The Massachusetts women’s club hockey team survived a messy second period to beat Colorado State 4-1 on Friday night. The Minutewomen (5-6-2) had a sluggish start, but their third period effort was too much for the Rams (7-5). “A lot of the girls played hard,” head coach Bill Wright said. “We didn’t execute as a group, but we had some good individual efforts.” The dagger to Colorado State’s hopes in this game came not long after the third period had begun. With plenty of open space to work with, forward Hannah Gromko carried the puck by herself up the right side boards to an opening in front of the Rams crease and found the back of the net. The junior’s goal gave UMass a more comfortable 3-1 lead. A big-time performance from captain Shelby Little was a major difference-maker for the Minutewomen in this game. In the second period, the defender ended up with the puck after a scuffle in the offensive zone. She sent a floating backhand at the net that went in, opening scoring in the period. The captain’s second goal came from a power play in the later stages of the game. Little found her spot, alone at the top of the left circle, and rifled the puck past Colorado State netminder Morgan Neibauer. The extent of Little’s overall effort on Friday still was not reflected on the scoreboard. The captain had two other shots that crossed the goal line but were called back. Right after her first tally of the night, the senior stopped in front of her bench and sent another shot from the corner of the blueline, which put her offside. To close the second period, she went for the bottom left corner, but the puck didn’t cross the goal line before the horn went off. Little also added an assist to the stat sheet, ending the night with three points. The Rams’ lone goal arrived late in the second period off a power play of their own. After Brianna Qualley’s net crash rattled UMass goaltender Sophie Shipton, forward Elan Forde let one fly from the top of the right circle and scored. The tally on the power play marked Forde’s 10th goal of the season. The second period marked a breakdown for the Minutewomen, as they committed four penalties within 10 minutes. All four were different infractions committed by different players. The last penalty, a checking penalty called on Hope Viskovicz, clocked in at 15 seconds because of Colorado State’s goal. “We had an agenda for the second period and that derailed us,” Wright said. “Our penalty kill is hard work and good positioning. We had one breakdown, and they scored.” After two blowout losses to Liberty on the road, Friday’s win marks a bounce back for UMass. Its result seemed all but settled by the middle of the third period, as the Rams showed no signs of a comeback. Neibauer put up 35 saves for Colorado State, thwarting off many quality chances from the Minutewomen. Shipton helped her squad to victory with 24 saves in her third start of the season. Defender Abigail Dunn also put up two primary assists in UMass’ win. The Minutewomen will look to build on this performance in their next matchup. The team will face off against Rhode Island on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7: 20 p. m. at the Mullins Center Community Rink.
https://dailycollegian.com/2025/11/umass-womens-club-hockey-takes-down-colorado-state-4-1/
UMass women’s club hockey takes down Colorado State 4-1
