Please pardon the title of the blog post today...just a little inside joke (just ask one of the players)...
After getting schellacked by the Selects 5-0 before Christmas (their words, not ours...again, ask a player), the ICE vowed to give the Selects a much better game this time around. I think everyone in attendance today would agree, today's game was certainly more entertaining, more exciting, and had a far better outcome! The Selects came out strong, as they usually do, and outshot the ICE 13-7 in the first period, but the play went back and forth for the most part. The Selects did manage to open the scoring with about 10 minutes left to play in the first period, but it was a good start for both teams. High energy was a major topic of discussion for the ICE today, as Eastman is one of the hardest working teams in the league. At intermission, the ICE were calm and looked to stay patient over the next 40 minutes. The first period was a good one for the ICE, but not great...and they trailed 1-0 despite killing all 3 penalties they took. The second started quickly, and the ICE tried to even the score...but just as their 5th powerplay of the game ended, the Selects scored to stretch the lead to 2-0. The ICE bench got a little louder, as the girls encouraged each other to stay in the game. A 2-0 deficit has been a death sentence for this team on many occasions this season, but one could sense that it felt a little different today. Kathleen Kosior played the rest of second period brillantly, and kept the ICE within striking distance, and 4 minutes after Eastman made it 2-0, Meara Grant scored a powerplay goal (assisted by Jessi Campbell & Michelle Anderson) to bring the ice within 1. The ICE pressed for the equalizer for the rest of the second period, but couldn't get closer before the second period ended. They managed to outshoot the Selects 13-11 in the second period, and the momentum seemed to be with them going into the third.
The coaches challenged the players to dig deep and find a way to pull this one out. They asked the players to leave it all on the ice and make this period their best (which has not been the case enough this season, to say the least) and the players responded perfectly! Two and half minutes into the third period, Meara Grant scored her second of the game (assisted by Allie Bednarz & Michelle Anderson) to tie the game at 2, and 16 seconds after that, Michelle Anderson scored the go ahead goal on a rebound (assisted by Emily Barber and Elizabeth Carter). The bench went wild at first, but settled in to ride the wave for the final 17 minutes of the game. The ICE fired a near-season record 22 shots on goal in the third period and found a way overcome a 2 goal deficit to win 3-2! The ICE ended up with 42 shots, while Kathleen Kosior stopped 31 of the 33 shots she faced. The players proved to the coaches, and probably much more importantly to themselves, that there is plenty of fight left in this group.
While it was only 1 game, the signs of have been present for a while now. The ICE have lost their fair share of games that they deserved to win...it was great to see them earn this one tonight. No real time to celebrate though, as the ICE take on Yellowhead on Sunday at 11:45am! Great work today girls, you all certainly held the rope today!
~Coach
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