SWEET VICTORY. The York High School varsity girls' ice hockey team scores on the way to a win against Deering on Feb. 16.
Photo by Steve Rasche
LADY ‘CATS ICE GORHAM. The Lady Wildcats, seen here, battled Gorham to a 2-1 win in Portland on Feb. 9.
Courtesy photos
YORK - The Lady Wildcats defeated Deering 5-0 at the Rochester Ice Arena on Feb. 16.
It was Senior Day, with York's five seniors being acknowledged in a ceremony prior to the game.
Captains Natalie Kaknes and Ali DiElsi joined Kelsey Cruz, Sara Hanlon and Chrissy Keroak each presenting their parents with a lovely bouquet.
As part of the ceremony, a teammate spoke to each senior's contributions on and off the ice. The underclassmen decorated the bench area, creating a festive atmosphere.
York came out hard against a much-improved Deering team.
Kaknes started the scoring at 9:30 in the first period with an assist from Emily Wall. York applied nearly relentless pressure on the Deering goal throughout the first and second periods.
The second period saw three more Wildcat goals. The first, by Hannah Keating, was on a scorching slapshot from way out front that hugged the ice, passed through a screen and between the goalie's skates, making it 2-0.
Soon after, it was Keating again finding the back of the net with a nifty shorthanded goal with a nice assist from Kaknes.
With 2:28 left in the period, Alex Haight netted a beauty with Danielle Clements garnering the assist.
York finished the scoring in the third period with Sara Hanlon getting an unassisted goal with 52 seconds left in the game for the total of 5-0.
Again, York's stellar defense frustrated the opposition and gave their offense plenty of time with the puck. Cruz had another excellent game on defense as did they all.
The game finished with an all senior line skating together for the last minute and 30 seconds.
The Lady Wildcats were 8-7-1 on the season, with one more game this week in Fryeburg and the playoffs ahead.
On Feb. 14, the York girls met Falmouth at the Biddeford Ice Arena.
Falmouth posted a 1-0 victory over York, ending the Wildcats' five-game winning streak.
The game was played well by both teams, featuring numerous offensive chances and outstanding defense.
Though it was a disappointing result for York, it was a very exciting and entertaining contest from the fans' perspective.
Jacki Aaskov scored Falmouth's lone goal late in the second period and it was enough to avenge an earlier defeat at the hands of the Wildcats.
On Feb. 9, the Lady Wildcats skated to victory past Gorham on the big ice.
The arena at the University of Southern Maine in Portland is the biggest ice in the state. The Olympic-sized rink is home to Gorham as well as the University of Southern Maine and the stage was set for a nice evening for Gorham. There were many fans in the stands for their senior night, which began with a lovely ceremony where the nine seniors were introduced and gave roses to their parents.
The game started and the streaking Gorham team soon realized they had a tiger - or Wildcat, as the case may be - by the tail.
The York girls were pumped and they meant business from the start. The first period saw Kacey Coffenberry come up huge for the Wildcats, turning back three one-on-one breakaway attempts by Gorham's best skaters. This night was Coffenberry's best between the pipes so far.
At 10:29, with York swarming the opposition's goal, Sarah Hanlon seized the chance and knocked one home, assisted by Nell Henderson-Brown and Kat Hird, to take the lead 1-0.
The second period finished with York's 1-0 lead intact; the frenetic pace of play never cooled. Both teams raced up and down the ice in the most evenly matched period of the three, seeing outstanding play at both ends of the rink.
The third period saw a continuation of exciting play, with both teams showing terrific determination, stamina and athleticism. The tempo was electric; the fans were on the edge of their seats.
At 7:52 into the final stanza, Gorham's whirlwind Ashley Martin found what had been denied her, tying the score at one apiece with a sensational unassisted goal.
Three minutes later, York Captain Natalie Kaknes erased this affront, burying one off a beautiful feed from Alex Banfield.
At 2 to 1, York, and with the end in sight, both teams amped up their efforts to fever pitch to the final second of play. All those in attendance - the disappointed and the elated alike - knew they had seen an exceptional game.
One day earlier, on Feb. 8, York and Portland's much anticipated rematch at the Portland Ice Arena was a hard-fought contest with both teams displaying athletic intensity and resolve for 36 minutes.
York mounted a ferocious offensive game and Portland countered with their best defensive effort of the season.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." The young ladies of York and of Portland were giving no such consent on this game day.
The teams battled to a 1-1 tie, each team giving as good as they got the entire game.
Portland opened the scoring at 7:12 in the first period when Ally Dolan wristed one past York's netminder.
The score remained 1-0 until 7:31 in the third period, when Emily Wall tied things up. Wall took a pass from Hannah Keating and whistled a shot past Portland's goalie, evading two defenders in the process.
Kacey Coffenberry had another good showing in goal and York out shot Portland by a 21 to 7 margin and played exceptionally well on penalty kill situations.
