Middleton Monarchs girls notch first hockey win
Pressure from NKEC in final minutes of game
The Middleton Monarchs girls’ high school hockey team almost let it get away from them in the last minutes of the game, but held on for a 4-2 win over Northeast Kings Education Centre Nov. 25.
Monarchs manager Tammy Belanger was happy with the results but held her breath as the clock ticked down in the final frame.
“We beat them 4-2. But were beating them 4-0 until the last few minutes,” she said in reference to NKEC’S two late goals. “The girls played a great passing game and Ryean Emmett stood on her head in nets for the Monarchs.”
The win gives the Middleton Regional High School girls a 1-1-1 record in the Valley High School Hockey League regular season.
“I was very happy for them last night,” said Belanger. “Carly Dunford, a new player this year, scored her first goal and our Mexican exchange student got an assist.”
It was Dunford who opened the scoring less than two minutes into the first period. She was set up by Kinzie Veinot and Tristen Saltzman. With 7:02 left in the first, Anna Hazelwood notched one from Lauren Burns and Paige Banks to make it 2-0 Monarchs.
Five minutes into the second period Burns scored on a setup by Hazelwood and Jenna Marshall, and Kinzie Veinot slammed one in from Yamel Gamboa a minute later to make it 4-0 for Middleton.
While it looked like Middleton was headed for a shutout, NKEC Kinzie Veinott looks to her teammate to set up a shot on goal.
Titan Lexi Harmes wasn’t going to let that happen. With 1:27 left in the game, she got the puck by Emmett on a play with Lauren Golding and Riley Abbott.
Rachel Sheffield kept the NKEC momentum going right to the end with a marker with just 13 seconds left in the game to make it 4-2. Assists on that play were from Goulding and Harmes.
The Monarchs picked up three minor penalties in the game,
while NKEC had four.
Middleton was scheduled to play the Avon View Avalanche on Nov. 27 at the Windsor Arena at 6 p.m., and are heading to the Mariner Centre in Yarmouth Dec. 2 for a 7 p.m. game against the Yarmouth Vikings.
The NKEC Titans, with five loses so far, skate next against the Avalanche Dec. 4 in Windsor in a 6 p.m. contest.
Here’s a look at the standings as of the first of the week:
Avon View Avalanche – 8 points Park View Lady Panthers – 6 points
West Kings Wolverines – 6 points Bridgetown Hawks – 3 points Middleton Monarchs – 3 points Central Kings Gators – 3 points Horton Lady Griffins – 2 points Northeast Kings Titans – 1 point Yarmouth Vikings – 0 points Barrington Barons – 0 points