Vikings, Huskies Tie 1-1

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications  

Gorham, Maine-  Salem State and Southern Maine tied 1-1, scoring the only goals of the game during the first period on Friday evening at the USM Arena in a New England College Hockey Conference (NEHC) contest. The Vikings iare now 5-10-1, 2-6-1 while the Huskies are 8-6-3, 5-2-3.  

Prior to the game coach Ray Kizzie expressed how his team is going to bounce back from last week's loss. "We have to respond here in conference play. Every game matters. We just have to respond with paying attention to details, focus and be ready to go." He also added how his team is going to pressure Southern Maine during the course of the game. "Is the most competitive league in the country. We have to come on our toes land ike I said, take away their timing and space and making sure we possess the puck and control the game."    

Vikings Nielsa Maddalena (Essex Junction, Vt.) spoke about the importance of striking first against the Huskies. "It is super important. We haven't been doing that too much this year so I think that's the main goal for this whole team." She also added about her preparation for tonight's game. "I am just trying to get in the zone and not get intimidated by their scorers and just play good hockey."   

As the period progressed, Madison Chagnon (Saint Albans, VT)  tried to score a backhand goal, but Kaia Hollingsworth  (Methuen, Mass.) from the Vikings stopped the puck from going into the net with a save on her padding. The first power play of the game was awarded to the Vikings, but unfortunately, the Huskies were able to kill it off. A few minutes later, the Huskies were looking to strike first, and Caroline Thompson took a shot that was blocked by Tea Miles (Northfield, VT).  

Southern Maine had their first power play of the game when Isabella Perrotti (Winthrop, Mass.)  from the Vikings went into the box for cross-checking. Jess MacLean  (Red Point, NS) passed the puck to Ally Stymiest (Moncton, NB), who took a shot, but fortunately, the puck hit the crossbar, and the game remained scoreless. 

The Vikings had their second power play of the game after Miles was tripped down on the ice. Unlike their first power play, this time, the Vikings were able to capitalize on their advantage. They won the faceoff, and Jessica Robert (North Reading, Mass.) shot the puck towards the net with several Vikings around the net. Lexi Warner (Littleton, Mass.) was able to put the puck into the net, scoring a power play goal and giving the Vikings a 1-0 lead at the 15:06 mark. 

After the game Warner spoke about the goal. "It was a power play goal and I believe it was a shot from the point and I just saw the rebounders out front and it was actually the second time that I hit the puck so it was like I got my own rebound and it was a good play as I crashed the net."  

Late into the period, the Huskies were awarded a power play, and the Vikings did an excellent job killing off the penalty. However, Jordan Colbert (Manomet, Mass.) passed the puck to Thompson, who was on the right side of the net. Thompson passed the puck to Isabella Colarusso-Sprang (Northfield, OH), who finished it off, scoring a top-shelf goal. The time of the goal was 19:56 in the period, and it tied the game 1-1. 

As the first period came to a close, both teams were looking for a chance to break the tie heading into the second period of regulation. 

Southern Maine found an advantage as the second period began, as they were on a power play. However, despite their efforts, Salem State successfully killed off the penalty. Southern Maine then had a breakaway opportunity, with Thompson passing the puck to Chagnon, who shot the puck. But the Salem State goalie, Hollingsworth, made an impressive save, extending her body on the left side of the net to prevent the goal from going in. 

After two periods, the game was evenly matched, with both teams tied at one. Hollingsworth made an impressive 22 saves out of 23 shots, while McKim of Southern Maine saved 15 out of 16 shots. Salem State had been successful on one of its five power play opportunities, while Southern Maine had not been able to convert on any of their three power play opportunities. 

As the teams headed into the final regulation period, the game was still tied, and both teams were hungry for a win. 

As the period rolled on, the Huskies mounted a fierce attack, and Amelie St-Amant (Cornwall, ON)  took a shot on the left side that appeared to be heading for the net. However, Hollingsworth made an incredible save, denying the Huskies the chance to take the lead. Moments later, Hollingsworth made another outstanding save, preventing the puck from going inside the net yet again. 

Despite the pressure from Southern Maine, the Vikings kept their composure and continued to put pressure on Hollingsworth. Sydnee Chaisson (Stratford, PEI) had an excellent chance to score after a rebound, but Hollingsworth managed to save the puck between her legs. 

However, the game took an interesting turn when Olivia Tednes (Elk Grove Village, IL) was sent to the box for interference, and 14 seconds later, Isabelle Besser went to the box for tripping. This created a five-on-three advantage for the Huskies. During the power play, Hollingsworth made some incredible saves, which kept the Vikings in the game despite Southern Maine's dominance. 

The game went into overtime, but instead of the usual five-on-five, the teams played three-on-three. Hollingsworth made a spectacular save, denying Morgan Rochefort from scoring. During the final seconds of the game, the Huskies were inches away from winning the game as the puck hit the crossbar. Nonetheless, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. 

In terms of statistics, Hollingsworth made an incredible 47 of 48 saves, while McKim made 26 of 27 saves. Salem State was 1 for 7 on their power play, while Southern Maine was 0 for 6.  

Hollingsworth after the game spoke about her performance "I feel pretty good obviously. They are a pretty good team, they rank higher than us and we knew they were going to come out strong. One save at a time is pretty much hat I tell my self…"  

Both of these teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon in a rematch at Rockett Arena. Game time is at 3:00 p.m.