URI Women’s Club Hockey finished their three-game weekend with a Sunday morning victory against the University of Delaware at Boss Ice Arena.
The Rams played a strong game on both sides of the ice, scoring in every period while also recording a shutout.
Midway through the first period, Bella Bonfiglio started the scoring after a turnover in Delaware’s defensive zone. Bonfiglio picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, skating towards the net and sniping a shot top-left corner to get the Rams on the board 1-0. From there, the Rams gained momentum offensively, finishing the period with 11 shots on goal.
Rhode Island scored their second goal of the game 15 minutes into the second period. On the powerplay, defender Saige Moore received the puck on the point, firing it towards the back of the net to extend the lead 2-0. The Rams were efficient both times on the powerplay, passing the puck and generating multiple shots from different areas of the ice.
“I think the powerplay was a lot better this weekend than they have been in past weekends,” Rams Head Coach Nikki Friesen said. “We’ve been working on [the powerplay], so it’s nice to see that they’re moving all over the ice and they’re creating chances in the offensive zone that they haven’t been previously.”
The powerplay chance wasn’t the only goal scored this period, as defender Penny Spack scored with five minutes remaining to make it a three-goal lead for Rhode Island. Right before the play, Delaware was inside Rhode Island’s defensive zone, generating multiple chances to net their first goal of the game. After a couple rebound opportunities from Delaware, URI pushed the puck out of their own zone and onto the stick of Spack, rifling in the third goal of the game.
URI capped off the game with a third-period goal scored by forward Rylee Tanner. Four minutes into the period, Rhode Island dumped the puck into Delaware’s defensive zone. Bonfiglio retrieved the puck before any Delaware defensewoman could, passing it to her linemate Serena Batacchi. Gaining control of the puck, Batacchi curled away from the net on the right faceoff circle, dishing the puck to a trailing Tanner across the middle of the ice. With the puck on her stick, Tanner sniped the puck on the top-left corner of the net, turning the score 4-0 Rhode Island.
“Everybody was just working hard getting to the puck,” Tanner said. “Two of my teammates had the forecheck going and it was a good pass.”
Delaware ended up outshooting the Rams in the last two periods, finishing the contest with 19 shots on net to Rhode Island’s 21. Despite this, goalie Morgan Aimlee played a perfect game in net, stopping every shot faced including a Delaware power play opportunity.
“[Ainlee] won yesterday so she deserved to play today, and we needed her in every moment up and down the ice,” Coach Friesen said. “[The win] was big for her, hopefully that’s big for her confidence and it trickles into Niagara next weekend.”
The URI women’s hockey team will look to continue their success through the rest of the season.