URI women's hockey takes 6th-straight ECWHL crown

By: Brandon Gearing

Posted: 6/13/09

Summer 2009 - The University of Rhode Island women's club hockey team took home its sixth consecutive Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League championship this past March at the Boss Ice Arena. The Rams defeated Pennsylvania State University, 4-1, in the semifinals and then the University of Massachusetts, 4-1, continuing their long reign of dominance at the top of the conference.

Head coach Beth McCann said the team felt a great deal of pressure to win the sixth championship.

"They had a lot on their shoulders with so many freshmen on the roster," McCann said. "They gave a long hard thought of what it meant to the teams before them and handled it quite well."

Rhody came into the first contest feeling very confident. Just two weeks prior, the Rams soundly defeated semifinal foe Penn State by scores of 9-2 and 10-2.

McCann said the team restrained their scoring in the semifinal game out of respect, and used the opportunity to work on passing the puck.

After a subdued first period, freshman Johanna Leskinen put Rhode Island on the board first by beating Penn State goalie Brittany Frohnhoefer at 12:28 in the second period.

Senior Kate Garcia followed nearly 30 seconds later with a quick score of her own. Freshman Daira Olink padded the lead at 5:37 to make it 3-0 Rhody and fellow freshman Meghan Birnie added another insurance goal in the third to cap off the URI scoring. Penn State's Alicia Lepore scored the lone goal for the Nittany Lions with 1:20 to play, helping her team avoid the shutout.

"Penn State showed up and gave us a good, competitive game," McCann said. In the finals, the Rams, ranked No. 3 nationally, squared off against the No. 4 UMass Minutemen. URI scoring leader, junior Jolene Rambone found the back of the net with 6:53 left in the first period to put Rhode Island ahead 1-0.

Sophomore Amanda Tassoni beat UMass goaltender Christen Eulian to make it 3-1 Rhody in the third. Just 10 seconds later, Rambone followed suit with her second goal of the night and secured the victory for Rhode Island. "Certain individuals gave 110 percent and it showed in the scoreboard," McCann said.

URI had eight days of practice to prepare for the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament being held in Rochester, N.Y.

The tournament began Thursday, March 12 for the Rams, when they faced Liberty University whom they had defeated twice already during the season by scores of 3-2 and 3-1.