Salem State Heads to Viking Cup Championship

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications 

SALEM, Mass.- Aislinn Bennett (Milford, Mass,) netted her first colligate goal and Kaia Hollingsworth (Methuen, Mass.) recorded her 1,000th career save to give Salem State a 5-1 victory over MCLA on Friday night at Rockett Arena in the opener of the Viking Cup. The Vikings boosted their overall record to 4-8 while Trailblazer slip to 2-10.  

Salem State struck first when Makayla McGrath (Saugus, Mass.) made a shot from the right side, sneaking the puck under Katie O'Brien's (Ridley Park, PA.) to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead. Jessica Robert (North Reading, Mass.) was credited with the assist. The goal came at the 14:29 mark of the period. They kept up the pressure and continued to look for opportunities to score, with Isabelle Besser (Scituate, R.I.) unleashing a shot that O'Brien managed to save. With the first period coming to a close, Salem State held on to their 1-0 lead and headed to the locker room feeling confident and energized. 

During the second period of the game, Isabella Perrotti (Winthrop, Mass.) was on the lookout to increase their lead. Abby Pomajba  (Chatham, ON) had received a five-minute major for hitting from behind, which gave the Vikings a five-on-four power play. The Vikings took full advantage of this opportunity and scored twice within a span of just a minute and 25 seconds. Brenna Greene (Haverhill, Mass.) was on the right side of the net and scored a goal that pumped up the Vikings, extending their lead to 2-0. Bennett was credited with the assist. Catherine Lawrence (Guilford, Ct.) further extended the Vikings' lead to three goals with a backhand goal from the right side of the net.  

Salem State was more dominant than the Trailblazers, outshooting MCLA 27-3, with only 10 minutes left in the second period. The Vikings had their second powerplay opportunity, which they executed perfectly. Deanna Bosco (North Andover, Mass.) passed the puck to Lawrence, who then shot the puck from the right side of the net. Bennett scored top-shelf, adding another goal to the Vikings' tally giving them a 4-1 lead. This goal was scored at the 11:38 mark of the second period.  

In the same period, Salem State had a turnover, which allowed MCLA's Alexandrea Bednar (Vita, MB) to go one-on-one with Hollingsworth. This allowed the Trailblazers to score their first goal of the game at the 14:00 mark of the period. Later in the period, Tea Miles (Northfield, Vt.) went to the penalty box, and this penalty would continue into the first four seconds of the last period.    

Throughout the first two periods of the game, O'Brien saved 28 of 32 shots, while Hollingsworth saved 11 of 12 shots. The Vikings had an impressive 35 faceoff wins compared to the Trailblazers' 10. The Vikings capitalized on two of their three power play opportunities, while the Trailblazers were unable to take advantage of their one power play opportunity.  

The Vikings headed into the final period of regulation with a comfortable 4-1 lead.  

In the early minutes of the third period, the Vikings continued their dominance on the ice, putting immense pressure on their opponents. Perrotti made a valiant attempt to extend their lead with a wrap-around shot from the left side of the net, but was narrowly denied by O'Brien.

As the game progressed, Scarlet Chatham (Dallas, Texas) of the Vikings came close to scoring, but couldn't find the back of the net. Meanwhile, Miles received a penalty for the second time in the game. However, Hollingsworth made some stunning saves to prevent the Trailblazers from scoring. 

In the late stages of the game, Besser scored which sealed the deal for a 5-1 Viking victory.  

Hollingsworth, saved 24 of 25 shots, while O'Brien of MCLA saved 41 of 46 shots. The Vikings were fantastic on their power play, converting all three opportunities, while MCLA's power play failed to produce any results, going 0 for 3. 

Salem State advances to the championship game tomorrow afternoon, where they will play Albertus Magnus at 4:00 p.m. at Rockett Arena.  MCLA will play Lebanon Valley in a consolation game tomorrow starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Rockett Arena.