Women's Ice Hockey | 1/21/2019 11:38:00 PM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Women's Hockey Team looked to bounce back after losing two straight to Michigan last weekend. They met cross-town rival Grand Valley State, who they had only defeated once, back in February of 2016. The Lakers were ranked #8 in the nation, and coming off a sweep of Robert Morris (Ill.). Following a tough loss to Grand Valley State, the Panthers played 10 hours later. Their opponents for the Sunday morning contest was Central Michigan. The D2 Chippewas had not played since November 18 and had only won one game all season heading into the game at Patterson.
 
Saturday, January 19
Final Score: Davenport 2 – Grand Valley State 6
Location: Patterson Ice Center (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 
WAVES OF CONTROL
The game started fairly evenly, with both teams earning chances. The Lakers would be the ones to strike first, however, as Kathryn Tauer tipped in a wonderful pass from Katie Gialloreti to put the Lakers out in front. The Panthers would not be fazed, as they came back with a couple of good chances from Courtney Mulligan, but GVSU's Morgan Lang had to make a couple really tough saves to keep her team in the lead. The play of their goaltender led to a chance at the other end for Grand Valley. After Marissa Cirino picked off a DU pass at the blueline, she then fed a pass through to leading scorer Allison Carlson, who made a great move to deke out Julia Gaynor, and score her 14^th of the season to put the Lakers up by two.
 
DOWN AND NOT OUT
The Lakers looked to try to take a 3-0 lead into the second period. After Gaynor stopped a long-range shot, the rebound bounced out to Rachel Smith who looked at a wide-open net. When she took the shot, Gaynor somehow reached out to make a wonderful goal-line save, and the Panthers would only trail the Lakers by two heading into the first intermission.
 
GETTING ANCHORED DOWN
The second 20 minutes saw Grand Valley take control of the game. With the period of the long change, the Lakers were able to hem the Panthers in their own end for long stretches in the middle stanza. After a bad change by the Panthers, Cirino found a streaking Carlson through the neutral zone, fed her a breakaway pass, and Carlson made no mistake as she buried her second of the game to give the Lakers a 3-0 lead.
 
With the Lakers' pressure in that second period saw a lot of rubber thrown at Gaynor's way. She had to make a couple more big saves to keep the Panthers close, including a huge breakaway save on Cirino. Despite Gaynor's efforts, Grand Valley would lead 3-0 heading into the final 20 minutes.
 
The Lakers carried their momentum into the third as they continued to pepper the DU net. Allison Stapleton extended the GVSU lead to four following her third goal of the season. Jaiden Forrest would put the Panthers on the board, after a great burst of speed and solid finish to put the Panthers within three. Just a couple minutes later, Gialloreti would follow up a 2-on-1, and beat Gaynor to regain the four-goal lead for the Lakers. Forrest would score her second of the game on the power play just a couple minutes later. Alex Brinkman would cap the night off with a shot that bounced off the post and off the back of Gaynor and in, and GVSU would skate away with the 6-2 victory.
Sunday, January 20
Final Score: Davenport 5 – Central Michigan 6 (OT)
Records: #15 DU (4-16-1), CMU (2-9-1)
Location: Patterson Ice Center (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 
DOMINATING FIRST, BUT STILL EVEN
The Panthers controlled the play throughout the first period, and would receive a power play just a couple of minutes in. However, the man-advantage proved lackluster, and Central's leading scorer Jessica Killingback caused a turnover in the DU end, brought the puck into the slot, and beat Julia Gaynor to the glove side, and the Chippewas were out in front.
 
Davenport came back with a vengeance. Zoie Amatore drove the puck deep in to Central Michigan territory, as she went beneath the goal line, she threw a pass in front where Laken Kunz was stationed, and the DU captain tapped in her fifth of the season to tie the game at one. The Panthers would not let up, but CMU's Alexandra Larue shut the door, and the game was tied at one heading into the second period.
 
A BACK KILLER
Less than a minute into the second period, Killingback received a breakout pass from Anastazia Hartman, and Killingback's speed turned her rush into a breakaway, and she slipped the shot underneath the arm of Gaynor, and the Chips were ahead once again. Davenport's offense would only increase as the period wore on. Including a couple close calls, as Mulligan looked like she had slipped one passed Larue, but the puck was pulled off the line by defenseman Mac Barnett. Late in the period, Killingback was open in the slot, and Rachele Pozzo found her and gave her the puck, and Killingback picked the top corner for her third of the game, and Central Michigan increase their lead to two.
 
Just 25 seconds later, the Panthers had an offensive zone faceoff. Jaiden Forrest won the draw back to Courtney Mulligan, a play they had tried multiple times earlier in the game. This time, Mulligan unleashed a shot that went through Larue to put the Panthers back within one.
 
HOLD ON!
The Panthers were ready and determined to find the equalizer in the third period. A few minutes into the period, Mulligan and Forrest took off on a 2-on-1, and Forrest would fire a shot short side that beat Larue, and the game was tied at three. Just a few minutes later, while DU was on the power play, Killingback was back at it again. After missing one shorthanded shot, she found the puck in the corner, drove the net and slipped the shot through Gaynor's legs to give the Chips the lead once again.
 
Just over a minute later, DU would be on the offensive once again, as Kunz fed a pass in front to Amatore, who was initially stopped by Larue, but the rebound was put home by Kunz for her second of the game, and the game was tied at four.
 
Following the goal, Tori Dubuc would take a penalty, and Central Michigan would go on the power play. Killingback had the puck behind the DU net, and with all the Panther defenders watching her, she passed the puck to a wide-open to Alyssa Massa in front of the net, who one-timed it passed Gaynor, and CMU took their fourth lead of the game.
 
The clock began to wind down on DU. Chance after chance was stopped by Larue, who went on to make 54 saves in the game. With the goaltender pulled, Killingback went off for interference with less than two minutes to play. Davenport just threw everything they had at Larue, including a beautiful pass from Dubuc to Forrest, who had a wide-open net, but hit the post. Then, with 18 seconds left, Amanda Ballestero ripped a shot from the left point that somehow found it's way through short side on Larue, tying the game at five.
 
OVERTIME HEARTBREAK
Just over a dozen seconds into overtime, Ballestero got her pocket picked by Pozzo, who took off on a breakaway. Down on Gaynor, she slipped the shot through the five-hole to win the game, and the Chips won their second game of the season with the upset win over Davenport, 6-5.
 
WHO'S NEXT?
The Panthers will go up against another D2 opponent next weekend, as they will take on crosstown rival Aquinas College. The Saints will come into the weekend series 4-14 and coming off a split against Northern Michigan. The Panthers are 3-0-1 against Aquinas dating back to 2016. Last season's contests saw a pair of overtime games, as Aquinas won their game down in Byron Center, and DU won the following night at home. Friday's game will be down at Southside Ice Arena at 8:30 p.m., and Saturday's matchup will be at Patterson at 8:30 p.m. as well.
 
Story by: Tyler Kuehl
 
Picture credit: Alexis Hoffman