MARSHALL — Brooklyn Morph and Peyton Demas combined for nine points as the No. 8 Marshall women’s hockey team shut out Worthington, 13-0, in a Big South Conference game Tuesday night at Red Baron Arena. . Mauch had four goals and one assist, and Demuth had one goal and three assists.
“The girls played really well. We just wanted to go out and dive.” Marshall assistant coach Chris Foley said. “I can’t say we were scoring goals and we weren’t as good as we were before, so it felt really good for everyone to get the puck in the back of the net.”
Eighth-grader Nora Holmgren also scored her first varsity goal in the final period of the night.
After a first period in which the Tigers scored four goals early to extend their lead, much of the night was spent in the Trojans’ offensive zone. The game was decided by six goals in the second period, with Marshall totaling 47 shots on goal and holding Worthington to just five.
“I think the shot attempts showed how strong our defense was tonight.” Senior Olivia DeGroot said. “Our offense definitely shined, but I would say our defense was just as strong. Honestly, we’re all just strong, goalie, defense, forwards, everyone.”
Along with Mauch, Abby Foley also had two goals and an assist. Aubrey Metheny followed Demas with two assists.
Lily Stelter was in net for the first two periods, saving all four of her goal attempts. Haley Kirchner also got time on net throughout the third period and saved one shot.
“The thing that put Haley in the net was actually Lily Stelter came in and asked (head) coach Kathy (Weiss) if she should put Haley in the third period.” Coach Foley said. “Everyone in that locker room wants everyone else to succeed.”
The Tigers focused on setting the tone early, scoring three goals in the first seven minutes of the game. The first shot came just 42 seconds after Mauch ascended the rink without assistance. It was also the first goal attempt of the night.
Mauch continues to have outstanding seasons, most recently scoring over 60 points in a season for the first time in a 5-1 win over Fairmont on January 2nd. He also recorded a hat trick and an assist. She currently has 66 points.
Worthington played solid defense throughout the first half of the first period, keeping Marshall out of the offensive zone for long periods of time.
However, the Trojans struggled to make any offensive moves while Marshall returned the defensive favor. Worthington only made two of the Tigers’ 15 shots on goal in the first period.
“I think we’re back to form again. We had a little bit of a lull there, so I think it was a game where we just needed to dominate.” DeGroot said. “We went out and dominated and got back into the swing of things, so we want to keep that going.”
Play stagnated after Mauch’s first goal, but Brielle Felton-Krog stole the puck from a Worthington defense trying to push it out of bounds and seamlessly scored in the seventh minute.
Elsie Deuts picked up her own rebound after attempting a shot and scored just three minutes later, quickly followed by a goal from Emme Demuth. In a two-on-one with the Trojans’ goalie, the two were close to the crease, and Demas scored the puck off a feed from Kendall Biernert.
All four of Marshall’s first period goals were scored at even strength.
After the first intermission, both teams were held scoreless for nearly eight minutes, but Marshall bounced back and never let up, scoring five more goals in three minutes. From there, the game unfolded in Worthington’s offensive zone.
The Tigers silenced Worthington throughout the second period, allowing just two shots on goal compared to Marshall’s 21.
“Once you get going, you can’t stop.” DeGroot said. “We just keep moving forward and never give up.”
Mauch scored two goals in quick succession, completing his hat trick. Both goals came in the 11th minute and were assisted by Peyton Demas.
Foley started the period when Demas found Foley ahead of her as she went to go one-on-one with the goalie.
About 30 seconds later, the goal horn continued to sound as Peyton Demas was in position to score. Bernert and Foley scored the final two goals of the period, with assists from Metheny and Mauch, respectively.
All six goals were again scored at even strength.
The final period remained scoreless until Holmgren scored his first international goal with just over two minutes remaining.
“A support group in the locker room, these girls want everyone in the locker room to be successful.” Coach Foley said. “I think that’s the beauty of it. When a player like Nora scores, everyone is happy.”
Moments later, Elsie Deuts scored herself after handling the puck with her stick, sending the ball into the back net one-on-one in the crease.
Mauch finished the night with another goal in the final 30 seconds with an assist from Foley.
Marshall’s penalties were not assessed, and Worthington only had two minors on hooks and trips in the second and third periods.
Worthington fell to 3-9 overall and 1-6-2 in the conference.
Marshall (17-1-1, 8-0-1 BSC) remains the No. 1 prospect in the Big South, currently leading the Minnesota River (13-2-1, 7-0-1 BSC). They are leading the conference, but have not beaten Minnesota River. I have the game in hand.
“It feels really good to be a part of this team. This year is definitely one of the (most fun) years I’ve had playing hockey.” DeGroot said. “This group of girls is really special and we are having a great time this year.”
The Tigers will have a week off from games before heading off on a three-game road trip starting Jan. 14 at Fairmont at 7 p.m. The Tigers will then return to Red Baron Arena for their final home game of the regular season on January 24th. When they host South Central (6-10-0) with puck drop at 7 p.m.
“We’re not going to deviate too much from our philosophy.” Coach Foley said. “Just go score the first goal and get your feet moving.”
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