{"id":25301,"date":"2002-11-21T16:12:15","date_gmt":"2002-11-21T22:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2002\/11\/21\/this-week-in-the-cha-womens-league-nov-21-2002\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:55:19","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:55:19","slug":"this-week-in-the-cha-womens-league-nov-21-2002","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2002\/11\/21\/this-week-in-the-cha-womens-league-nov-21-2002\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in the CHA Women’s League: Nov. 21, 2002"},"content":{"rendered":"
Like practically any coach, when Niagara mentor Margot Page was asked how her team was playing, she replied, “We could be better.”<\/p>\n
But by no means is she disappointed in her team’s 7-3-0 start coming off its third-place finish at last year’s NCAA Frozen Four.<\/p>\n
“We just need to be more consistent,” Page said. “It’s the little things right now and we need to tighten up a little defensively.”<\/p>\n
After facing just one ranked opponent in its first 10 games, a two-game series against No. 6 Brown in which the Purple Eagles earned a split, Niagara is facing a four-game stretch in which it will face No. 4 Dartmouth and No. 8 New Hampshire, the latter in a two-game series on the road.<\/p>\n
— Niagara coach Margot Page, who lost stalwart Tania Pinelli in net after last season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Although Page feels her team could be playing better defensively, and that it will need to be sound in its own zone in its next four games to be successful, she’s been pleased with the play of junior Jennifer Mascaro and freshman Breanne Doyle in goal.<\/p>\n
After the Eagles lost Tania Pinelli — who had played 124 games in four years — following last season, many thought goaltending would be a weak spot. Page disagreed with that sentiment from the start.<\/p>\n
“We knew what we had,” she said. “We were confident Jennifer could step in and play and we knew Breanne was good as well. We’ve been pleased with our goaltending.”<\/p>\n
The duo has combined for a 2.30 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, excellent numbers for a tandem which had 353 minutes of collegiate experience entering the season.<\/p>\n
Balanced scoring has also been important for Niagara. Seventeen of 19 skaters have scored points this season and seven different players have accounted for the team’s seven game-winning goals.<\/p>\n
Where are the Purple Eagles at this season?<\/p>\n
Page feels they’re on the right track. With a few adjustments here, and a couple of breaks there, they can get moving along that track over the next two weeks.<\/p>\n