PITTSTON, Pa. – A goal from
Alyssa Wilson (Scottsdale, Az./Dallas Stars Elite AAA) in the final minute of regulation propelled the Hood College women's hockey team to a 3-2 win over King's College, earning the team's first sweep of the season.
Inside the Box Score
Wilson,
Molly Hawkins (Perkasie, Pa/Jr. Flyers), and
Ella Bynan (Park City, Ut./Team Colorado U19) each registered a goal for the Blazers.
Renata Petrella (Cranberry Township, Pa./Nashville Jr. Predators U19),
Dakota Ormiston (Scituate, Ma./Portsmouth Abbey),
Mia Cheesebrough (Mendota Heights, Mn./Two Rivers/St. Paul Riveters), and
Sofie Ancona (Grosse Point Farms, Mi./Saint Clair Shores Saints) were credited with an assist each.
Maggie Grijalva (Fullerton, Ca./Anaheim Lady Ducks AAA) made 12 saves in the win.
How it Happened
Hood registered the first shot on goal less than a minute into the game, but neither squad would be able to break the ice for a while despite each having their own solid amounts of offensive ice time. After the Blazers managed to keep the pick in the Monarchs' end for a while, a quick wrap around behind the back of the net by Petrella dragged a defender away enough from the slot to drop a pass to Hawkins who did not miss from up close and gave the visitors a 1-0 lead nearly 13 minutes in. Hood
registered the only shot on goal the rest of the period but managed to earn a power play for the second after a King's player was called for tripping with a second left on the clock.
Unfortunately, the Blazers could not generate too much offense on that power play, registering just one shot on goal before putting more pressure on the goalie once it ended. The Monarchs would keep the momentum going following the kill with a goal just a couple minutes after it ended to tie the game 1-1. Just under two minutes later, Hood suddenly found itself trailing for the first time in the weekend when a faceoff win for King's saw the puck go right to Amanda Sokol free in the slot, which allowed her to pick her corner and get one past Grijalva and put the Blazers in a 2-1 hole.
There was an immense amount of pressure from Hood as soon as it gave up the goal, with the Blazers spending the next minutes in the Monarchs' end trying to find the equalizer. Despite another power play opportunity, there would be no equalizer in that rush, as it would instead come several minutes later at the 16:40 mark when a Bynan shot clipped the goalie's glove and tipped right over into the back of the net for the equalizer. A penalty kill shortly after forced Grijalva to make four saves in 28 seconds, but she kept her composure, and the game, tied 2-2 at the second intermission.
The Blazers spent the opening minutes of the third period on the defensive, but a power play with under four minutes left flipped the momentum in their favor, allowing them to get shot after shot up, but with no result. After King's sent a pair of shots wide with three minutes left, the rest of the game would be spent in their defensive zone as Hood made a push to end things before overtime. A power play with 1:37 remaining in the period gave it the perfect opportunity to finish the game early, and with 31 seconds left in regulation, a pass across the ice deflected off of Wilson's skate and between the goalie's legs to clinch another Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth win.
For the Opponent
Sammi Stead and Amanda Sokol both scored for the Monarchs.
Hayley Packer made 35 saves in the loss.
Analysis
Hood outshot King's 38-14.
The Blazers went 1-4 on the power play, while the Monarchs went 0-2 on their chances.
Hood had a 28-24 advantage in the faceoff circle.
Notes
Hawkins' goal was the first of her collegiate career.
The Blazers improve to 4-4-2 (4-4-2), while the Monarchs drop to 0-10-0 (0-8-0).
Up Next
Hood gets a bit of a break for the holidays before returning home to Skate Frederick for a non-conference series against Framingham State University, with game one set for Saturday, January 3 at 7 p.m.
