NCAA Journal: NEWHA Week One
There's a lot of takeaways to be had for the three teams in NEWHA who hit the ice this past weekend.
Only three teams from the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance might have played this weekend, but that doesn’t mean the schedule wasn’t full of interesting matchups for those on the ice. We’re gonna look at all three teams' contests, and break down some takeaways as the conference moves into October.
Saint Michael’s vs. #3 Clarkson (ECAC)
Friday: 9-0 Clarkson Win
Saturday: 14-0 Clarkson Win
Well. Can’t say I didn’t see this one coming for Saint Michael’s, mainly considering just how dominant Clarkson has been the last couple of years. The good news is that Annika Lavender is starting the season with a respectable .907 save percentage even after giving up seven goals.
Because she saved 69 shots on goal.
The Golden Knights had 89 in the Friday game alone. Then followed it up with 83 the following day. In comparison, the Purple Knights had just six shots in the first game, and nine in the second. Overall, not the best weekend for head coach Meghan Sweezey to start her career, but a challenge for the team that they can build off of moving into the first weeks of the season.
Their next opponent, Providence, won’t be as challenging, but they won’t be easy either. It’s an uphill battle for the Purple Knights, but a goal or two against the Friars might help them generate momentum before conference play commences.
Assumption at RIT (AHA)
Friday: 3-0 RIT Win
Saturday: 5-0 RIT Win
The Greyhounds were able to play a far closer game this weekend than the Purple Knights, even if they were still unable to convert on their chances. The team combined for 22 shots across the two games, a number that should go up once conference play begins.
One drawback here is that RIT, who notably did not have an outstanding power play last season, was able to convert on three of their 11 chances on the player advantage. Yes it’s early, and yes RIT’s special teams are better than some of the teams in NEWHA. But for a team that only gave up 2o goals on the PK last season, giving up three across the first two games is a tough pill to swallow.
I’d expect a bit of a bounce back from Assumption, although maybe not next weekend, considering they’re playing a solidly deep New Hampshire team coming up. Perhaps they’ll surprise us though.
Stonehill vs. Boston College (HEA)
Saturday: 5-1 BC Win
This was a closer matchup on the stat sheet, even if it wasn’t totally reflected in the final score. While BC did clobber the Skyhawks in shots on goal (43 to 18), the Skyhawks showed some solid performances in the defensive parts of their game that can be built upon moving forward.
The PK went a perfect 6-for-6, against a BC power play that was operating above a 20% conversion rate a season ago. And the Skyhawks narrowly edged the Eagles in the faceoff dot 34-33. Faceoffs were never a problem for this team last season, as they won over 55% of them throughout the course of the year. Against a tough BC team, winning in the FO dot is a good indicator that this will continue moving forward throughout the rest of 2024-25.
Their next set of games should be tighter matchups, but more on that below.
Next Week:
Four more teams from the conference start their slate of games on Friday, including home openers for both Sacred Heart and Saint Anselm.
There are two series in particular that I’d keep an eye on – Stonehill taking on Syracuse, and Saint Anselm squaring off against Holy Cross.
The Skyhawks should have an easier time against Syracuse compared to their game against the Eagles. I’d be interested to see which goalie gets the start – Eve Stone did not play against BC, instead it was freshman netminder Alexsa Caron who got the start, and who made 38 saves in the contest.
Syracuse struggled last season, and then graduated multiple top players during the offseason. They were originally supposed to play Minnesota Duluth this past weekend, although those games have now been moved to January. It’ll be interesting to see how Stonehill takes advantage of having game-action experience against BC, while Syracuse might need to get their feet underneath them in their first game action of the regular season.
Then, Saint Anselm and Holy Cross. Saint Anselm lost their top player in Natalie Tulchinsky over the summer, but are taking on a Crusaders team who also lost a lot of talent up front. HC did manage to knock out RPI with a 3-2 win this past Friday, before dropping the second game Saturday.
I’d say these two teams are decently matched against one another, even with the difference in conferences. The Hawks were unable to get a win in non conference play last season, but I wonder if that changes during this weekend series against HC.
Upcoming Schedule:
Friday:
Sacred Heart vs. RPI (ECAC) – 2 PM
Stonehill at Syracuse (AHA) – 5:30 PM
Saint Michael’s at Providence (HEA) – 6 PM
Post at St. Thomas [Minn.] (WCHA) – 6 PM
Assumption at New Hampshire (HEA) – 6 PM
LIU at Minnesota State Mankato (WCHA) – 7 PM
Saint Anselm at Holy Cross (HEA) – 6 PM
Saturday:
Sacred Heart at RPI – 7 PM
Stonehill at Syracuse (AHA) – 3 PM
Saint Michael’s at Providence – 2 PM
Post at St. Thomas [Minn.] – 6 PM
Assumption at New Hampshire – 6 PM
LIU at Minnesota State Mankato – 4 PM
Saint Anselm vs. Holy Cross – 7 PM
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