Lindenwood’s women’s hockey team swept a two-game series with Rochester Institute of Technology, winning the first game on Jan. 19 4-2, and the second the next day by a score of 3-2.
In the first game of the weekend, Lindenwood found themselves in a quick 2-0 hole to RIT. They scored their only two games in the first period, as both Nicole Ness and Emma Pickering found the net for the Tigers. However, Lindenwood rebounded nicely in the following two periods, scoring two goals in the second, and two more in the third. Rachel Goff wasted no time in the second period, finding the net within the first minute of play. Her goal was assisted by both Molly Henderson and Olivia Grabianowski. Ten minutes later, Henderson sounded the buzzer for a goal of her own, at that point tying the game. Grabianowski and Quinn McLaren assisted Henderson on the goal.
In the final period of play, Grabianowski scored a goal of her own, the goal that ended up being the deciding factor of the game. Henderson and Emma Hoen were on the assist for that goal. Seven minutes later, Sarah Davies scored the final goal of the game to give Lindenwood a 4-2 advantage, which was the score they won by. Thea Jorgenson and Goff were there to assist Davies on the goal.
In the Lions net, goalie Natalie Ferenc saved 30 shots on goal, good for a .938 save percentage. Davies led the team in shots with seven, with Goff and Henderson closely behind, with four and three each respectively.
In the second game of the weekend, Lindenwood took an early two-goal lead by the end of the first period. Henderson found the net once again on a power play, just as the game hit the seventh minute of play, with an assist from McLaren and Grabionowski. One minute later, the Lions scored again, as Morgan Neitzke scored an unassisted goal.
The Tigers scored two goals on power plays in the second period to tie the game. The first came from Kylie Aquaro, assisted by Jaidan Fahrny, and the second by Kyla Bear, assisted by Pickering.
Neither the Lions nor the Tigers scored in the third period, which set the game up for overtime. It took Lindenwood a minute and a half into the extra period to score a goal, winning the game, as Davies found the net for the second time in the series. The goal was assisted by Henderson and Grabianowski.
Ferenc had another successful game in the net for Lindenwood, making 33 saves all game, good for a .943 save rate. Neitzke led the team in shots, with seven, with Davies closely behind with five of her own.
The team now heads out on the road this weekend, en route to University Park, Pennsylvania for a two-game series against Penn State University. The Lions lost two games to the team in October at home.
The following weekend, the team returns home to the Centene Community Ice Center to play Syracuse University for two games on Friday, Feb. 2, and Saturday, Feb. 3. Puck drop on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
