Grunewald’s OT goal lifts Packer girls
Published 11:31 pm Thursday, December 13, 2012
Austin's Kennedy Thompson puts a shot on goal during the second period Thursday night against Rochester Mayo at Riverside Arena. -- Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin girls hockey team shook off a six-game losing streak and a decade long winless streak to Rochester Mayo with a simple deflection in the right direction in Riverside Arena Thursday.
Austin senior Carley Grunewald fired a running slap-shot off the post with 5:30 left in overtime, but the puck came right back to her and she knocked in to give the Packers a 5-4 win over the Spartans.
Austin's Camille Anderson settles the puck against the boards during second period Thursday night at Riverside Arena against Rochester Mayo.
“I did not expect that to work at all,” Grunewald, who finished with four points, said. “It was like I didn’t really know what was going on and everything was just happening. It was instinct.”
The Packers (2-8 overall, 1-5 Big Nine) were trailing 4-2 early in the third period when Chloe Summerfield scored on a breakaway to make it 4-3 with 11:31 left and Grunewald slammed home a 15-foot slap-shot on a one-timer from Camille Anderson when Austin had a five-on-three powerplay to tie the game with 1:42 left.
“We were losing those little battles on the boards in the first two periods and then we came out and we started winning those little battles,” Austin head coach Denny Bray said. “The girls are learning the game.”
Austin took a 2-1 lead in the second period when Summerfield and Kennedy Thompson each scored in a four-minute stretch but the Spartans (2-8 overall, 2-5 Big Nine) added two powerplay goals of their own after Austin was called for a five-minute major penalty.
“It didn’t look good and we were kind of down, but we got ourselves back up and focused in the locker room,” Grunewald said. “We’re looking at this as our turning point in our season.”
Allison Hoban had 36 saves in the win for Austin.
Austin's Chloe Summerfield prepares a shot in the second period against Rochester Mayo Thursday night at Riverside Arena.
Austin had beaten Mayo just once before in school history and that was in 2002. The Packers and Spartans tied in 2004.
SCORING SUMMARY
Mayo 0 3 1 0 — 4
Austin 0 2 2 1 — 5
First period
No scoring
Second period
(M) Ashley Weber 1:51
(A) Chloe Summerfield (powerplay) (Madison Overby) 5:15
(A) Kennedy Thompson (Carley Grunewald, Karyn Potach) 8:42
(M) Emily Nelson (powerplay) 12:18
(M) Steph Stettler (powerplay) 13:30
Third period
(M) Stettler 4:49
(A) Summerfield (Grunewald) 5:29
(A) Grunewald (powerplay) (Camille Anderson) 15:18
OT
(A) Grunewald 2:30
Shots: Austin — 24; Mayo — 40
