Buffs struggle, drop both to UMass in crucial weekend series

Colorado Buffaloes forward Amelia Sowers in a matchup with UMass. The Minutewomen beat CU on Friday and Saturday. (Photo by Hannah Howell/CU Women's Hockey).

Colorado Buffaloes women’s hockey (11-6-2-1) fell twice to the Massachusetts Minutewomen (11-7-0-2) in the final games of the Buffs’ homestand. CU lost 4-2 on Friday and 3-2 in overtime on Saturday. It marks Colorado’s first losses in five games.

Entering the weekend, CU stood two points behind Utah in the Women’s Western Collegiate Hockey League standings. UMass was Colorado’s first formidable opponent since November. After games against three-win Denver and winless New Mexico, it was obvious CU hadn’t faced the speed and skill UMass brought in some time.

Friday night, UMass jumped on the Buffs from puck drop. The Minutewomen spent most of the first period in CU’s zone. Seventeen minutes into the game, UMass defenseman Shelby Little went coast to coast and snapped a wrist shot bar-down to open the scoring. Shots were 13-4 UMass after one.

The Buffaloes matched the energy in the second. After killing a penalty, Buffs defenseman Sophie O’Brien weaved through defenders into the slot and threw a shot past goaltender Sarah Matthews to tie the game. It was her fourth consecutive game with a goal and eighth on the year.

Seven minutes later, UMass took the lead back on a second effort from forward Hannah Gromko, pushing a rebound past Buffs goalie Zoe Watson. Then, with 11 seconds left in the period, O’Brien lost the puck in front of the crease, but teed up forward Natalie Ewald for a slapper that went bar-down to knot the game up at two.

But the Minutewomen came out for the third and shut down Colorado. The Buffs struggled to get the puck out of their own zone, and it was only a matter of time before UMass forward Maya Shapiro poked a rebound past Watson to take a 3-2 lead. Gromko got her second of the game six minutes later, and the Minutewomen held the Buffs scoreless in the third to win it 4-2.

The rematch on Saturday started similarly for UMass. They broke the ice nine minutes in when forward Ivorie Arguin snuck a shot through Watson’s five-hole. It was yet another goal Colorado allowed by letting a forward inside the crease with little to no intervention.

On their first power play of Game 2, the second unit tied it when forward Brianna Arens whacked the puck out of the air with a high stick and into the net. After discussion, the officiating crew called it a good goal, one that the Buffs got away with.

UMass went ahead by a goal in the second period after CU couldn’t clean up a rebound that squeaked past Watson. The Buffs looked lethargic in the middle frame, just going through the motions and struggling to generate any sustained pressure. The first line was the only group that showed any signs of offense.

That slowness continued through the first 10 minutes of the third. UMass continued pressing down on the Buffs until a penalty kill flipped the momentum. A minute later, Rowan Nasty dished a great find to forward Aleksa Caton, who netted it far-side to tie the game.

In the final five minutes, both teams traded unsuccessful power plays. But before the clocks hit triple zeros in regulation, the Buffs drew a penalty. They had two minutes of a 4-on-3 advantage in overtime, but failed to cash in. It was Colorado’s fifth power play without a goal on the weekend.

With the overtime clock under 90 seconds, Shelby Little nicely worked around Buffs defenseman Zoe Dupuis, cut to the right circle, and ripped a shot into the top corner to walk it off for the Minutewomen, 3-2.

The Minutewomen made life miserable for the Buffs in all phases. The forecheck of UMass had Colorado in its own end for extended periods of time. UMass’ defensemen were especially good at stopping the puck along the blue line to stay on offense.

When CU finally got out of its own end, passing in the neutral zone wasn’t good enough to set up effective zone entries. Colorado instead had to settle for a game of dump and chase that never worked for them.

The Buffs’ time in UMass’ end was short-lived. The Minutewomen were exceptional at clogging shooting lanes, and Matthews rarely let the puck kick off her for rebound chances. Add on a suffocating backcheck, and Colorado was held to its fewest total goals in a series since early October.

UMass won the majority of face-offs and puck battles while out-skating the Buffs all weekend.

Colorado came away from the two games with only one point. The good news is the Buffs didn’t fall in the WWCHL standings. The conference-leading Utah Utes only earned a single point on the weekend themselves, losing to Grand Canyon in regulation on Friday and in a shootout on Saturday.

The Utes and Buffaloes will face off for a stretch of four games over the next two weekends. These are the most important games of the regular season for both teams. Each team will play two at home in a series that will likely decide the WWCHL and home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

The series will start in Salt Lake City with the Buffs two points down in the standings. Puck drop is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT.