As Tom Bernhardt and the rest of the ECA Stars coaching staff made the long trek to their locker room after the second period, foremost in their minds had to be how to get a puck past Wisconsin Valley Union netminder Pistol Cowden.
The sensational sophomore had stopped all 21 shots fired at her during the first 34 minutes of play and as a result, the Union held a slim 1-0 lead at Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point on a snowy Saturday evening.
The Stars scored not just once, but four times in the final period to skate off with a 4-1 win over the home team.
"Between the second and third periods, we challenged the girls to step up and make a play," said Bernhardt. "They did a nice job in the third."
Both teams were ranked in the WiPH Top 10 (ECA was second, WVU was seventh), so it was expected to be a close, hard-fought game.
The teams did not disappoint, and for the first two periods, the margin was only one goal.
WVU got on the board a few minutes into the game on a nice defensive play by Gwynn Beversdorf. The freshman was battling behind the net with a Stars player before she stole the puck and then sent it out front to where Shelby Tryba was camped. One second later the puck slid past ECA goalie Naomi Stow and the home team had the lead, much to the delight of the mostly hometown crowd.
The Stars (20-2) had a power play chance in the middle of the period, but Cowden and the rest of the PK unit held firm and kept the guests off the scoreboard.
The period ended with the score still 1-0. Cowden stopped nine shots, while Stow had one save at her end in the opening stanza.
Union almost added to its lead when Markie Ash went in on a breakaway nearly four minutes into the middle period, but Stow came up with a big save as the puck bounced off the handle of her stick as Ash tried to sneak a shot inside the left post.
Two minutes later, the Stars were given another man advantage chance, but once again WVU (15-4-2) thwarted all attempts during the two minute infraction.
Cowden came up with a big save with just over three minutes left in the period.
As she fended off traffic in front of the net, the puck bounced high in the air and she grabbed it with her glove as she fell/was pushed to the ice.
WiPH Game Summaries
WEHL 16U Southwest Skate All The Way To USA Hockey Semi-Finals
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WEHL 18U South East Girls at USA Hockey Nationals, March 20-24
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/20/2024, 7:45pm CDT
TW, Wisc Selects, and WEHL at Central Districts
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/16/2024, 9:45am CDT
19U Girls, 18U Boys Lead Six Team Wisconsin Teams to Central Districts
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/11/2024, 11:30am CDT
Tritons Stifle Stars to Go Back-to-Back
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/02/2024, 9:00pm CST
Storm Win Battle of Last Two State Champions
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/02/2024, 4:30pm CST
Gaertig and Two Minutes of Dominance Lead Springs to Division 2 Championship
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/02/2024, 11:45am CST
Tritons Ride Big First Period to Semi-Final Win
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/01/2024, 4:30pm CST
Stars Shine With Extra Attacker To Head to D1 Title Game
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/01/2024, 12:00pm CST
Ice Bears Get the Chance to Defend Their Title
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 02/29/2024, 10:30pm CST
The period came to a close with the scoreboard still reading 1-0. Cowden had 12 saves, while Stow turned aside four shots for ECA.
Then came the eventful final period.
Less than a minute in, Ash was denied by Stow once again on a breakaway attempt to keep the lead at one goal.
"(Naomi Stow) made a couple big saves to keep us in the game," noted Bernhardt on the two Ash breakaways. "That gave us a chance to win."
The Stars finally got on the board when speedy junior Ava Kison grabbed a pass in the NZ and set sail down the middle. As she approached the goal, she made a quick deke and then pitchforked a backhander past the Union goalie to tie the contest at one. Emmie Verhaagh and Madison Schwengler earned helpers on the play.
The game remained all square for the next six minutes, but then it was time for the 'Stow Show.'
Not to be outdone by her younger sister Naomi, senior Abigail Stow reminded the crowd why she is one of the finest players in the state.
Stow picked up a loose puck at center ice and motored down the middle on a breakaway. Just before she got to the goal, she froze the goalie with a deke and then zipped the puck into the net to give the Stars their first lead. The unassisted goal came with just over five and one-half minutes left in the period.
Two minutes later, Stow gathered a pass on the backdoor and flipped the puck into the net before the goalie could slide back over from the other side of the crease. Assists went to Kison and Brooklynn Arbs to make it 3-1.
"You give players like 10 (Kison) and 7 (Stow) those opportunities, they're going to make you pay," said WVU coach Dan Bauer.
The final goal of the game was apparently scored on a delayed offsides. The ref had his arm up and was waiting for the ECA players to clear when Annika Olson flipped the puck into the air and it took a weird bounce past Cowden. The goal stood, giving ECA a 4-1 lead with two minutes left.
Coach Bauer called a timeout, but his squad was unable to add to their tally in the last 120 seconds as the horn sounded on a win for the Stars.
Cowden stopped six shots in the period to end with a game total of 27. Naomi Stow stopped all four and ended with nine in the contest.
"She's been solid all year," said Bauer about Cowden.
