Girls 19u t1

Squad takes championship on two late goals in 2-1 win over Little Caesars

Despite needing over two and half periods to get on the board, Belle Tire captured the Girls’ 19 and Under National Bound state tournament title with a 2-1 victory over Little Caesars on March 4 at the Taylor Sportsplex.

Jessica Edwards gave Little Caesars the lead early in the game. Capitalizing on a turnover by Belle Tire, Edwards took a low shot beating Belle Tire goalie Abbie Helminen on the right side. The one goal deficit held for over two periods despite Belle Tire’s constant pressure.

“It was tough getting that first one in,” said Belle Tire coach John Vivian. “It was very physical out there and there were a lot of penalties.”

Little Caesars killed off three Belle Tire power plays in the first period, including two back-to-back. The only quality scoring chance the Caesars’ penalty killing unit gave to Belle Tire was a shot from the point that goalie Michelle Sauer snatched out of the air.

“You have to give it to Little Caesars,” Vivian said. “This is a great rivalry and they have great skills.”

Still Belle Tire wouldn’t let up and increased their energy each period. But despite having some scoring chances they couldn’t solve Sauer. Belle Tire’s Madison Packer opened the second period with a quick backhand move on Sauer but the Little Caesars goaltender stayed with her. Jill Szandzik tried the same move a few minutes later but again Sauer was there as the puck popped out of play on top of the net.

Sauer turned away 22 Belle Tire shots in the first two periods, but wasn’t the only goalie that played well. Despite only facing 12 shots all game, Helminen needed to stay sharp to hold her team close. She stopped Caesars’ Emily Nelson on a breakaway in the second.

In the final period Belle Tire came up empty on two powerplays before Adrianna Pfeiffer finally beat Sauer at even strength with 7:42 left in the third. Getting her stick on Chelsea Young’s shot from the point, Pfeiffer’s redirection snuck past Sauer and Belle Tire rejoiced knowing the goalie wasn’t impossible to score on.

“I told them to get the pucks to the net and look for loose pucks, rebounds and tips because that’s how you win,” Vivian said. “And that’s how the first goal went.”

After that first goal, Belle Tire’s Packer scored on a backhander with 4:12 remaining in the game and Little Caesars suddenly found themselves in a hole down 2-1.

Caesars had an opportunity to tie the game on the powerplay, but Belle Tire’s Kim Theut led her team on the penalty kill by blocking shots and grinding out the man-disadvantage. A Little Caesars’ penalty with 1:25 left sealed the game for Belle Tire.

While some observers felt their squad didn’t have enough veterans to compete for a state title, Vivian, and his assistants Keith Davis and Matt Berger, were excited about their team’s performance.

“This was supposedly a rebuilding year but a lot of young girls came through on time for us,” Vivian said.

Belle Tire, who know has a record of 65-13-5 will head to San Jose, California for the National Tournament. Out West Vivian expects their toughest competition will come from the Connecticut Polar Bears.

Girls 19 and Under Notebook

Little Caesars Michelle Sauer didn’t come up empty handed for her performance. She won the Tournament MVP trophy after totaling 36 saves in the championship game… Belle Tire’s Madison Packer had two goals and an assist in Belle Tire’s 7-0 victory over the Michigan Icebreakers… Belle Tire’s Adrianna Pfeiffer scored a hat trick in Belle Tire’s 3-0 win over Victory Honda… Michigan Icebreakers’ Maura Malone scored two goals including the game-winner in the Icebreakers’ 5-4 win over Victory Honda… Marquette’s Lynne Erspamer had the game-winning goal in the Iron Rangers’ 2-1 win over Little Caesars… Michigan Icebreakers’ Nikki Porter had two goals in the Icebreakers’ 3-1 victory over Marquette… Marquette’s Katelyn McLean had two goals and Kristin Rouleau had a goal and two assists in the Iron Rangers’ 4-0 win over Victory Honda… Belle Tire’s Packer and Pfeiffer each had two goals in Belle Tire’s 7-0 victory over Little Caesars… Marquette’s Kaitlyn Brugman made 42 saves in the Iron Rangers’ 3-0 loss to Belle Tire.

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