Despite Electric 2nd Period, Riveters Fall to Beauts

Metropolitan Riveters, Ice Hockey, Professional

November 21, 2021

The Metropolitan Riveters are back at their home rink in Newark at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House after spending opening weekend at Mennan Sports Arena. They welcomed the Buffalo Beauts today for the first game of a double header. After a scoreless first period, the Riveters came roaring back to the ice, scoring 3 goals in a mere 2 minutes and 11 seconds.

In the 11th minute, Rebecca Russo came up the left side before passing to Madison Packer in the center, drawing out Beauts goalie Carly Jackson. Packer then found Kendall Cornine, who shot the puck between Jackson's legs and found the back of the net.

A minute and a half after that, rookie Nora Maclaine took advantage of a rebound to sneak the puck past Jackson's right foot for her second goal in the PHF.

The team's hat trick came fifty seconds later, when the triple threat of Cornine, Packer, and Russo connected again to bring the score up to 3-0.

The Beauts responded by upping the pressure on Sonjia Shelly. After saving 27 goals over the first 37 minutes of play, the Beauts' 28th attempt (and Anjelica Diffendal's seventh shot) finally found success. Their first entry to the board galvanized them to equalize, adding two more goals in the third period.

For the second time since PHF announced the debut of a 5 minute, 3-on-3, sudden death overtime period, the league found itself ending a third period with a tied game. Unfortunately, the momentum the Beauts had gained in the third period won the day as Cassidy Vinkle neatly dangled Kristen Barbara to put the puck away.

Riveters' head coach Ivo Mocek said after the game, "we’re definitely learning that we cannot count on being up by a few goals and then just expect that the game is going to finish itself."

Captain Madison Packer said the team was playing better than they did opening weekend, but that there were "too many little mistakes and things that maybe they’re in our control, maybe they’re not, but right now we’re not getting those bounces." Her goal is for everyone "to not get frustrated, stay out of the penalty box, and we have to capitalize on all the opportunities when we have them."