UW-Superior 4, Bethel 3
SUPERIOR, Wis. (December 8, 2017) – Superior faced a tough Bethel Royals team, their first in a week's time. The Yellowjackets found a way to win in overtime for their sixth of the season.
Both teams looked a little sluggish coming out of the gate. The Yellowjackets found themselves short-handed in the first five minutes, after a crosschecking call, and were able to kill with good special teams. They then found their own power-play opportunity when the Royals were called for too many players on the ice at 4:50. Superior soon found their opportunity, as Lexie Weiss (Sleepy Eye, Minn./New Ulm) scored her first of the season after deflecting the puck on a Saige Patrick (Steinbach, Man./St. Mary's Academy) slap shot at 8:26.
The Royals fired back, getting a power-play goal at 15:08, tying the game heading into the first intermission.
A late first-period penalty was called on Bethel, giving Superior a power play to open the second period, but the 'Jackets couldn't find the net. The Royals bounced back, scoring at 3:09 to take a one-goal lead.
The 'Jackets found their mojo again after a string of penalties; Kaleigh Martinson (Dayton, Minn./Champlin Park) would hit twine on a shot from the kill zone at 10:21, assisted by Mikayla Goodin (Andover, Minn./Andover). But, they weren't done yet. Amanda Sergent (Eagle River, Wis./Northland Pines) would get her third of the season after Patrick flicked the puck from the opposite blue line, over the Royals heads, and found Sergent for the score.
The Yellowjackets held a one-goal lead at the second intermission.
The Royals answered immediately at 1:56 of the third period, on a slap shot from just below the blue line.
Superior would get into some penalty trouble in the third, heading to the box three straight times during the middle of the period, but special teams was again on-point, killing all three power-play tries by the Royals.
The final period would end in a 3-3 draw, forcing a five-minute overtime.
Martinson would waste no time in the extra period, scoring just 1:56 in to get the Yellowjacket win.
The 'Jackets lost the faceoff battle, 30-25, and fell behind in shots 28-22, but were able to provide good special teams throughout the game, and finding goals when it counted.
Sky Brown (Lenore, Man./Virden Collegiate Institute) provided good work between the pipes for Superior, getting 25 saves, including 10 in the third period, to get a sixth win.
The Yellowjackets will have yet another week off, taking on Finlandia in a double-header next weekend, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16 at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m.
