAC in the second half of last season — a run that saw them come up just short of an ECAC playoff bid. Scoring has been a problem for a Yale offense that has struggled to capitalize not only on even strength, but also on the power plays. The Yale team hopes that confidence, particularly on offense, continues as they look to build on Saturday’s win.
“Scoring the first goal was key.” Ketchum said of the game against Union. “We talked about it before the game and we emphasized the importance of the first three shifts. We established the momentum right away. We need to build off this and carry the momentum into this upcoming week of practice and games next weekend. This win was a big confidence booster.”
Faceoff against St. Lawrence is set for 7 p.m. tonight, while the Bulldogs’ contest against Clarkson is slated to begin Saturday at 4 p.m.
Just two days after falling at the hands of Colorado College, the Air Force Academy (4–6–0) shocked the college hockey world with a come-from-behind 4–3 upset over the No. 3 men’s hockey team (5–1–0, 2–0–0 ECAC) Sunday night. Although the games do not affect Yale’s place in the ECAC, the weekend was an opportunity for the team to defend its ranking against a pair of well-respected Western programs.
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“We got comfortable,” left winger Brian O’Neill ’12 said. “Every time you get comfortable against a good hockey team, they come back to haunt you. … Maybe that’s our fault for getting too complacent.”
The Bulldogs’ loss came a night after they dealt Colorado College (5-6-1) a convincing 5–1 defeat Saturday in what left winger Denny Kearney ’11 called Yale’s “most complete game” this season.
“Everyone played well, we had good balanced scoring, good goaltending, good defense,” Kearney said. “I think we got contributions from almost every line, which is always nice.”
Indeed, the Elis got goals from five different players and points from 12. Forward Andrew Miller ’13 netted the game-winner and added an assist, while forwards Charles Brockett ’12 and Brendan Mason ’11 tallied two points apiece.
Although Yale controlled the puck all night and outshot Colorado College 40-25, the story of the game was goaltender Ryan Rondeau ’11, who turned aside 24 shots and looked confident all night en route to his fourth victory in four consecutive games as Yale’s starting netminder.
Yale, the nation’s top-ranked offense, was not able to match its average of six goals per game, and went 0-3 on the power play, but the squad’s five even-strength goals were more than enough. The Bulldogs dominated the first period, outshooting the home team 15-4, and headed into the first intermission with a 2–0 lead. Those two goals came from Brockett and Miller. The Elis never looked back.
The Tigers weren’t able to get on the board until after Chad Ziegler ’12 had widened the Eli lead to three goals. Their one tally, however, did have a connection to Yale. Brothers Jayden and Rylan Schwartz, whose sister Mandi is a member of the Yale women’s hockey team and has battled leukemia since December 2008, assisted the goal by Stephen Schultz.
Then center Kevin Limbert ’12 and right winger Chris Cahill ’11 put the game out of the Tigers’ reach with a goal apiece, and Colorado College never threatened to even things up.
“I think we were good in all aspects of the game,” O’Neill said. “I think Ryan played really well. We’ve been getting really good goaltending all year and we expect that out of our goalies.”
But Rondeau’s streak of four consecutive starts came to an abrupt end Sunday night, as Allain put goalie Jeff Malcolm ’13 between the pipes.
Malcolm stopped the first 14 shots he saw over two periods, but he was outplayed by Air Force goalie Jason Torf, who stopped 34 of the 37 shots he saw. Malcolm and the Bulldogs collapsed in the final frame, and allowed Air Force to avenge an upset by Yale in Ingalls Rink two years ago.
The Bulldogs didn’t waste time Sunday night in trying to give Malcolm a cushion. They got two quick shots off on Air Force netminder Jason Torf in the opening 20 seconds of play. But then the Falcons seized control and refused to allow a Yale shot for the next four minutes.
Yale rebounded with chances from Brockett and Broc Little ’11, and captain Jimmy Martin ’11 opened the scoring in the sixth minute. The defenseman received the puck at the near point straight off a faceoff and skated into the high slot, where he rifled a slap shot past Torf.
Air Force and Yale peppered each other’s nets with shots throughout the middle of the period, but neither side managed to string together a long possession.
But when the Buldogs could take control in the opposing end, they made it count. O’Neill extended the Eli edge to 2–0 on a perfectly executed play with slightly more than a minute remaining in the first period. The left winger got the puck on the left edge of the crease after a series of crisp passes by Cahill and Miller, then smacked a shot off Torf’s skate and into the net. When the buzzer signaled intermission, Yale skated off the ice with 12 shots to Air Force’s seven.
The Blue would extend that shooting advantage in the second period, but the frame was all Air Force.
Martin was whistled for tripping just 25 seconds into the frame, and then defenseman Kevin Peel ’12 was called for hooking 67 seconds later. The Falcons got off a handful of shots during the five on three, but couldn’t do any damage.
Air Force let another huge opportunity pass by when Malcolm came completely out of the net. Falcon forwards missed twice and couldn’t capitalize on the bouncing puck.
Minutes later the Bulldogs had their own attempt on a five on three, but Torf pulled out four consecutive saves to keep his team in the game.
Yale’s offense came alive immediately after the opening draw in the third period. Just 24 seconds in, Kearney knocked the puck home with an assist from Little. But the Bulldogs would never threaten again. From then on the game was all Falcons. Yale could not stay out of the penalty box or muster any energy on offense, and Air Force made them pay.
“Even I think when we took the lead we weren’t really playing our best game,” Kearney said. “I think eventually in the third period it kind of caught up to us all at once.”
The home team’s comeback started 5:55 into the period. Just eight seconds after Jimmy Martin was sent off for holding, Scott Mathis blasted a blistering slap shot under Malcolm, who could not get down in time.
Although Yale killed off their next penalty — Mathis’ goal was the Falcons’ only success on 12 power plays — the Falcons found other ways to score. Paul Weisbarger narrowed the Eli lead to a goal shorthanded, when his centering pass from the back corner banked off Malcolm’s skate and across the goal line 9:51 into the period.
Yale was unable to take control of the game back, and Air Force continued to dominate the period. They took advantage of the Bulldogs’ inability to put together a sustained drive and jumped on turnovers in the neutral zone and tied the game three minutes later.
The equalizer came at even strength, when the Falcons stormed in and took the puck to the net with some tape to tape passing. Malcolm turned aside the first shot from John Kruse, but there were no blue jerseys around to clear the puck. Kruse took advantage and pushed the puck past the prone Yale goalie.
The Falcons’ momentum suggested it was only a matter of time until they seized the lead. The capacity crowd of 2,842 at Cadet Ice Arena had to wait less than four minutes. Fabian came around the back of the net and snuck a backhand pass to Stephen Carew, who rifled a wrist shot over Malcolm’s leg pad.
Yale never made a true threat to send the game into overtime. They looked poised to put a possession together when they pulled Malcolm in the final minute, but Little was sent off for interference with 33 seconds left. The Bulldog managed one last gasp effort, but no amount of tumbles around the net could put the puck past the goal line, and the final whistle sounded on the team’s first loss of the season.
“We know how it feels now to lose and it sucks,” Little said. “Especially this kind of loss where you’re up 3–0 in the third. If we’re going to be a championship team, we can’t let that happen again.”
The first home conference weekend of the year may have been just a split for the Yale women’s hockey team (1–5–2, 1–2–1), but it felt more like a clean sweep for players and fans alike. Rallying to support Mandi Schwartz ’11, the Yale crowd broke the women’s hockey attendance record during the Bulldogs’ 4–1 loss to RPI (4–7–2, 3–3–0). The next night, the Elis earned their first win of the season with a 4–1 victory over Union.
The Bulldogs’ “White Out for Mandi” Friday night was a resounding success, as 1,066 fans attended Ingalls Rink, breaking the former women’s hockey crowd record — thought to be 825 for a 2005 playoff showdown with Princeton. With such prolific attendance, pledges for the event racked up more than $9,000 for Schwartz and her cause, a number that is as high as $15,000 when including T-shirt sales and the silent auction that took place during the game, according to an e-mail from forward Aleca Hughes ’12. Schwartz has been battling leukemia since late 2008, and in the two years since, her women’s hockey teammates have worked tirelessly to spread the word — efforts that have, if the support for Friday night’s event is any indication, touched an entire community.
“It was amazing to see the support we had at Friday night’s game,” senior forward Bray Ketchum said. “Mandi’s story has truly impacted a lot of people in the Yale community and beyond, and we are so grateful that we could celebrate her courageous battle. It was a great event and our team was very appreciative to all the students, faculty, employees and friends and family who came out.”
As for the game those 1,066 fans saw, the Bulldogs came out firing, as Hughes drew a penalty on an early scoring chance, but couldn’t find the net with a wrister on Engineer goalie Sonja Van Der Bleik. Despite a few good chances in the first, Yale could not get on the board, giving RPI the chance to seize the momentum early in the second when a Bulldog penalty gave freshman Jordan Smelker a power play chance that she capitalized on, giving the Engineers the 1–0 lead.
More penalties followed for Yale, setting RPI up on a 5-3 for over 1:30, and Smelker struck again to give her team the 2–0 lead. Goalie Genny Ladiges ’12, filling in for the injured Jackee Snikeris ’11, made save after save, but the Engineer pressure proved too much, and Sydney O’Keefe capitalized on a rebound to send the Bulldogs to the third down 3–0.
Even when Smelker tallied her third goal of the game just seconds into the third to increase the lead to four, the Bulldogs failed to relent, continuing to apply significant pressure — and to receive support from the dedicated Ingalls Rink crowd — and five minutes in, Hughes fed Ketchum to get the Bulldogs on the board.
Yale seemed to grow more in sync after the tally, but couldn’t beat Van Der Bliek — RPI’s all-time leader in nearly every goaltending statistic — to chip away at the deficit.
“Although we were disappointed not to get the win for Mandi and our team on Friday, it really meant the world to all of us to see all of the support the community showed for Mandi and her cause,” Ladiges said. “Looking back on this game years from now, I think that our team will remember not the result, but rather the ways in which the Yale community rallied behind our sick teammate and the amount of love and support they showed for her.”
If they will always remember the things that happened off the ice, the Bulldogs may also remember Friday night as a major turning point on the ice. Yale outshot the Union (1–10–1, 0–5–1) 10-4 in the first, capitalizing early as Danielle Moncion ’13 sent a shot on Kate Gallagher that bounced around the traffic in front of the crease and in. A quick penalty gave the Dutchwomen a chance to take the momentum right back, but defenseman Heather Grant ’12 came up with a blocked shot to finish off the kill, postponing the equalizer.
“It was critical that we scored early [Saturday], because that set the tone for the rest of the game,” Grant said. “Our lines have been clicking and getting more offensive opportunities, but we need to capitalize on more of our scoring opportunities and do a better job helping out our goalies to be successful for the rest of the season.”
Yale couldn’t help out Ladiges against a wrister from Stephanie Thomson, which found its way past Ladiges for the equalizing goal. But Ladiges and the Bulldogs shut the girls from Schenectady down from there, and were able to put this season’s struggles on the power play (2-26 coming into Saturday’s contest) behind them, as Jackie Raines ’14 tipped in a slap shot from captain Sam MacLean ’11 to give Yale a lead they would not relinquish.
Ladiges shone the rest of the way, as did the Yale penalty kill, which turned away three power plays in the third — one of which turned into an unexpected offensive opportunity for the Bulldogs.
With just under two minutes to go, Union pulled their goalie in order to gain an extra skater, and then drew a penalty to gain a six-on-four advantage. But Ketchum tracked down a loose puck and fired it down the ice and into the Union net for some insurance.
But the Bulldogs were not done yet. With the Dutchwomen’s net still empty — and Yale still on the penalty kill — defenseman Tara Tomimoto ’13 found herself with the puck deep in the Yale defensive zone and flicked a seeing-eye shot down the ice and in for a shorthanded tally.
Those shorthanders, along with the goals from Raines and Moncion, gave the Bulldogs a much-needed win, and provided a confidence for a team that says it is still establishing its identity.
“Our team is young, but we have a lot of talent in the freshmen and sophomore classes,” Ketchum said. “Our game needs to be concentrated on playing tenacious and winning battles. When we do that we create turnovers and good scoring opportunities. The goals will come, but we have to work for them. I’m excited to see the team take off now that we have a win under our belts.”
The women’s hockey team enters the weekend playing not only to position themselves in the standings this weekend at Ingalls Rink with their first win, but also for something much bigger.
Tomorrow night, the Bulldogs are hosting “White Out for Mandi,” an event they hope will yield one of the biggest outpourings of support yet for their teammate Mandi Schwartz ’11, who has been battling leukemia since 2008. The Bulldogs have found donors to pledge money for every person who walks through the door of Ingalls Rink Friday night, so the more people who come, the more money to Mandi and her cause. The team has been selling T-shirts for the game with the number 17, Schwartz’s number, printed on them in order to raise additional money.
Anyone who attends tomorrow night’s contest will also be treated to an ECAC showdown between the Bulldogs (0–4–2, 0–1–1 ECAC) and RPI (3–6–2, 2–2). Yale has struggled early this season, but has shown flashes of brilliance, including a 3–3 draw at Harvard. The Bulldogs’ hadn’t tied or won in Cambridge since 1981. Erin Callahan ’13 stepped up to fill the void left by Jackee Snikeris, who went down with a knee injury early in the season, and made 32 saves in the Elis’ tie against the Crimson. Snikeris’ knee injury does not appear to be season-ending, and Genny Ladiges ’12 will likely be between the pipes Friday night, having made 65 saves in her past two games against Hockey East foes Providence and Northeastern.
Besides the loss of Snikeris, the Bulldogs have also had to contend with getting accustomed to a new coach and welcoming a promising group of freshmen into the fold. Over half the team’s goals have come from freshmen, and Patricia McGauley ’14 (who will be singing the national anthem at the White Out), Jackie Raines ’14 and Aurora Kennedy ’14 are all in the team’s top five in scoring.
McGauley, Raines, Kennedy and the rest of the Bulldogs will take on an RPI team that is coming to Ingalls fresh off a 2–0 win against Quinnipiac last Saturday. The Engineers are led by Jill Vandegrift, who has seven points, and their goalie, senior Sonja van der Bliek, who is one of the premier puck-stoppers in the ECAC. She has played to a .943 save percentage this season, and will pose a challenge to a Yale offense that is still settling in to a new system and set of personnel.
Union’s Dutchwomen (1–9–0, 0–4) come to town Saturday night having dropped an OT decision to Princeton in their last outing. Their top scorers are juniors Kelly Alyea and Lauren Hoffman, each with two goals.
But regardless of the outcome this weekend, Yale knows they have the support of a school and community behind them as they mobilize support for their Schwartz.
“We’re so pumped for the White Out,” junior Aleca Hughes ’12 said. “It’s so great to have the support of the school and the hockey community around us. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”
Facing their second consecutive Hockey East opponent, the women’s ice hockey team came out of the contest with yet another loss.
The Bulldogs (0–4–2, 0–1–1 ECAC) lost to Northeastern (7–2–2, 1–1–1 Hockey East), 4–0 as Huskies goalie and former Swiss Olympic goaltender, Florence Schelling, made 34 saves in her first shutout of the season.
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Northeastern scored two goals early in the first period. After forward Lauren Davis ’12 was called for a holding penalty, Casey Pickett was able to score just 39 seconds into the power play off a Lori Antflick assist. Antflick took a shot, but after the puck was deflected by Genny Ladiges ’12, she passed it to Pickett who scored off the rebound.
Almost 90 seconds later, the Huskies struck again.
Alyssa Wohlfeiler made a pass from the behind the net to Brittany Esposito who hit it into Yale’s goal. Esposito’s goal put Northeastern up 2–0 less than five minutes into the match.
“Opponents scoring early has affected the outcomes of the games. It’s definitely not a good way to start,” forward Aleca Hughes ’12 said.
The Bulldog offense made improvements in the second period, outshooting the Huskies 17–9. But despite their turnaround, the Elis were unable to get past Schelling. The Elis failed to score on power plays against the Huskies as they did in their game against Providence. The Bulldogs were 0–2 on power plays against the Friars, and despite taking seven shots on goal during power plays against the Huskies, Northeastern was able to kill four Eli advantages in the second period.
Northeastern started the third frame with a penalty 19 seconds into the period. Maggie DiMasi was called for tripping, but the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on two attempts on the power play. The Huskies put the game out of reach nearly seven minutes into the frame. Pickett scored her second goal of the night, assisted by Antflick and Siena Falino, putting Northeastern up 3-0. With less than two minutes left in regulation, Northeastern’s Lindsay Domaas was able to score a rebound goal to cap the Huskies’ 4–0 victory.
The Bulldogs remain winless this season and have faced the same recurring offensive issues. The Yale offense has been consistently outshot by opponents, and were able to reverse this trend on Saturday, outshooting Northeastern 34–33. However, the Elis could not capitalize on any of these attempts and have accumulated a 0–9 a two-game power play record. Against Hockey East opponents, Yale is 0–2 and has been outscored 7–1.
The Elis have been more successful defensively and killing penalties. The team killed three against Northeastern and all two against Providence. The Elis have also been characterized by a high number of saves, with Ladiges blocking 36 and 29 shots in her last two games respectively. However, the Elis have been unable to convert these efforts into a win.
Following the knee injury of veteran goaltender Jackee Snikeris ’11, Erin Callahan ’13 and Ladiges have filled her post. Callahan started against Harvard and Dartmouth, but after the Bulldogs’ 4–1 loss to the Big Green, Ladiges took the spot. In the game against Providence, Ladiges made 36 saves but was unable to stop the Friars, who went on to win 3–1. The coaching staff reserved making a final decision on which goalie would play against Northeastern until Friday afternoon, but eventually went with Ladiges.
The Bulldogs will play Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday at Ingalls Rink in the “White Out For Mandi Game,” a fundraiser for Mandi Schwartz’s ’11 battle against leukemia, with donations dependent on the number of spectators.
Two weeks into the season, the women’s ice hockey team is still looking for its first win.
The Bulldogs (0–3–2, 0–1–1 ECAC) will travel to Boston on Saturday to face Northeastern (6–2–2, 1–1–1 Hockey East).
The Elis tied with Harvard, 3–3, in their game last weekend, and followed up with losses to Dartmouth, 4–1, and Providence, 3–1. After the team’s loss to the Big Green, head coach Joakim Flygh switched in Genny Ladiges ’12 to replace Erin Callahan ’13 as starting goalie. Callahan played two games after veteran goaltender Jackee Snickeris ’11 left the game early with a heel injury in the Elis’ match against the Crimson. Ladiges ended the Providence match with 36 saves, but two goals within the first five minutes of the game were too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.
The Bulldogs struggled to score on Providence goaltender Genevieve Lacasse, who boasts a 0.949 save percentage. Yale could face similar challenges against Northeastern’s Florence Schelling. Schelling was goalie for the Swiss National Team for five seasons and allowed only 0.99 goals through December last season.
“We created great offensive pressure in the game against Providence, but we were facing a very strong goaltender,” head coach Flygh said. “Schelling was on the [Swiss] Olympic team, so she is going to be a challenge.”
Northeastern has played well at home so far, with a 3–1–1 record on home ice. Against common opponent Vermont, Northeastern is 1–1–0, while Yale is 0–1–1. In their last game, the Huskies lost 1–3 to cross-town rivals Boston University. Schelling blocked 24 shots and kept Boston scoreless in the first period.
Yale’s offense has struggled this season, and failing to capitalize on power plays has been a recurring theme.
“We need to capitalize on the chances we get to score,” Flygh said. “Our game against Providence was one of our better games in terms of generating scoring opportunities. We need to score on rebounds and have a stronger presence in front of the net.”
The Bulldogs were 0–3 in scoring during power plays in their Tuesday match against Providence. The Elis have also trailed in shots on goal, being outshot 20–4 by Dartmouth and 39–15 by Providence. Defensively, the Bulldogs have been able to rely on solid performance from their goaltenders. The Elis have also been effective in preventing other teams from scoring on power plays, killing all two in the Providence game. After the Friars took an early lead, the Bulldog defense kept them from scoring in the second period and until the last minute of the third.
“I wouldn’t say defense is playing stronger [than offense], but we have spent a little more time working on defense,” Flygh said. “It goes hand-in-hand with good goaltending.”
In their match up last year, the Huskies bested the Bulldogs 3–0. Up to that point, the Huskies had gone 145:59 without scoring on Yale, dating back to 2006. However, Yale failed to score during four power plays, and Leah Sulyma made 32 saves for the shutout.
The Bulldog lineup could see some changes. Flygh said the coaching staff will delay making a decision about which goalie will play until after today’s practice. He also noted that forward Jenna Ciotti ’14 suffered a minor injury in the Providence game, and will not be playing this weekend.
“We hope to have everyone healthy, and back, soon,” Flygh said. “Our efforts will pay off eventually, I don’t doubt that for a second.”
The Bulldogs are slated to face off against Northeastern at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The Bulldogs (0–2–1 ECAC) were unable to win against Providence College (1–0–1 ECAC), despite playing on home ice.
“We knew going into the game that Providence was a tough opponent,” Head Coach Flygh said. Providence just missed being ranked by the USHO this season and their goalie, Genevieve Lacasse, is the third-ranked women’s goalie in the country with a .949 save percentage.
Providence increased their overall record against Yale to 26–5–2 with a pair of goals in the first five minutes of the game. The Friars attacked early, taking two shots on goals within the first two minutes. Ashley Cottrell won a faceoff and quickly assisted Laura Veharanta’s goal with 15:43 left in the period. Ten seconds later, the Elis won a faceoff but lost possession to Veharanta, who made her second goal of the night.
“After five minutes, we were down 2–0,” Flygh said. “We need to play with passion and urgency from the start.”
Genny Ladiges ’12 replaced Erin Callahan ’13 as starting goaltender.
“Genny played well against Vermont and has a very capable track record,” Flygh said. “It was a decision the entire coaching staff was comfortable with.”
After letting two early goals in, Ladiges blocked 14 shots in the period, including an impressive sliding save to deflect a puck from Corinne Buie.
“Genny has really stepped up,” Heather Grant ’12 said, “but the goalies need more support from the rest of the team.”
The Bulldog offense struggled in the first period. The Elis seemed poised for a comeback as Danielle Moncion ’13 was broke free of defenders, but her shot went directly into Lacasse’s shin pads. Patricia McGauley ’14 had Yale’s fifth shot on goal as she attempted a slapshot with 5:30 remaining. Trying to get Yale on the scoreboard, Jenna Ciotti ’14 made a diagonal pass near the Friar goal, but none of her teammates were there to receive. Ciotti tried again, taking a shot with less than a minute left, which Lacasse blocked with her glove.
At the end of the first period, Yale was outshot 8–16.
The second period was a rallying point for the Elis. Alyssa Zupon ’13 fell forward in an early faceoff, allowing Providence to gain possession, but redeemed herself by scoring Yale’s only goal at 4:29, assisted by Tara Tomimoto ’13 and Patricia McGauley ’12. Emily DesMeules ’13 intercepted a Friar pass, but Providence quickly rebounded with Nicole Anderson taking a shot that went wide of the net. The Friars followed up with back to back shots with 10:43 remaining, but were unable to get past Ladiges.
“We battled back hard in the second period and generated more scoring opportunities than we have in any game we’ve had this year,” Flygh said.
Almost ten minutes into the second period, Maggie Pendelton was called for a high sticking penalty. The Elis were able to generate one scoring attempt, but Aleca Hughes ’12 powered the puck over the crossbar. After killing the power play, the Friars took several slap shots in rapid succession, which Ladiges stopped.
With six minutes left, the Bulldogs had another power play after Alyse Ruff ’11 committed a tripping penalty. Captain Samantha MacLean ’11 unsuccessfully tried to capitalize on the power play with a slap shot. Aleca Hughes ’12 and Heather Grant ’12 followed up with attempts of their own. The Friars gained their own power play after Aurora Kennedy ’14 was called for a tripping penalty, but were unable to score.
Providence almost took a 3–1 lead with 2:56 left in the second, but the referee invalidated the goal because he blew the whistle on the play before the goal occurred. The Friars followed up with a tripping penalty at the 20th minute, leading to a power play for Yale in the third period.
The third period continued frustrations for Yale. After the Friars killed a Bulldog power play, Jennifer Friedman was able to take a shot, but it went over the crossbar. At the nine minute mark, Samantha MacLean ’11 was sent to the penalty box for interference, but the Elis were able to kill the Providence power play. Yale called a time out with 1:16 left, but were unable to regroup. Kate Bacon scored with under a minute left to play, putting the score at 3–1 and out of reach for Yale.
“We need to find way to play with poise and confidence,” Flygh said. “It’s hard to play that way when you’re not in a winning environment. We are going to continue working on power plays and making plays in transitions.”
The Elis will play Northeastern in Boston at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The women’s hockey team never beat Dartmouth or Harvard last year, and the Elis were unable to break that trend over the weekend.
Yale (0–1–1 ECAC) remained winless as they fell to Dartmouth (2–0–0 ECAC) 4–1, and tied No. 9 Harvard (1–0–1 ECAC) 3–3, in their first competition against ECAC opponents.
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The Bulldogs ventured to Cambridge on Friday in the Crimsons’ season opener. Two early power play goals kept the Elis in the game after veteran goalie Jackee Snikeris ’11 was injured after hyper-extending her heel just eight minutes into the game.
“I’m not sure exactly what happened,” Snikeris said of her injury. “It was a two-on-one play; one of the other girls came down on me, I think one of our own players ran into my heel.”
Snikeris said she is unsure how long she will be out, and is scheduled to have an MRI this week.
The game started well for Yale as Jackie Raines ’14 scored at 12:33 in the first with an assist from Bray Ketchum ’11. After Erin Callahan ’13 replaced Snikeris, the Crimson quickly tied with Katherine Chute’s goal two minutes later.
Assisted by fellow freshman Aurora Kennedy, Jennifer Lawrence ’14 scored at 17:25 to give Yale a 2–1 lead. Yale was unable to score during a five-minute major penalty or hold onto the lead, with Harvard’s tri-captain Liza Ryabkina scoring during a 5-on-3 play late in the second period.
The Elis regained the lead halfway through the third as Alyssa Zupon ’13 scored a loose puck goal, the first goal by a non-freshman this season.
“[Freshman scoring most goals] doesn’t reflect so much on the seniors as it does on the freshmen,” Patricia McGauley ’14 said. “Scoring is really a team effort. The upperclassmen all work really hard, and the freshmen are only able to score because of them setting up good scoring opportunities.”
After Zupon’s goal, Harvard fought back, tying the game at 3–3 off Ryabkina’s second goal with only 14 seconds left in regulation. Despite an early Harvard power play, the Bulldogs kept the Crimson from scoring in overtime. Callahan stopped an additional four shots, bringing her total to 25 stopped shots.
“[Callahan] played great. It’s a hard position to be in, playing your first game of the season against one of the top teams in the country,” said head coach Joakim Flygh.
Snikeris was also impressed with Callahan’s performance in her season debut, holding the nationally ninth ranked Crimson to three goals. Previously, Callahan had played only 20 minutes in a match against Sacred Heart last season.
“Erin stepped in and she played unbelievably, everyone saw that,” Snikeris said. “I was really happy for her, the whole team was. She played so well, I wish we could have pulled out a win.”
Until Ryabkina scored with less than a minute in the third, it looked like the Bulldogs were poised for their first victory.
“We got really close to winning, so it was a little bit heartbreaking,” Flygh said of the outcome. “I thought we deserved to win because we worked so hard. But Harvard is a very good team. The way we played was definitely a step in the right direction.”
Yale continued their northern road trip against the Big Green the next day. Dartmouth was relentless in the first period, scoring two points and outshooting the Bulldogs 20–4.
Dartmouth’s Lauren Kelly was able to get past Callahan twice, scoring first from five feet inside the blueline. With only two seconds left in the period, Kelly scored again with an assist from Camille Dumais.
“The first period against Dartmouth was the worst we’ve played so far,” Flygh said. “I think we were emotionally and physically spent after Harvard.”
The second period saw the Elis fall behind 3–0 after the Big Green’s Amanda Trunzo scored her first goal of the season. Heather Grant ’12 scored Yale’s only goal at 6:25, after goalie Lindsay Holdcroft left the net unattended, thinking Yale was about to be called for a penalty.
Moira Scanlon scored a goal with 3:34 left on the clock, bringing the final tally to 4–1. Overall, Dartmouth outshot the Elis 38–13.
“This was a weekend of highs and lows,” Flygh said. “We need to work on being able to play back to back games. But the potential is there.”
The Elis play Providence at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 at Ingalls Rink.
After their first weekend of play, the Yale women’s ice hockey team (0-1-1) has yet to win a game, but they hope to snap their winless streak this week with games at Harvard (0-0) and Dartmouth (0-1).
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The Elis lost 1-0 to McGill in an October 17 exhibition and then fell 4-1 at Vermont on October 22 before gaining a 1-1 overtime tie the next day against the Catamounts. Having yet to face an opponent at home is not an excuse for the team’s rocky start to the season, first year head coach Joakim Flygh said.
“The games that we’ve played, we’ve given up some easy goals,” he said. “That’s something we’re trying to correct in practice. We have a lot of plays to learn in a short period of time. We’re in a constant state of improvement, it has little to do with whether we play at home or not and more to do with learning our plays and system.”
Flygh said he is confident mistakes made in past games will not be repeated. While he plans on keeping the lineup the same, Flygh said the team has been focusing on improving overall strategy in this week’s practices.
“We’ve been working on everything,” Flygh said. “It’s so early in the season, we have to improve everything. We’ve worked hard on defense this week, and generating more scoring opportunities.”
Dartmouth has faced similar struggles, losing 2-3 to McGill. Last season, Dartmouth’s Jenna Cunningham scored her 100th goal in a November game against Yale, resulting in a 6-2 win for the Big Green. Dartmouth also won two teams’ other meeting with 6-3 victory in February.
Harvard, where Flygh was assistant coach for three seasons before joining the Bulldogs in July, did not face Yale last year. Although Crimson will not have played a game this season until its Friday night contest against the Elis, Harvard will be a tough task for Yale. Currently the Crimson is ranked ninth in the country and is coming off a 20-8-5 season that saw them finish second in the Ivy League and advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
“They are both very talented teams, that’s what we’re expecting to see,” Flygh said. “For us to be successful, we’re going to have to play very well defensively. We’re getting a little better every week, and both teams present a good challenge for our team.
The Bulldogs are slated to play Harvard at 7 p.m. and will continue their road trip the following night to play Dartmouth at 7 p.m.
The women’s hockey team did not get the results it hoped for in Vermont this weekend and they may have caught a glimpse of a tough road ahead this year.
Rookies Jenna Ciotti ’14 and Patricia McGauley ’14 scored the only two goals of Yale’s trip north and the Bulldogs (0–1–1) opened their season with a 1–4 loss and a 1–1 tie against the Vermont Catamounts (1–2–3) this weekend.
The Bulldogs showed signs of rust at times in Friday’s opener, as they were outshot 33–18 and had twice as many penalty minutes as the Catamonts. The first of those penalties was especially costly, as Vermont’s Teddy Fortin beat goalie Jackee Snikeris ’11 late in the first period after Danielle Moncion ’13 was sent off for checking. The Bulldogs survived any further damage in the frame, although Vermont outshot them, 10-6.
The Catamounts widened their lead midway through the second period, when Saleah Morrison was alone in the slot and banked a shot off a Yale defender into the net.
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“We just left girls wide open in front,” Snikeris said. “Our wings just led them slide past them. That’s something we have to work on.”
But Ciotti put the Bulldogs back in the game with a goal only seven minutes later. She picked up a loose puck off the skate of linemate Jackie Raines ’14 and sent a sharp wrist shot over the left shoulder of Vermont goaltender Roxanne Douville. That goal came with assists from Raine and Bray Ketchum ’11, the top scorer on last year’s team.
“[Ciotti and Raines] had chemistry together from day one, since they had the chance to play together on Team Ontraio,” said head coach Joakim Flygh. “They’ve been a little snakebitten in terms of scoring on the chances they generate, but as they continue to improve, they’ll complement [Ketchum] well.”
Ciotti’s goal was not enough. Vermont’s Peggy Wakeman added another goal early in the third, and the Catamounts sealed the game when Celeste Doucet scored shorthanded on Yale’s empty net with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Flygh cited a lack of consistent focus and energy as a primary reason for the Bulldogs’ troubles in the opener. But the Yale team regrouped Saturday morning and played Vermont to a hard fought, 1–1 tie.
“The main difference between the two games was our willingness not to lose battles, to not give up,” Ciotti said. “We won all the small battles and that really showed the effort we made as a team.”
Although the Bulldogs were once again outshot — this time 32 to 24 — goaltender Genny Ladiges ’12 stood on her head and turned 31 aside. Vermont outshot the women in blue and white by a wider margin each period, but neither Ladiges nor her Catamount counterpart allowed a puck to cross the goal line until a Vermont’s Peggy Wakeman blasted a slap shot past Ladiges half a minute into the final frame.
The Bullldogs refused to quit. With four minutes left in the game, Alyssa Zupon ’13 won a faeoff and McGauley notched her first collegiate goal with a snap shot that caromed off Vermont goalie Kelci Lanthier’s helmet and into the goal.
McGauley attributed her own success to the team’s efforts, and Flygh echoed the sentiment.
“Our kids have figured out how hard you have to play to be competitive in hockey games, and that was the big change from game to game,” he said. “We competed for 65 minutes Saturday and competed not necessarily for all of the 60 on Friday.”
The five extra minutes in Saturday’s game were overtime, when the Bulldogs continued to threaten. Aleca Hughes hit the crossbar for the second time in the game 30 seconds into the extra period, but the Bulldogs could not generate any further offense.
The Elis said they will go into their week of practice conscious of the weaknesses they showed in Vermont.
“We have to get open and support our teammates,” Snikeris said. “We have to compete and battle for every loose puck and get it out past the blue line. We created too many turnovers in our own zone this weekend.”
The Bulldogs will look to skate out strong in their league opener next Friday, when they take on Harvard in Cambridge, where Flygh used to assistant coach. The Crimson won both rivalry games last year. But this year’s Bulldogs are a young team who have learned many lessons already, according to Flygh.
“The kids now know what kind of effort they’re going to have to put in every week,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we play — we’re going to have to work extremely hard to be successful. I told the kids before the game Friday: we have to jump into the water and learn how to swim again.”
After narrowly missing a playoff bid last season, the women’s hockey team is loaded with young players, led by a new head coach, and ready for a fresh start.
The Elis kick off the 2010-’11 season tonight for the first of two season-opening games against non-league opponent Vermont.
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At the helm for the Bulldogs is Joakim Flygh, who replaced Hilary Witt on July 28 after Yale’s head coach of eight seasons abruptly decided to depart the program to pursue other interests in May. Flygh split his past six seasons of coaching with three at Minnesota-Dulth followed by three at Harvard. During that time, his teams made five NCAA Tournament appearances.
Yale finished 10–16–3 overall last season, with an 8–13–1 mark in the ECAC. The Elis were tied with Dartmouth for eighth in the conference — the last place that would have been good enough to earn a slot in the ECAC playoffs — heading into the final weekend of regular season competition, but ultimately Yale dropped to tenth and finished three points out of playoff contention.
Considering the coaching change and influx of young athletes on Yale’s squad this year, Flygh said the team still has “a lot to learn.”
“I think we’re looking forward to playing more games and finding out more about ourselves,” he said.
The team is indeed young, with seven freshmen and eight sophomores — as compared to four juniors and five seniors — making up the 24-person roster. Flygh said four of the freshmen are playing in Yale’s top three lines, and that those players will need time to adjust to the pacing of college games.
Flygh said the team is skilled at goaltending and aims to be defensively strong this season. As for the attack, he said the Elis will need to “be creative” with special teams.
“We can generate a lot of quality chances,” he said. “We just need to take advantage of the opportunities we create for ourselves.”
Forward Bray Ketchum ’11 returns as last year’s top scorer, with 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists. Forwards Aleca Hughes ’12 and Alyssa Zupon ’13 followed Ketchum with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Goaltender Jackee Snikeris ’11 anchored Yale’s defense in the 2010-’11 season, totaling nearly 1,412 minutes in goal and tallying a 2.47 goals-against average. Snikeris recorded the lowest single-season goals-against average in school history in 2008-’09 at 1.67, and is on track to break the Yale career goals-against average record held by June Mendoza ’81.
Snikeris said Flygh has increased the tactical level of the team’s play, and that they are adapting to the new style.
“It’s not too much different, it’s still hockey, but there are definitely a few differences here and there,” she said. “We’ve been working on our power play and penalty kill a lot, and our forecheck this year is more aggressive than we’re used to.”
As for the weekend’s away games against Vermont, Flygh said he thinks the teams will be well matched.
The puck will drop against Vermont at at 7 p.m. tonight. Yale faces off against the Catamounts at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
