The University of Rhode Island women’s club hockey team battled against the University of Maryland on Friday and Saturday for its home opener at Boss Ice Arena.
Friday’s back-and-forth contest went to overtime before the final buzzer sounded, leaving no true winner as both teams left the ice.
The Rams dominated possession on the offensive end as they fired in 50 shots on goal during the course of the match compared to Maryland’s 24.
The home team got off to a hot start, taking a 2-0 lead thanks to goals by first-years Izzy Bollentino and Meredith Johnston.
Maryland’s fourth-year Katherine Wanner responded with two of her own goals to force the score to 2-2 going into the final stage of the game.
Rhode Island took a 3-2 lead late in the third period thanks to a goal by fourth-year Bella Bonfiglio. However, the Terrapins shortly responded in the final minutes of regulation with a goal by fourth-year Dani Bir, which sent the game into overtime.
Neither team could find the back of the net during the five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period, forcing the Rams to go into Saturday’s competition after a 3-3 draw.
Despite the late equalizer by Bir, Rhode Island head coach Nicole Friesen was encouraged by how her team played as a group this early in the season.
“I think they were acting like a unit up and down the ice,” said Friesen. “You don’t usually get that so early in the year.”
The Rams’ ability to contribute at both ends of the ice was a major positive for Friesen. She pointed to the team’s forwards tracking back to support the defense while the defensive line went up to join scoring efforts as a key example of this philosophy.
Bonfiglio, one of Rhode Island’s standout players on Friday, who is entering her final season with the Rams, said she had been looking forward to opening night ever since she retired her skates last season.
“It feels great,” said Bonfiglio. “I’ve been waiting for this since last season ended. I want to go out with a good ending to my last year and have some fun.”
While URI generated numerous scoring opportunities, Maryland’s goaltender kept the Terrapins in the game. Friesen mentioned the need to adjust for Saturday’s game by making more scoring opportunities off of rebounds instead of relying on clean one-time shots.
The Rams got that opportunity the following day as Rhode Island defeated Maryland 7-2 to take the two-game series, giving the home team its first win of the season.
