By Devin Serra · Oct. 3rd, 2023 By Devin Serra | CMU Club Hockey Network MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - Six different Chippewas scored and nine contributed points in game two…
Oct. 3rd, 2023
By Devin Serra | CMU Club Hockey Network
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - Six different Chippewas scored and nine contributed points in game two of their opening weekend series, holding off a late charge by the Northern Michigan Wildcats to win 6-4 and take the sweep at Martin Ice Arena.
The special teams proved to be a critical factor in the contest, with both teams netting two power-play tallies in the first and second periods, along with a shorthanded effort for the Wildcat's leading goal scorer and CCWHA All-season First Team from 2022-23’ Chloe Valente, she finished the night with a hat-trick, three goals, and one in each twenty-minute frame.
CMU opens the season 2-0-0-0, Northern Michigan falls at 2-2-0-0, The Chippewas will head southbound taking U.S. 127 highway towards East Lansing to take on their opening series opponents from last year, the Michigan State Spartans. The first game will be played inside the newly renovated Munn Ice Arena, home of the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Ice Hockey Club.
A total of ten goals in the contest was started by Central’s Sandra Bienkowski of Eden Prairie, Minnesota at the 3:32 mark of the first, she finished the night with a goal and three assists. Her linemates Zoie Sawdy and Gabriella Nixon would get the assists. When Sawdy forwarded the puck from the left corner towards the deep slot, Nixon hanging by the left post re-directed it under her stick, allowing a streaking Bienkowski to collect and shoot it past the blocker of NMU netminder Larkyn Ripley.
As the first frame rolled on the two teams traded infractions, when at 15:54 of the period a checking penalty on CMU’s Annie Kaster led to a faceoff draw in the Chippewa end. NMU’s Chloe Valente controlled a bouncing puck from the draw, moved towards the left post, and lifted one short-side over the goaltender Bree Schroer’s shoulder, scoring in less than five seconds of the skater-advantage.
With 1:43 left in the first, forward Kaitlyn Williams received a pass in the neutral zone and attempted to skate up the right wing, getting tripped up Erin Harnick of NMU. The tripping penalty gave the Chippewas a chance to regain the lead, and following a pair of quick faceoffs Gabriella Nixon at the right circle bout got the puck to the left-handed Captain Mac Barnett at the point. The defenseman walked towards the middle of the blueline and rifled a shot from the point past the right pad of Ripley for her first goal of the season.
The second period opened with a picture-perfect penalty kill by the Chippewas, taking the Wildcats out of sync, only allowing a single scoring chance the entire two minutes. Following up five minutes later was a tripping penalty by Lauren Cooper of NMU, CMU took full advantage by scoring on a nice move and finish by forward Kylie Del Re. The team leader in points from 2022-23’ received a great pass by Defenseman Deklynn Woitas through the neutral zone, zoomed past the NMU captain Paris Wegleitner over the blueline, and moved in all alone with a shot through the five-hole gap in Ripleys’ pads.
It took only thirty seconds, however, to put the score back within one when a checking penalty by Grace Liotino led to Chloe Valente getting to the puck first on another quick faceoff. Valente button-hooked with the rubber to the goal crease and backhanded one from her knee underneath Schroer’s left pad, it marked the fourth straight powerplay goal of the game. That one sparked more scoring opportunities for the Wildcats, although Schroer made huge saves one after the other, including a breakaway past the defense by Wegleitner that she snuffed out with the left pad.
Things got more exciting in the beginning of the third and final period with the Chippewas Zoie Sawdy finding the back iron. It was an incredible shift by the sophomore forward, started off with her making a diving play to push the puck out of her own zone following a faceoff. Gabrielle Nixon carried with it on the attack and around the net, she tried to find Bienkowski with a centering feed to the slot, but the off-center puck slid to the right circle where Sawdy found it and put a sharp angle wrister past the glove of Ripley.
The Chippewas looked to take control of the game when NMU took another tripping penalty thirty seconds later in the center ice zone. Things looked according to plan on the cycle with them moving the play along the outside boards and back up to the point, Assistant Captain Leah Palmer attempted a shot that was blocked in the high slot that allowed NMU’s Chloe Valente to turn on the jets with a lead pass, moving past Palmer and scoring shorthanded through Schroer’s glove side.
As the third was quickly dwindling down the Chippewas clung to a one-goal lead, the two sides struggled to maintain possession much of the middle part of the frame, but CMU had more of the chances looking to re-extend the lead. After multiple big stops by the Wildcats Larkyn Ripley, it was Gabrielle Nixon who broke through at 16:22, going bar down on the net from the…