Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland’s Saige Arsenault tallied a hat trick and a trio of assists when the Red Hornets dropped in at Travis Roy Arena to do battle with Yarmouth/Freeport/Gray-New Gloucester on Saturday, Jan. 2. Arsenault led her team’s offense, and a late-game goal by Colleen Sullivan wasn’t nearly enough to give the Clippers a chance. 10-1 Red Hornets in the end.
“Both teams played a respectable game, even with the lopsided score,” said Yarmouth/Freeport/Gray-New Gloucester head coach Megan Vaughan.
Yarmouth/Freeport/G-NG slips to 4-7 on the loss. The Clippers likewise lost to EL/Leavitt/Poland, 5-2, back on Dec. 2. The team is currently sixth in the North; they travel to No. 1 Greely (10-0) on Saturday the 9th.
“After coming off a great 5-0 win against Brunswick on Wednesday, I was hoping the adrenaline would carry over to [this game],” said Vaughan, “but it was a tough (one) for us. I don’t think the girls were ready for the faster pace of EL/Leavitt/Poland, and we just couldn’t get into a rhythm and work together in the first period.”
The Red Hornets put up four goals in the first, then another four in the second.
“The girls came out strong in the second period, led by senior defenseman Jenny Holmquist and senior forward Keeley Arnold,” said Vaughan, “and were trusting each and working well together, but we collapsed after the Hornets scored a couple more goals on us. We couldn’t get the momentum going again.”
Holmquist suffered an injury near the end of the second, and sat out the third.
“I’m proud of the Clippers for keeping their heads up and refraining from getting penalties due to frustration and being tired,” said Vaughan. “My assistant coaches and I stress the importance of playing ‘smart’ hockey, and we do not allow retaliation of any kind. The girls are doing a great job at respecting other teams and players every game.” Beth Fulton and Liz Bergstrom work under Vaughan leading the Clippers.
Vaughan looks to regroup and go proudly forward in search of victory.
“We have a few practices in a row this week and we will be focusing on getting our legs back after a relaxing winter break.”
The Clippers’ Jenny Holmquist (G-NG) lingers with the puck near the top of the Red Hornets’ zone Saturday evening.
The Clippers’ Kelsey Meyer (Freeport) drives forward on the attack against an Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland defender.
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