AUBURN — Black Tigers freshman goalie Emma Michaud was a brick wall for much of Saturday night’s game, but the Red Hornets found enough openings to skate away with a 6-1 victory at Norway Savings Bank Arena.
Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland (8-5-3) junior captain Caroline Tracey netted a hat trick and added two assists. Linemate Caroline Audette added two goals and two assists.
“They’re finally getting their feet under them. They had missed some earlier games with injuries, and that line, I think they got almost all our goals tonight,” Red Hornets coach Dana Berube said. “It was good puck movement, and those two are very smart players and they’ve been playing together since they were really young, so that’s a big thing for us.”
Michaud made 33 saves for Winslow/Gardiner/Cony (8-7-1).
“She’s been huge all year. You know, she’s a huge part of our team,” Black Tigers coach Alan Veilleux said. “When she’s on, we’re competitive in every game. She just didn’t have the support in front of her tonight. We just weren’t on our game, in all areas. We just were sloppy.”
The Red Hornets sent 17 shots at Michaud in the first period, two of which got past her. Senior defender Cassady Bussiere’s point shot on the power play redirected in the slot and past Michaud 2:33 into the game.
Tracey later scored on her own rebound to give Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland a 2-0 lead after one period.
Red Hornets senior goalie Manny Guimond pitched a shutout in the first period, stopping five shots, starting with Julia Hinkley’s mini breakaway 40 seconds in.
Defender Sophia Castagna also snuffed out a Hinkley breakaway chance when it was still a 1-0 game.
Guimond was on her way to a second-period shutout before Hinkley beat her with 1:18 left in the frame. Grace Bilodeau had the assist, moments after Guimond snuffed out a Hinkley-to-Bilodeau connection. The Red Hornets weren’t able to clear the puck out, and the Black Tigers took advantage.
The Red Hornets regained their two-goal lead before the second period was over, as Audette finished off a 2-on-1 feed from Tracey with 34.7 seconds left.
“It’s a momentum-breaker, right? We got momentum, and then all of a sudden you give it right back,” Veilleux said. “It’s hard to get back.”
“I didn’t really like our energy level towards the end of that period, but responding with that goal was huge,” Berube said.
Michaud had stopped 12 shots in the period up until that point.
Tracey fed Audette again early in the third before scoring twice herself. The final goal was assisted by Audette and senior Isabel Berube.
Guimond, once in Michaud’s position as a freshman goalie facing a flurry of shots, made 11 saves in her final regular-season home game.
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