Brookline, MA – We had scouts in attendance for a matchup we predicted to be a toss-up on who would win in this Elite 8 game. Loomis Chaffee travels to Dexter for game one of their journey to repeat. Addie Sutherland in net for Dexter, and Adeline Roper for Loomis.
Dexter starts the game well, developing good pressure inside Loomis’ end. Best chances early on come from Lindsay Stepnowski and Annie Schwarz from Loomis off the rush, despite Dexter’s early success with possession. We get the game’s first goal coming off of Stepnowskis stick, she dances around a defender and rips a shot low glove to give the former champs a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Dexter hops on the power play to try to even things up. Loomis does a great job killing it off and gets to keep their lead. Loomis gets a chance on the man-up with under six minutes to go. Stepnowski shoots an identical shot, but Sutherland makes the save. Thirty-nine seconds left on the power play and 4:37 in the period, Amaya McNeil takes a shot from the point, and it finds its way to Lexi Buco, who tips it in for a 2-0 lead. Dexter finally catches a break with 2:43 left in the first. Sawyer Merrill picks up a turnover in the slot and goes high glove with it. We have a 2-1 game heading into period 2.
Stronger start for Loomis, Megan Hosman rips a very quick low point shot that gets tipped but ends up going over the net. Pace of play has upped, and Brooke Murphy for Loomis and Leah Hafer for Dexter have looked specifically very quick. Dexter pins Loomis in their own end and makes them pay, with a beautifully placed shot by Alex Mitsakis, who catches the goalie by surprise, and we are all tied up at twos. Great individual play by Hafer gets in alone, but a good save by Roper keeps the game tied. With around 8:40 left in the second, Elizabeth Allen, behind the net, finds Devon Moore for a great chance in front, but she gets denied. Dexter has had good momentum since tying the game, and they are given a chance to break it with a power play. Shot from the top goes up and is batted in by Hosman, refs get together and confirm a good goal. Schwarz has been able to enter the slot too easily, especially in the second, and she is able to capitalize on a shot low glove. After the equalizer, Dexter makes a change in goal and enters Annabelle Aitken. Loomis takes to the power-play with 1:06 left in the second. Hosman draws everyone over from the point and slides a pass to Stepnowski, who gets her second goal of the game off a well-placed shot low glove.
Loomis wastes no time in the third, scoring less than thirty seconds in with a shot from Schwarz that finds a way past Aitken’s glove. Shortly after, Loomis scores again upstairs with a shot from Lizzie Orszulak from the offensive face-off dot and looks to run away with a score that’s now 6-3. A miscue from the Dexter goalie and defense, puck squirts out in front to Sophie DiGioia for another goal, 7-3 Loomis. Stepnowski over to Elyse Harris late in the game, but a good read and save by Sutherland, who entered back into the game in the early third. 7-3 is our final, good luck going further to Loomis.
Three Stars
First: Lindsay Stepnowski (Loomis Chaffee)
Second: Annie Schwarz (Loomis Chaffee)
Third: Adeline Roper (Loomis Chaffee)