Ann Arbor Ice Cube, Ann Arbor, MI – February 11, 2021, 5:30pm
The battle of the “United’s” continued Thursday evening at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, featuring the Washtenaw United and Downriver United for the second evening in a row. Although the result was the same, a 2-1 victory for Washtenaw, the game was a much tighter match and more physical. “The defense had a real strong game this evening” according to Assistant Coach Ray Kopitsch, “they did a great job moving the puck up ice, with junior Jillian Eggleston (Dexter, ’22) leading the young defensive corps by example.”
Shortly after killing off a minor penalty in the first period, Cecilia Henriksen (Chelsea, ’24) scored her 4th goal of the season at the 4:47 mark of the first period, putting Washtenaw up 1-0. The goal was assisted by defenseman Rylee Kennedy (Milan, ’24) and Makenna Lupi (Saline, ’22), both picking up their first points of the season.
Downriver player Emily Bruce would pick up her 2nd penalty of the game, leading to a 5 on 4 advantage for Washtenaw at 10:20 of the second period. With 20 seconds to go in the power play, Kennedy would add a goal of her own with a shot from the point. Sydney Clark (Saline, ’25) and Rylee Malloy (Saline, ’24) picked up the assists. Washtenaw had several opportunities to increase their lead, but Downriver goaltender Kaeli Kopytko kept her team in the game, ultimately turning aside 32 Washtenaw shots in the game. Washtenaw goaltender Julia Scarcella (Saline, ’22) had another strong performance with 20 saves and improving her Goals Against Average to 1.67 through 3 games.
Bridget Waddell put Downriver on the board with 5:17 to go in the game, slipping a shot past Scarcella, but Washtenaw would hold on to win the game.
“The girls really battled tonight I thought," said Assistant Coach Chad Clark. “We have good speed in our forwards and I thought they used that to their advantage well. We stressed keeping their feet moving and take the ice given to them, and that’s what they did. We had stretches in the game where we dominated possession but just couldn’t get a goal. But overall, I think we did a good job getting pucks to the net and creating havoc in front, and if you saw the game winning goal, that’s exactly what happened.” Ray Kopitsch added “the girls are really playing well as a team and showing great intensity considering the lengthy layoff.”
The team looks to continue their winning streak on Saturday, facing off against the Skyline-Huron combined team, 2pm at Veteran’s Park Ice Rink in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, spectators are not allowed.
Email: WashtenawUnitedHSHockey@gmail.com
Facebook: @WUHSGirlsHockey
Twitter: @WUHSGirlsHockey
Instagram: @WashtenawUnitedHockey
