Greene's Game-Winner Lifts Vikings Past Wildcats

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

SALEM, Mass. -- Brenna Greene (Haverhill, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal with just over two minutes remaining in the third to help Salem State to a 4-2 New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) victory against Johnson & Wales at Rockett Arena on Friday evening. The Vikings improve their record to 2-5, 1-2, while the Wildcats fell to 1-6-0, 1-4-0.    

The Vikings were given their first power play opportunity of the night in the first period when Haylee Owen (Hommer, Alaska) was sent to the penalty box. This gave the Vikings a chance to score and take a 1-0 lead. As they applied pressure on the Wildcats goalie Leah White (Hingham, Mass.) the Vikings were poised to capitalize on the opportunity.  

Kaia Hollingsworth (Methuen, Mass.) kept the Wildcats off the board early, making a remarkable save. Four minutes into the game, the Vikings had a chance to score when Greene passed the puck to captain Deanna Bosco (North Andover, Mass.). However, White made a great save and prevented the Vikings from taking the lead. 

Towards the end of the first period, Salem State was granted a five on four power play, which extended into the beginning of the second period for 19 seconds. 

Hollingsworth saved all six shots while White saved all 11 shots.  

During the second period, both teams were battling fiercely. Salem State rookie Scarlet Chatham (Dallas, TX.)  scored her first career goal from the left side of the net giving  the Vikings a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats soon found themselves with their first power play opportunity when Alexis Thomas (Barnstable, Mass.) was penalized for hooking. With 12 minutes left in the period, Jessica Robert (North Reading, Mass.) was on a breakaway one-on-one with the goalie and scored, placing the puck top shelf at 7:54 on the second period.  

The Vikings' two-goal cushion was quickly reduced when Anna Luecht (Burlington, Mass.) scored on an assist from Sara Cruise  9:03 into the second  period. Both teams became more aggressive as the game went on, and the Wildcats found themselves on a two-on-one breakaway when Paige Henault (Winnipeg, Manitoba.) scored a goal, beating Hollingsworth with assists from Reese Middendorf (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Owen. 

Late in the second period, Meghan Azzato (Falmouth, Mass.) had a breakaway chance to break the 2-2 tie, but her shot was denied by White. However, Hollingsworth made a brilliant save in the final 36.5 seconds of the period, keeping the score tied. Hollingsworth saved 18 of 20 shots, while White saved 17 of 19 shots. Johnson and Wales were unsuccessful on all three of their powerp lay attempts, while Salem State was unsuccessful in both of their power play attempts.  

During the third period, the Vikings found themselves killing off a penalty from Catherine Lawrence (Guilford, Conn.), but managed to keep the Wildcats from scoring. Both teams were putting immense pressure on each other with Hollingsworth, making an unbelievable save that prevented the Wildcats from taking a 3-2 lead. Hollingsworth extended her body near the net to keep the scoring tied.

As the clock ticked down, both teams remained tied at 2-2. Alternative Captain Téa Miles  (Northfield, Vt.) made an impressive block as the puck hit her skate, and both teams fiercely battled for control. 

Late into the period, Robert passed the puck to Greene, who scored from the high slot with only 02:01 left on the clock, assisted by Robert and Lexi Warner (Littleton, Mass.). During the final period of regulation, Celeste Scoppettuolo (Revere, Mass.) secured the victory for the Vikings with an open netter. 

Hollingsworth saved 29 of 31 shots while White saved 20 of 23 shots. Salem State was able to convert one of their three power plays, while Johnson and Wales were unable to convert any of their three power plays. The Wildcats won 30 faceoffs, while the Vikings won 22. 

Salem State will remain at home ice as they take on UMass-Boston tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m.