by The Cowl Editor on December 6, 2018
Friar Sports
By Gavin Woods ’22
Sports Staff
On Dec. 4, the Providence College Women’s Hockey Team added to their already impressive record with a staggering 8-0 road win over the Brown University Bears at the 24th Mayor’s Cup. The Friars are now 14-3 and hold the eighth position in the top 10 Division I women’s team standings.
Providence bounced back in a big way, following their disappointing 1-2 loss to the University of Connecticut Huskies. The Friars first found the back of the net with an unassisted goal with 10:53 to go in the first period by Emily Landry ’19. Providence then followed up with a beautiful assist from Sara Hjalmarsson ’22 to Cassidy MacPherson ’19 before the end of the period.
The Friars continued to push the puck early in the second period, resulting in Hayley Lunny’s ’21 rebound goal from Annelise Rice ’21. Roughly four minutes later, PC capitalized on a powerplay when Meaghan Rickard ’20 found Kate Friesen ’19 to extend their lead to 4-0 with 12:21 left in the period.
The Friars showed no signs of slowing as the final period began. MacPherson secured another goal, this time unassisted, just 1:59 into the third period. Maureen Murphy ’21 was next with a goal, assisted by Christina Putigna ’19 with 9:25 left in the game. In the final five minutes, Ciara Barone ’22 scored, and Caroline Peterson ’22 scored her first career goal for PC off an assist from Murphy.
For the Friars, the story of the game was possession. Head Coach Matthew Kelly emphasized, “Moving our feet and moving the puck–that was the biggest thing. We were working the puck low to high.” When asked how the team was able to shut out Brown’s leading scorer, forward Sena Hanson, Kelly responded, “We were definitely playing more offense than defense, and I think that helps. It also limits the chances that a player like that can get.” Even when PC was on defense, they remained composed and dominant throughout the game. Obviously, the shutout points to an impressive display by both the defense and goalkeepers Madison Myers ’19, with 12 saves in the first two periods, and Clare Minnerath ’20 with three saves in the third.
Despite the contradictory final score, Kelly did have praise for the Bears of Brown, saying, “They’ve had some big wins this year. Look at some of the teams they beat: Cornell University, Colgate University, and the University of Connecticut. They are a team that, if you give them time and space, will be opportunistic with their chances.”
This was no ordinary game, however. The Friars faced off with the Bears for the 24th installment of the annual Mayor’s Cup. The Mayor’s Cup was created to celebrate the exciting rivalry between two talented teams in Providence. Brown took the first Mayor’s Cup in 1966, with a 4-3 win. The Friars, however, have now won the last five meetings, and lead the Bears 11-10 in the series. Kelly seems to think the trophy on the line may have contributed to success for the Friars, “Definitely different when you’re playing for a trophy. It always amps everybody’s focus and attention to detail. It’s fun. We had one of these opportunities back in the Nutmeg Classic, and we won that. So, we had some experience, going for a trophy. ”
The Friars look forward to the Crusaders of the College of Holy Cross, facing off with on Friday, Dec. 7 at Schneider Arena.