HOCKEY: Washtenaw United Defeats Grosse Pointe North, 2-1

Coming off a 4-3 loss to Bloomfield-Birmingham on the road Sunday afternoon, Washtenaw United returned to the ice facing Grosse Pointe North for the first time. In one of the most exciting games of the season, Washtenaw earned a 2-1 overtime victory in Grosse Pointe with defenseman Jillian Eggleston (Dexter, ‘22) scoring her second Game Winning Goal of the season with just 1:26 remaining in the overtime period.

The first two periods were scoreless, with Washtenaw dominating play, outshooting Grosse Pointe North 12-6 and 10-2. Midway through the second, it looked as though Washtenaw had scored, with Reese Caryl (Saline, ‘22) knocking in a rebound to Grosse Pointe North goaltender Mia Cassar’s left. However, just as Caryl knocked the puck over the goalline, the referee blew the whistle signaling Cassar had the puck covered, and disallowed the goal.

Finally, Washtenaw would break the scoreless tie at the 6:14 mark of the 3rd period. United Captain Linzy Costella (Manchester, ‘21) would pick up the puck near the blue line and broke away from the GPN defensemen, beating Cassar with a backhand shot. Rylee Kennedy (Milan, ‘24) and Chloe Dillen (Saline, ‘24) picked up the assists. Four minutes later, Erin Murphy would tally her 4th goal of the season for Grosse Pointe, tying the game at 1-1.

During the 8-minute sudden-death overtime, the teams traded opportunities. Julia Scarcella (Saline, ‘22) came up huge in net for the United, stopping two breakaway opportunities in the extra frame, and would end the game with 21 saves. Late in the overtime period, Eggleston would pick up the puck from the left point and skate toward the middle of the ice, firing the puck past the screened Grosse Pointe goaltender to earn the victory for the United.

“Great all around effort tonight from every single player in the lineup”, stated Coach Adam Winters. “This is probably the most complete game we’ve had all season. Every player was going, I thought we could have easily won this by 3 or 4 goals, but the Grosse Pointe goaltender kept them in the game. I’m happy to see us rebound with a good effort after Sunday’s loss.”

Washtenaw United is back on the ice Saturday against Grand Rapids 19U team, 3pm at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

INFORMATIONAL ADDENDUM: Washtenaw United is a High School Girls’ Hockey Team skating out of the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The team serves High Schools within Washtenaw County that do not have a dedicated team to play for. Currently, Pioneer and the combined Skyline-Huron have dedicated teams. Washtenaw United is made up of players from Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Manchester, and Milan. The team is in its first year of play, and is an affiliate member of the Michigan Girls High School Hockey League (MGHSHL) with plans of full membership into the league for the 2021-22 season.

Email: WashtenawUnitedHSHockey@gmail.com

Website: https://www.migirlshshockey.org/page/show/5974674-washtenaw

Facebook: @WUHSGirlsHockey

Twitter: @WUHSGirlsHockey

Instagram: @WashtenawUnitedHockey

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