Wednesday afternoon was a back-and-forth battle between the Penguins of Cushing Academy and the Big Red of Millville. It would be the visitors who would get on the board first going up 2 – 0 midway through the first. SPS rallied with a goal late in the period when, with1:39 to go,
Madelyn Humber received the puck from
Cadence Crowley and her shot from the point found its way through a crowd in front of the Cushing net. This was a big lift for the home side going into the break.
The second period saw a strong showing by the Big Red. At 9:51 a quick break out led by
Emma Burke and
Gabrielle Smith got the puck to
Chelsea Bell whose one-time touch pass sent
Erin Flaherty in a lone on the CA net.
Erin Flaherty finished her chance with a quick shot upstairs. SPS took the 3 -2 lead with 3:52 to play when an
Emma Burke chip up the wall sent
Tess Mulkerron on a partial break and when the Cushing D stepped to play, she deftly slid the puck to
Liza Demain for a breakaway.
Liza Demain did the rest of the work by finishing nicely and giving the Big Red the lead for the first time in the contest.
This one was not over yet. The Penguins equalized at 12-minute mark of the third. Three minutes later
Chelsea Bell had a one on three break and wisely held the puck for a late trailing
Grace White. Bell's hard pass to the weak side was deflected into the net by the CA defense. 4 - 3 with 9 minutes to play. With a minute to play an SPS penalty would give the Penguins a six on four advantage to close out the game. While the Big Red defended hard a shot through a screen with 2.7 seconds left found the back of the net. This one would go to overtime. The five-minute overtime saw both teams with chances and neither able to score.
Paige MacPhee was once again strong and consistent in the SPS net stopping 44 shots. Credit both teams for their energy high work rate and battling back throughout the contest.
No rest for the Big Red as they are back on the Gordon rink for contests with KUA and Pomfret this Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Go Big Red.
