'They found that extra gear': How SCMB won its second straight girls hockey title in OT
PROVIDENCE — The Smithfield/Coventry/Moses Brown girls hockey co-op team's celebratory moment fittingly came in overtime.
SCMB thrives when the season is at its end, and when Kaylin O'Connor scored to knot the contest late in regulation on Sunday, it gave the defending champs the overtime chance it needed.
Margaret Baldwin's goal with 10 seconds left in the extra frame lifted No. 1 SCMB (15-0-1) over La Salle, 3-2, in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League's girls hockey state championship game at Schneider Arena on Sunday at Schneider Arena.
“So surreal, I can't even believe it,” Baldwin, a freshman, said of the winner. “I didn't pay attention to the time, I just stayed focused on the game and I was in front of the net waiting for that shot.”
Baldwin, on the power play, converted a rebound in the crease for the winner as SCMB rallied from a 2-0 deficit. SCMB knocked off La Salle last season with the same 3-2 final and recovered from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 in that championship.
O'Connor deked the Rams’ defense and finished with a backhand to tie the game at 2-all with 2:09 left.
“We can always battle through adversity,” O'Connor said of the comeback. “No matter what challenges we face and how difficult the game might be from the start, we will always finish it out the best we can. It shows how hard we worked all game from start to finish.”
Baldwin, again near the net, got SCMB on the board batting in a rebound on the power play with 6:08 left in the second period.
SCMB goalie, Ava Porter, the game’s Most Valuable Player, made 16 saves as she limited the Rams to three goals overall. With 4:33 remaining in regulation, SCMB killed a 5-on-3 chance after a holding penalty gave La Salle the two-skater advantage. Smithfield tallied the game-tying score just two minutes later.
“They came out in that second and third period and they knew they had to dig down deep and find it,” SCMB coach Kerri Nadeau said. “They found that extra gear and we were able to tie it up.
“I definitely felt we had the momentum [in overtime]. They had just given up the lead and they were definitely on their heels. We did tell the girls to keep pushing, keep going, because we were in control.”
La Salle goalie, Ava Zoppo (29 saves) delayed the Smithfield celebration with a stick save on a SCMB breakaway with 2:15 left in the extra frame. But La Salle managed just one shot on goal in overtime.
The third-seeded Rams (13-5) opened with a 2-0 lead on Eliza Barker’s breakaway score and Kaylee Butler’s shot from Barker early in the second period.
SCMB changed the momentum with 16 shots on goal in the second period.
“I didn’t even know it went in,” Porter said of the winner. “I was so surprised when I saw everyone's hands go up. It was the most relief I've ever felt."
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Baldwin lifts SCMB in OT for second straight girls hockey state title
