Dutchwomen left on the outside again

by Ryan Fay

The Union women's hockey team set a program record with seven wins two years ago, then broke that record with nine wins last season. There was optimism that the team would be ready to take the next step and make the ECAC Hockey playoffs for the first time this year.

But that won't be happening. The Dutchwomen were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend. Unlike on the men's side where every team makes the playoffs, only the top eight finishers qualify for the women's playoffs.

The Dutchwomen have largely been done in by their offense, or lack of one. They've scored more than two goals in a game just once all season. Union sits last in the country with 1.17 goals per game, down from 1.53 last season. If this season's figure holds, it will be the worst offensive season by any team since Yale averaged 1.07 goals per game in 2011-12.

Senior goalie Shenae Lundberg has been one of the 

few bright spots for Union this season.

Union has already been blanked nine times this season – or in other terms, in 30 percent of their games. That includes three consecutive shutout losses in October as well as two straight on home ice to begin January.

Of course, you have to shoot the puck in order to score goals. But getting sticks on the puck has been another problem. The Dutchwomen rank second-to-last in the country in shots per game at 19.80. Their total shots on goal margin is -506, also next-to-worst in the nation. That includes a 5-0 loss at Quinnipiac in November in which Union was outshot 63-8 and held without a single shot until the second period.

When Union's offense has produced goals, leads have been squandered all too often. A 2-1 lead late in the second against Penn State on Oct. 18 resulted in a 2-2 tie. An early 1-0 lead at Harvard on Nov. 1 ended in a 5-2 loss. Union had a 1-0 lead in the second against Maine on Dec. 13, but settled for 1-1 draw.

The Dutchwomen had a 2-1 lead in the third at St. Lawrence on Jan. 17, but lost 4-2. Union held a 2-1 edge in the third against RPI on Jan. 23, but settled for a 2-2 tie. On Jan. 31 at Colgate, the Dutchwomen had a 2-1 advantage in the third only to skate away with another 2-2 draw.

With four now-meaningless games left in the regular season, the Dutchwomen have a 4-20-6 record, including a 1-14-3 mark in ECACH play. The team's lone league win so far this season came on Dec. 6 against 12th-place Brown, the only team lower than Union in the conference standings. Union hasn't won a game since Dec. 12 against Maine, going 0-9-4 in 13 contests since. Every other team in the country has won at least once since Dec. 12.

Will that elusive playoff berth come next season? It doesn't seem likely. Those long-standing offensive struggles will probably remain. Union will lose a senior class that has accounted for 28% of its goals so far this season. And expecting the underclassmen to step up seems like a risky bet; Union's underclassmen rank last in the country with a combined seven goals. The incoming recruiting class is a wildcard, but history says not to expect any miracles.

Goaltending, Union's only strength this season, will become a major question mark. Senior netminder Shenae Lundberg, who has single-handedly kept Union in many games, will graduate in June. That means the reins will fall to either freshman Alexx Ridding, who has barely seen any action, or an incoming recruit. It's not going to be an easy situation for an inexperienced goalie.

There's no other way to spin it: this season has been a disaster. Instead of another step forward, Union has taken a couple back. I wouldn't count on reserving playoff tickets anytime soon.

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