Girls’ hockey eliminated by Belmont in OT thriller
By Jay Turner
Junior Meaghan McKenna had two goals in the Bulldogs' 5-4 loss to Belmont. (Mike Barucci photo)
After fending off No. 21 Ursuline Academy in the preliminary round of the Division 2 state tournament, the 12th seeded CHS girls’ ice hockey team earned a date with No. 5 Belmont last week and nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback, storming all the way back from three goals down in the second period before falling in overtime 5-4.
It was a tough way to end the season; however, it was not for a lack of effort as the Bulldogs scratched and clawed their way back into the game against a heavily favored Belmont team on the road.
“I think we played pretty well,” said head coach Kelly Rider, “and we showed again that we are a hardworking team that never gives up and always fights back. I think it says a lot about our players’ character when we never had back-to-back losses all year and we scored three third-period goals to force OT against a top-ranked team in the playoffs.”
The game started off as a defensive battle, with neither team getting many opportunities at the net in a scoreless first period. But the tide turned in Belmont’s favor halfway through the second frame as the hosts netted three consecutive goals in a three-minute span to take a commanding lead.
Refusing to quit, the Bulldogs fought back and made it a 3-1 game less than a minute later on a goal from Meaghan McKenna, assisted by linemates Stephanie Rizzitano and Michelle McNeil.
“I think it was really important for us to get that goal as it seemed to slow down Belmont’s momentum and really kept us in the game,” said Rider.
With their season on the line, the Bulldogs came out flying in the third, scoring back-to-back goals to make it a 3-3 game. McKenna scored the first one, with the assist again going to McNeil, and then Jackie Martin scored off a rebound from a shot by Rizzitano.
Belmont bounced back a few minutes later to take a 4-3 lead, but senior captain Haley Gaughan came through in the clutch with a game-tying power play goal with under two minutes to play.
The game then went into overtime with momentum on Canton’s side, but after the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on an early power play opportunity, Belmont came back and scored on its first shot of the period to clinch a 5-4 win and end Canton’s season.
Even in defeat, Rider had nothing but praise for her “resilient” team, which overcame a slow start to the season and went on to win the SEMGHL West championship while playing some excellent hockey down the stretch.
“We displayed a lot of character and sportsmanship consistently throughout the entire season,” she said, “and we beat teams or were right in games with top teams that some people never thought we had a chance to compete with.”
Rider reserved her highest praise for the team’s three senior captains — McNeil, Rizzitano, and Gaughan — who displayed great leadership while combining for 92 points of offense.
“We bring back a lot of talent and experience next year, but we definitely will miss our three seniors,” said Rider. “Each of them put in a lot of time to the program and played every day with immense passion.”
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=12100
Posted by Jay Turner
on Mar 7 2012. Filed under High School, Sports.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
