Rosemount Girls Hockey Eek Out Victory In Long, Rough Game

The Rosemount Irish girls and the Eastview Lightning girls faced off for the division lead Saturday afternoon at the Rosemount Community Center.  

From the first drop of the puck, defense was the name of the game for Rosemount. Goalie Caitlin Dantzscer racked up save after save in the first period, stopping six in the first period.  Eastview put up a fast and strong offense in the first period, out shooting the Irish girls with 10 shots on goal.  

Rosemount, however, did a complete 180 going into the second period, putting up an unflinching offense lead by Rachel Kelley and Taylor Sampson.  The Irish girls made up the shot difference and then some, ending the second period with 15 shots to Eastview’s 14.  But still, defense on both sides was strong and Rosemount was deadlocked by Eastview goalie Delaney McKay.  

The second period also saw a lot of physical play and a power play for Eastview.  But the refs kept play going for the most part, making for a lot of on-the-ice action.  

The physical play ramped up even more in the third period, and had the speedy Kendra Goodrich and Eastview’s Courtney Kukowski taking a seat in the penalty box. Play was stopped numerous times, and had both teams fighting in the ring and around the net.  

But defense was still the name of the game in the third, with only one major breakaway by Eastview that brought Dantzscer rushing out of goal and a pileup out in front of the Irish net -- but still no goals. 

The battle for the puck raged into the first minutes of overtime.  But forward Rachel Kelley ended the game with a dexterous shot into the back of the net after 3:53 of overtime.  

The win puts the Irish girls at 19-5-1 and 14-3-1 in the South Suburban Conference.  

Coach Tracy Cassano said that there are certainly games with strong players, but everyone was at the top of their game at Saturday’s matchup.  

“Everyone played three strong periods, they all did their job,” said Cassano.  

Caitlin certainly racked up the most numbers for the Irish girls,  stopping 23 shots.  The Eastview goalie stopped 22, allowing one through after a frenetic 3 minutes of overtime.  

Cassano said that defense and shutting down Eastview’s standout players was critical.  

“Three periods of solid defense” was the key to the win, said Cassano. 

On the physicality of the game, Cassano said the entire team was motivated by the neighborhood and divisional rivalry.    

“The refs let us play,” said Cassano. 

Coach Cassano went on to say she and the team felt that whoever won this game would be the winner of the division.