Mia Fiscelli achieves lifelong goal; Colorado puts on a show in weekend series versus New Mexico
It was another successful weekend for the Colorado Buffaloes women’s hockey team. The Buffs dominated a young New Mexico Lobos team by scores of 8-2 and 9-1 on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
The home series came after the Buffs won 2-of-3 last weekend on the road. They split the series with the Grand Canyon Antelopes and beat the Arizona State Sun Devils, two teams that made nationals last year. The power play was the best part of the Buffs’ game on the road trip with four goals.
Back in Boulder, the Buffs continued their winning ways. The Lobos are in their second year in the ACHA, and with only 15 players on their roster, two wins were pretty much guaranteed for Colorado. The Buffs’ best players turned the weekend into a highlight reel.
In the first period on Friday, newly named captain Natalie Ewald and forward Anna Masiello scored within 20 seconds of each other. On both plays, senior forward Mia Fiscelli took a shot that left an easy rebound for her linemates to put home. Ewald and Masiello teamed up for a goal on the power play 11 minutes later, when Masiello made a pass through an empty slot to Ewald for a one-timer on an open net.
Sophomore forward Abby Piatigorsky had her best period in a Buffs uniform in the first on Friday. She had the puck on her stick every time she was on the ice, and was relentless at stealing and keeping possession for Colorado. Her effort paid off late in the period on an odd-man rush with an assist to Aleksa Caton’s first goal of the season.
The Buffs’ stars poured it on the rest of the game. Fiscelli scored three times and assisted three other goals. Her speed terrorized the Lobos, who were out of gas by the third period with just two lines.
Sophomore defenseman Kieran Sullivan got her first goal of the season. The Buffs ran plays where she crashed the slot, a scheme that generated many high-danger chances. She finally got one to go late in the third when she held the puck for another second to deke a defender and get closer to the net.
Junior goaltender Morgan McLean got her first career start and win, making 10 saves on 12 shots. She saw the ice in relief against the Lobos in a blowout win last season. McLean played the entirety of both games and improved as they progressed.
“I think it got better, got more relaxed, more comfortable,” said McLean after Friday’s win. “First day jitters; always happens.”
Saturday’s win was even more flashy. Ewald and Fiscelli, the “Dynamic Duo,” scored twice and four times, respectively. Fiscelli sits at 10 goals in eight games to start the season.
This game was a special one for the 22-year-old. With eight minutes left in the third period, Fiscelli achieved her lifelong ambition of scoring a Michigan goal in-game. After a missed pass sent the puck below the net, Fiscelli scooped the puck onto her stick and above her shoulders, and flung it into the top corner with a lacrosse-style shot. The brilliance of the play can only be expressed by watching the video clip.
Scoring a Michigan goal is something Fiscelli has been trying her whole career with the Buffs. After the goal, Fiscelli dropped to a knee in celebration and walked into a bear hug from her close friend, Ewald.
“I’ve been talking about the Michigan since my junior year of high school,” Fiscelli said. “Everyone I’ve ever played with has known that I’ve been wanting this so bad.”
She called it the best day of her life, repeatedly.
Rookie defenseman Suzie Honan got involved on the scoresheet with a pair of goals. One of which was a wrist shot from 85 feet out that whipped into the top corner past an unsuspecting Lobos goaltender, Sarah Olivas. Piatigorsky scored with a turnaround shot from the right circle. The power play also got a tally, the seventh time the Buffs have scored on a man-advantage this season.
It was a showcase of what Colorado is best at: shooting the puck. The Buffs took shots all weekend that were unsaveable. When they have a lane to shoot, they’re hard to stop. It’s what the attack is built around, and new schemes like crashing Sullivan from the point into the slot generate more open looks at the net.
The wins improved the Buffaloes to 6-2, retaining first place in the WWCHL. They’ll have next weekend off before getting back on the road for a trip to New England. Colorado will face the Rhode Island Rams on Oct. 23 and 24, and the UMass Minutewomen on Oct. 25.
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