Warriors Challenged on Road Trip; Remain Unbeaten
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Midland University ran its winning streak to 12 games with a two-game sweep of Maryville University followed by a win on Sunday against Lindenwood University over the weekend. The Warriors were able to edge the Saints 2-1 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday, and then dominated the Lions, 7-0. The wins keep Midland undefeated at 12-0 overall and 7-0 in the Women's Midwest College Hockey (WMCH) league.
FRIDAY: Midland 2, Maryville 1
Defenses held strong through the first period as Midland put up 11 shots on goal and Maryville had 5. In the second, the scoreboard got put to work as the Saints took the lead with a goal at the 11:00 mark.
Trailing for just the third time all season, the Warriors responded with a goal just over six minutes later as Jenna Grosdidier found the back of the net off an assist from Karenna Grothmann. Before the intermission, Grosdidier picked up an assist along with Callie Maguire as Ally Rakowski scored. That goal put Midland up 2-1 with three minutes to go in the second.
Try they might, Maryville was unable to find the equalizer in the final period. The Saints doubled up the Warriors in shots, 12-6, over the find 20 minutes but were held in check by Hannah Stone. Stone corralled 25 saves on the night in 60 minutes of work while the Saints' netminder had 26 saves in 59:15.
SATURDAY: Midland 3, Maryville 2
It was another tight contest on Saturday as the Warriors and Saints took the ice at the Maryville Ice Hockey Center. In the opening minutes of the game, Kayla Flanigan was able to find the back of the net to give Midland an early lead as Tanna Christensen assisted.
With just under five minutes to go, Maryville found the equalizer as they took advantage of a powerplay chance at the 15:53 mark. Less than three minutes later, Rylee Martin put the Warriors back up with a goal at the 18:37 mark. Darbi Poole and Jenna Grosdidier earned the assists as Midland took a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
After the break, the same line of Martin, Poole, and Grosdidier hooked up again in the opening minute. Twenty-six seconds in, Martin found a gap in the defense to go up 3-1. The remainder of the second period was highlighted by defense and special teams. After being whistled for four minor penalties, the Warriors' penalty-kill lines were able to thwart any scoring chance by the Saints.
To start the third, Maryville was able to get one goal on the board just past the midway point. Midland's penalty-kill units played solid once more as the officials sent them to the box four more times. Each time they kept the Saints' attack at bay as they held on for a 3-2 victory.
Hannah Stone earned the win in goal, collecting 22 saves on the night. Midland edged Maryville in shots on goal, 27 to 24.
SUNDAY: Midland 7, Lindenwood 0
The Warriors were dominant against the Lions, scoring four first-period goals. Ally Rakowski netted the first two scores. The first came at the 8:49 mark off assists from Kamryn Hayhurst and Paige Henderson. The second came six minutes later on the powerplay, assisted by Keagan Shearer and Kayla Flanigan.
Flanigan found the back of the net twice herself in the second. She scored a shorthanded goal from Rakowski at 16:12 and then added a goal with 23 seconds on the first-period clock. Tanna Christensen and Callie Maguire earned assists as Midland took a 4-0 lead into the intermission.
In the second period, the Warriors scored a pair of powerplay goals. Shearer found Flanigan at the 6:21 mark, capping off her hat trick. Then, with less than a minute to go, Jenna Grosdidier scored an unassisted goal to make it a 6-0 game.
In the final period, Karenna Grothmann found the back of the net to complete the scoring. Rakowski and Grace Page earned the assists.
For the game, the Warriors outshot the Lions 50 to 20. Meghan Steward earned the win in net, collecting 20 saves.
Midland (12-0, 7-0 WMCH) will return to home ice for a pair of games with McKendree (7-3, 3-3 WMCH) next weekend. The Warriors and Bearcats will drop the puck at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday inside Sidner Ice Arena in Fremont.