February 13, 2013

Oiler girls skate to key league wins

The Watford City girls high school hockey team closed out its home schedule this past weekend picking up two important league wins over Glasgow and Bottineau.
On Saturday, the Oilers faced off against the Glasgow Ice Dawgs scoring a 5-2 win, and then on Sunday, the Lady Oilers faced off against Bottineau in a very contested battle.
Bottineau opened the scoring at 3:51 into the contest beating Oiler netminder Cheyanne Boots after a flurry in front of the Oilers’ net. Bottineau would add to their lead 2:45 later after another barrage in front of Boots to put the visitors up 2-0. The Oilers out-shot Bottineau 9-7, but couldn’t beat Jacie Ceglowski, the Bottineau goaltender.
Senior center Katie Skarda found the back of the net at 8:49 of the second period when she blistered a slapshot over the shoulder of Ceglowski, cutting the lead in half. Senior defenseman Taylor Dwyer assisted on the Oiler goal. Bottineau answered back when Ashley Blue scored an unassisted tally with just 1:19 left in the period for a 3-1 lead.
The Oilers kept working and scored just 24 seconds later when 8th grader Bridget Allex wristed a shot past the Bottineau goalie on a Skarda assist.
The teams went to the locker room with Bottineau holding a 3-2 lead on the locals.
During the third period, Oiler winger Totianna Miller fell hard into the boards and the play was halted for several minutes while the medics attended to her. This was the moment the Oilers decided  that the game was in reach, and the Watford City fans were in for a great finish.
Skarda scored her second goal of the game when she picked up a loose puck at the Oiler blueline, deked two Bottineau defenders and  ripped a shot over the glove of Ceglowski knotting the game at 3-3. Both teams had great chances to win in regulation only to see stellar goaltending from both netminders.
In overtime, the Oilers were whistled for too many skaters on the ice and would have to kill a very important penalty.
Boots kicked aside a Bottineau shot with Dwyer picking up the rebound and clearing the zone. Skarda, flying up the ice, picked up the puck at the Bottineau blueline and went in all alone with Ceglowski. Skarda faked the shot and backhanded the puck past the Bottineau goalie for the sudden victory. Dwyer was credited with the assist on Skarda’s winner.
Boots turned aside 30 Bottineau shots, while Ceglowski turned aside 29 Oiler shots.
Closing out their home schedule, the Oilers hit the road with two more games before heading into tournament action on March 1, 2 and 3 in Devils Lake.
The Oilers are led by seniors Taylor Dwyer, Mackenzie Kolteryahn, and Katie Skarda. The rest of the Oilers are Teddi Dwyer, Alisha Bostic, Mahea Seal, Cheyanne Boots, Nanea Seal, Tory Hopkins, Morgan Burd, Kat Kinden, Amanda Anderson, Totianna Miller, Kaycee Crimmins, Bridget Allex, Morgan Berquist, Danika Brown, Tessa Dwyer and Kayla Frick. The Oilers are coached by Josh Brew and assisted by David Hoffmann and Chris Lundin.

WATFORD CITY WEATHER