NEVILLE, Pa.-– RMU women’s hockey (11-5-1, 10-5-1 CHA) took on Sacred Heart (1-6) on Saturday night. The Colonials looked to stretch their two-game win streak into three games and did so thanks to Molly Singewald getting her first collegiate start, where she stopped all 14 shots and secured the 1-0 victory for the Colonials.
Singewald’s goaltending wasn’t the only great goaltending from tonight’s game as Sacred Heart’s Frankie Sanchez stole the show. The Colonials sent 73 shots her way, and Sanchez stopped 72 of them. RMU coach Paul Colontino spoke on Sanchez’s performance.
“I thought [Sanchez] did a really good job tonight of staying square in net and putting herself between the net and the puck,” he said. “I think we have to go east and west more [to score more goals tomorrow] and have a little more poise.”
The Colonials came out to play on their senior night tonight as they started hot. The Colonials were pouring the pressure on the Pioneers and finally capitalized on a chance 2:46 into play. Ellie Marcovsky scored when a pass from Gillian Thompson was tipped by Lexi Templeman and sprung Marcovsky in for the breakaway where she picked her corner going low blocker on Frankie Sanchez.
Colonials had a few other opportunities to score, but Sanchez shut the door. Colonials had a power-play chance where Maggie Burbidge was wide open in front, but Sanchez made an amazing windmill save. Colonials outshot the Pioneers 22-7 after the first frame.
In the second period, the goalies stole the show. Sanchez saw no stoppage of rubber as the Colonials added another 22 shots on goal. Sanchez’s best save of the period came after two Pioneers collided at center ice and gave Molly Pedone, in search of her first collegiate goal, a breakaway that Sanchez snagged out of the air with her glove. Singewald also made a great save after the puck bounced around and went back door, but Singewald got back and kicked out her leg to shut the door.
Colontino showed support for his senior goaltender in her first career start.
“She did a heck of a job stepping in and making those big saves, and in a one-goal game those are huge.”
The goalie duel continued in the final twenty where Sanchez continued to stand on her head. She stopped all 29 shots she faced in this period and kept the Pioneers in the game.
The Colonials had many chances to extend their lead in the waning minutes but bounces didn’t go their way. The best chance the Colonials had in the third was when Anjelica Diffendal got a breakaway and hit the crossbar, sending it over the safety net and into the empty stands.
Colonials ended tonight’s game with 73 shots and went 0/4 on the power play. They’ll return to the ice tomorrow for a matinee with puck drop against the Pioneers at 1:05 p.m where they will look to sweep the weekend series and make it a four-game win streak.
