The women’s hockey team will put its 16-game win streak on the line this weekend when the Red welcomes ECAC foes Union and Rensselaer to Lynah Rink. The Red (20-1-0, 14-0-0 ECAC Hockey), who is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, will look to complete the season sweep of both teams; the Red beat Union (1-22-3, 0-12-2) and RPI (9-10-6, 7-6-1) on the road two weeks ago.
Though Union boasts the second-worst record in all of Division I, the Dutchwomen gave the Red one of its most competitive games on the season when the two teams met on Jan. 15th. The Red skated to a 4-2 victory, which was one of the three times all season it gave up more than one goal.
“We created good opportunities [against Union], but we struggled to put the puck in the net a bit; it didn’t seem to bounce our way,” said junior goaltender Amanda Mazzotta. “We just need to bury our chances and continue to stick to our game plan and not get frustrated even if things aren’t going our way. Union’s a very hardworking team; we need to really put the pressure on and play a full 60 minutes.”
Against RPI the Red recorded a 6-1 victory, winning in the type of dominating fashion that it has grown accustomed to over the course of the season. Still, in a league as competitive as the ECAC, the Red knows it must be ready for anything.
“We go into every game knowing that every team in this league is a competitor and that on any given night, any team can win,” Mazzotta said.
One of head coach Doug Derraugh’s ’91 main points that he consistently stresses to his players is to stay in the moment and focus on what needs to be done in the present to get better.
“We’re definitely taking it one game at a time; when you start to think about outside factors is when things go wrong,” Mazzotta said. “We’re making sure we stay on top of everything and that we’re challenging ourselves everyday in practice. It’s really important not to get complacent and overlook things. We need to always be working on the little things that add up to winning or losing.”
Original Author: Ware Cady