Seahawks close out first half of season, tie 1-1 against AMCATS

WORCESTER, Mass. (Sunday, December 10, 2023) -- In a game where all the action was drawn from the third period, Salve Regina tied 1-1 with the Anna Maria College AMCATS for a non-conference matchup to close out the first half of the season.

Samantha McKenzie was the sole Seahawk scorer, sending the puck flying at 7:09 in the third period. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Salve Regina 1, Anna Maria 1
Records: Salve Regina (7-2-3,4-2-1CCC), Anna Maria (3-6-3,3-1-1ECHA)
All-Time Series: Before the matchup began Salve Regina had a 2-1-1 record against the AMCATS. The last time the teams played on November 26, 2022, it was a 2-0 shutout win for the Seahawks. 

BREAKDOWN: 

• Period I: In a period that had very little stoppage Kyra Mittendorf and Chloe Becher met at center ice for the first faceoff of the day. Although the AMCATS won the faceoff, the Seahawks got in the first two shots. Jessica McPherson and Maddie Cox took the first two shots on goal. Both team's posted strong defenses, with the Salve Regina's offensive unit slightly stronger to begin the day. The Seahawks capitalized with more shots on net, however the Anna Maria defense put up a good fight, leading to a 0-0 tie entering intermission. The first period went in the books with four saves, eight shots, three blocked shots and five faceoff wins for the Seahawks. The AMCATS finalized the first 20 minutes with four shots, eight saves, seven faceoff wins and two blocked shots. Neither team was sent to the penalty box during the period. 
• Period II: The Seahawks brought a strong offense to the second period, tiring out the AMCATS by maintaining possession of the puck in the attack zone. Salve Regina outshot Anna Maria 23-1 and the only AMCAT shot occurred on an Anna Maria power play when the Seahawks were called for tripping with 15:54 down. Despite a solid offense, AMCAT goalie Sam Dahill was a reliable force between the posts. Gina Richard had a series of one-timers with just over 11 minutes remaining, however Dahill stopped the effort with two saves. The clock ticked down to a 0-0 tie ending period two. 
• Period III: Salve Regina knew that the AMCATS were struggling with the puck in their offensive zone, and this gave the Seahawks the fuel they needed to get on the board. Salve Regina went on the power play after Ceili Nolan was called for checking at 2:36. While nothing came from the 5-4 situation, the team drew energy from the opportunity and scored shortly after the power play ended. At 7:09 into the action Samantha McKenzie scored the team's first goal of the evening, breaking the tie to set the Seahawks ahead 1-0. At 17:41 the AMCATS pulled their goalie and with an extra skater on the ice Anna Maria got themselves on the board at 17:15 when Samantha Rodriguez brought the game to 1-1. 
• OT: The 3-3 five-minute period began with Riley Esposito and Shayla MacDonald in the circle and the AMCATS won the faceoff. Emily Wroblewski got off the first shot. At 3:49 AMCATS' Olympia Myers was called for tripping and gave the Seahawks a 3-2 advantage. However, nothing came of the power play and the day ended as a 1-1 tie. 

NOTEWORTHY:

• Salve Regina outshot Anna Maria 65-15 over the course of three 20-minute periods and a five-minute overtime period. 
• Livia Krzywulak spent the full 65:00 minutes on the ice and made 14 saves. 
• Sam Dahill of the AMCATS left the ice for nine seconds and made 64 saves. 
• The Seahawks served four minutes on two infractions and the AMCATS served six minutes on three infractions. 

ON THE HORIZON: 

On January 5 and January 6, St. Catherine University will make the trip from St. Paul Minnesota to go up against the Seahawks in Middletown, Rhode Island. On Friday, January 5 the action will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the following day puck drop will be at 11:30 a.m.