GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Women's Hockey team looked to end the semester on a high note as they took on the Eagles from Robert Morris. The Eagles were just ranked one position ahead of the Panthers, and the two teams had a very similar story. The Eagles had yet to win a game on the road, while DU had yet to be victorious at Patterson. The weekend was set for a very even matchup.
 
Saturday, December 15
Final Score: Davenport 4 – Robert Morris (Ill.) 9
Records: #15 DU (2-13), #14 RMU (6-12)
Location: Patterson Ice Arena (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 
STUMBLING OUT OF THE GATE…
Things were not looking good for the Panthers early as the Eagles jumped right on the Panther defense. After the Eagles got the puck right in front of the net, goaltender Julia Gaynor made the initial save, but after a couple more whacks, Morgan Donchez found a way to slip it through Gaynor to give Robert Morris the lead just 34 seconds into the game.
 
…THEN FINDING SOME FOOTING
The early goal by the Eagles seemed to fire up the Panthers, as DU really came out strong on the offensive following the tally. After Jessica Plowman made a play to keep the puck in the zone, Emily Ellis picked up the puck, walked towards the middle of the ice, and fired a shot, short side, that fooled former DU netminder Lauren Yomantas to even the game at one. Just a few minutes later, Davenport found themselves with another opportunity in the Robert Morris zone. Amanda Ballestero sent the puck in front of the Eagles' net, bounced off a defenseman, and landed on the stick of Morgan Pippin, who slipped it through the five-hole of Yomantas, and DU took the lead for the first time on home ice.
 
THE EAGLES SOAR
The second period was not as favorable to the Panthers as the first. Just four minutes into the period, it was Donchez again, weaving through the DU defense, and put a backhander passed the blocking glove of Gaynor to the game at two. Just over a minute later, Jaiden Forrest's breakout pass was picked off by Madison Schultz, who walked in and scored her ninth goal of the season to give the Eagles their second lead of the game. Emily Urban would find the net later on in the period to put Robert Morris up by three, with a nice shot that just went over the shoulder of Gaynor and right underneath the crossbar. Almost 90 seconds later, Cardew scored with just a few minutes left with a bardown shot, and the Eagles went into the second intermission with a 5-2 lead.
 
The final period of play saw both teams find the back of the net in the final half of the period. First, Donchez completed her hat-trick just passed the ten-minute mark. Ballestero would score one for the Panthers on a rebound. A couple minutes later, Donchez would score her fourth of the game, followed by Urban scoring her second of the game just 51 seconds later. Forrest would score a nice goal after a good drive to the net with just a few minutes left. Cardew wrapped up the scoring with her second of the game, and Robert Morris would take the first game of the weekend by a final score of 9-4.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Three Panthers had two-point games. Forrest, Ellis, and Ballestero each had a goal and an assist during Saturday's game.
 
Sunday, December 16
Final Score: Davenport 4 – Robert Morris (Ill.) 2
Records: #15 DU (3-13), #14 RMU (6-13)
Location: Patterson Ice Center
 
COMING OUT ON FIRE
Davenport wanted to play their best hockey in the final game before the break, and they started off Sunday's contest playing strong hockey. After an early flurry by the Eagles, the Panthers would receive a pair of power plays, they were unsuccessful on their first attempt, but their second they were able to convert. Courtney Mulligan did a good job keeping the puck down low, and won a hard battle in the corner, Tori Dubuc would jump on the puck, and fire a perfect pass across to Olivia Rudberg, who was left wide open, and tapped home her first of the year, and DU was out in front. Robert Morris tried to tie the game, but Gaynor made a couple of nice saves. Ellis received a pass from Mulligan in her own zone, then she fed a perfect pass to a streaking Forrest, who fought through the Eagles' defense to go on a breakaway. She walked in and fired the puck passed Yomantas to give Davenport a two-goal lead after 20 minutes.
 
CONTINUING TO CONTROL
One of the biggest weaknesses this season for Davenport has been the second period. On Sunday, however, the Panthers continued to take the play to Robert Morris in the middle stanza. Despite a couple of close calls, they could not find the net, but then an odd goal occurred at exactly the halfway mark of the middle frame. After Zoie Amatore caused a turnover just inside the DU blue line, Ballestero poked the puck to center towards the RMU zone. Before crossing the blueline, she took a long wrister on goal, more or less going to dump the puck and go for a change. However, the long fluttering shot fooled Yomantas, and it fell underneath the Eagles' netminder and into the back of the net, giving Davenport a 3-0 lead. That would be the end of the afternoon for Yomantas and Annette Scislowicz came into the game, and held off the Panthers for the remainder of the second.
 
HOLDING THE FORT
If Davenport wanted to earn their first win on home ice this season, they would need to play some of the best defense they had all season. Robert Morris came out in third with a firing squad, taking every shot possible at Gaynor. Davenport would have an opportunity to increase the lead with a power play just passed the ten-minute mark. However, after an errant pass from Adriannah Letts, Alexandra Nurse picked up the puck, and scored on the ensuing breakaway to put the Eagles on the board. The clock continued to wind down, and the RMU chances began to add up. After the Dayna Sherman caused a turnover at her own blue line, she went into the DU zone, 2-on-0, with Donchez. Sherman fired a pass across to Donchez who redirected it towards the net, but Gaynor came sliding across in the splits to keep the puck out. However, the Eagles would continue to swarm. With just under five minutes to play, Alexa St. Jean fired a weak wrister on goal, and at the last second, Schultz tipped the shot just over the shoulder of Gaynor and in.
 
With the Panthers lead cut to one, and Robert Morris with all the momentum, they needed something to happen to turn the play in their favor. Their prayers were answered just 27 seconds later. Pippin cleared the puck out of the zone with a pass to Dubuc. Dubuc made a nice move in the neutral zone, before taking the puck to the net, and beating Scislowicz, top corner to restore the two-goal lead.
 
Robert Morris would come close to making it a one-goal lead, when Makaila Anderson scored with under two minutes to play. However, when Robert Morris pulled Scislowicz for an extra attacker, the oncoming player left the bench too early, causing the play to be blown dead, negating the goal. Davenport, behind the impressive play by Gaynor and the defense in front of her, held on for the 4-2 win.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Dubuc's two points led the team on Sunday. With the Forrest goal and Ellis assist, the two DU forwards now lead the team with 14 points each. Gaynor, who was the first star of the game, stopped 34 Eagle shots, picking up her third win of the season.
 
"We just did the things we needed to do," Head Coach Jerre Coretti said postgame. "We were firing on all cylinders." When asked about the second period, Coretti knew how important DU's performance was on Sunday. "The second period's have not been good for us at all this season. I just told the girls we just needed to stay consistent…and we saw that in the second period today."
 
WHO'S NEXT?
After the three-week holiday break, the Panthers will come back with a three-game weekend. They'll first take on Concordia-Ann Arbor on Friday, January 11. The first-year program is winless in their first ten games, including an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Davenport back on October 5. The game will take place at Patterson with an 8:30 p.m. puck drop.
 
Story by: Tyler Kuehl
 
Picture credit: Alexis Hoffman