Girls 16U Tier 1

Squad beats Little Caesars, 9-3, with five goals in game’s final minutes

Photo by Michael Larson

Honeybaked blew open a close game in the third period to win the Girls 16 and Under National Bound state tournament with a 9-3 win over Little Caesars on March 4 at the Taylor Sportsplex.

After two and half periods of the MAHA Girls 16 and Under National Bound state tournament final, Honeybaked held a 4-2 lead over Little Caesars.

But then Honeybaked exploded for five unanswered goals in four minutes to seal a 9-3 win and the state title on March 4 at the Taylor Sportsplex.

With the win, Honeybaked earned the right to represent Michigan in the national tournament in San Jose (CA) at the end of the month.

Honeybaked opened the scoring five minutes into the final when Taylor Wasylk notched an even strength goal on a pass from teammate Haleigh Hutchinson.

Honeybaked scored its second goal of the game just abut four minutes later when, on the penalty kill, Sami Tatu took advantage of a Little Caesars turnover, and moved the puck quickly out of her zone. Teammate Erin Cahill took over possession and passed it to linemate Amanda Sparks who broke away from the pack and netted a shorthanded goal.

Down two goals, Little Caesars team was far from out of the game. Just 27 seconds after Sparks' goal, with Little Caesars still on the power play, the team took advantage.

Kristin Griebe scored a goal to make the score 2-1. The goal was assisted by Jackie Rosol and Tina Hollowell.

In the second period, Honeybaked used their power play to put a score on the board.

At 8:33 of the second, after Little Caesars' Griebe was whistled for a checking penalty, and Wasylk scored her second goal of the night on a score that was assisted by Brittany Dougherty and Jen VandeVusse. Then with just three tenths of a second left, the Honeybaked scored again, with Cahill getting the score from Stacey Hochkins and Megan Doyen.

Down 4-1 to start the final period, Little Caesars got back in the game when Shelby Kucharski scored on a pass from Bridget Godfrey. Haley Coolsaet also was credited with an assist.

The score stayed 4-2 for the next six minutes before the floodgates opened and Honeybaked went on a tear. Cristina Smith scored first before Hutchinson scored three goals and Sparks added another in the next four minutes to give Honeybaked an insurmountable 9-2 lead with four minutes remaining in the game.

Coolsaet finished the scoring for Little Caesars, with assists going to Kucharski and Kelsy Burgess, but it was all the team could muster.

"We worked hard all year for this," Honeybaked head coach Mike Linedberg said. "We are really happy to be able to represent Michigan at Nationals."

The coach said he attributed much of his team's success late in the game to lots of off-ice conditioning.

"We spend so much time trying to get our legs strong," he said. "And it showed at the end of this game. The other team was starting to tire, and we were still strong."

Lindenberg said that he was pleased and proud of his team's performance in the state tournament.

"I couldn't be happier for them," he said. "They deserve this win, and I hope we can keep it up at the next level."

Wasylk was named MVP of the game for her four-point game.

Girl’s 16U Notebook

In their first meeting of the tournament Honeybaked beat Little Caesars, 1-0, on a third period goal from Amanda Sparks on a pass from defenseman Jackie Fraser… Honeybaked also picked up a big 3-1 win against the Michigan Capitals in the tournament's early going. Stacey Hochkins, Jen VandeVusse and Sami Tatu scored in the win, while Brooke Zaleski scored for the Caps… In other tournament action, Little Caesars had a strong showing against a tough Victory Honda team, winning 6-4. Brittany Toor scored had a hat trick for Little Caesars, while teammates Tina Hollowell, Shelby Kucharski, and Jacki Rosol all scored goals in the win. Assists went to Rosol, Jill DeBus, Kristin Griebe and Sarah Gilbride. For Victory Honda, Kerry Vaclavek scored two goals, while Sam Keil and Andrea Gniewek each added one. Caitlyn Smith and Mandy Korzon each added two assists in the losing effort, while Keil and Vaclavek each scored one.

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