Ephs Tie Polar Bears
 |
"It was anybody's game, right to the end. Both teams played the best they could play. It was a great game for everyone – the players, the coaches, and the fans."
With a 3-3 tie to the Polar Bears, the Eph's record now stands at 1-8-1.
The first goal came at 8:39 into the first period. Bowdoin's Caroline Currie, who was positioned on the left post, knocked in a pass from Jill Campbell to put the Polar Bears up 1-0. With both teams playing hard, the score remained 1-0 until the middle of the second period.
Junior Sam Tarnasky, the Eph's leading scorer, tied the game at 1-1, with a hard shot to the right corner of the net. She was assisted by sophomore Tracey Ferriter on the shorthanded goal. Senior goaltender Denise McCulloch made 13 saves, including a great stop with less than five minutes remaining in the period on a Bowdoin breakaway, to hold the Polar Bears to a scoreless second period.
At 12:03 into the third period, Ferriter connected on a pass from sophomore Kait O'Brien, to put the Ephs ahead 2-1. Then at 15:15, Tarnasky again found the back of the net, bringing the score to 3-1. Shortly thereafter, Scooter Walsh responded for the Polar Bears when she netted an unassisted goal. With the score now 3-2, both teams continued to battle, vying for the win. Bowdoin's Sam Stewart tied the game at 3-3 when she pushed in a rebound with less than a minute remaining in the final period. Neither team was able to score before the buzzer sounded, bringing the game into overtime.
Despite both teams' best efforts, overtime remained scoreless, resulting in a final score of 3-3.
McCulloch completed the game with 44 saves in goal for the Ephs, while Bowdoin's Kelly Keebler deflected 35 shots on goal.
Bryant said she was proud of her team's effort. "We competed for a full 65 minutes today. That's the work ethic we need to be successful. I think today's game is more of a success than is shown by the score."
Bryant was also quick to praise Tarnasky and Ferriter for their play in today's game.
"I think Sam had a great weekend. She scored two of our goals today. She's a gritty, tough player who understands the game. And she's competitive through and through. I also thought that Tracey played well for us today."
The Ephs travel to Middlebury, Vt., on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game.
