WEST LEBANON — It didn’t go where she wanted it to go, and she wasn’t sure she’d have enough energy to try again. But Lena Nowell wasn’t about to complain where the final puck of the night ended its travels on Wednesday.
Nowell, a senior tri-captain on the Lebanon-Stevens-Kearsarge girls hockey team, watched a high-slot shot hit a Berlin-Gorham stick and floated over the head of goaltender Luma Berry and into the net with 2:10 left in overtime to give the Raiders a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Mountaineers at Campion Rink. Nowell’s fifth goal of the season was also the 14th of the campaign for LSK (4-6-0), which has had to rely on defense and netminder Paige Hoegler to find success this winter.
Lebanon rallied from a 2-1 deficit late. Greta Barber forced overtime with a second-chance score with less than six minutes left in regulation.
“I’m not going to lie to you — I wasn’t really sure,” Nowell said of her game-winner. “I just knew it hit somebody and popped over. I believe it was a defenseman’s stick or skate. Not as pretty as I wanted it to be, but I’ll take what I can get. It’s awesome to get the win.”
Hoegler recorded 26 saves in the Raiders’ net, five of them in the extra session. Berry made 21 saves for Berlin-Gorham (2-7-1).
Even with the graduation of 35-point scorer Marissa Pickman last year, second-year Lebanon coach Mike Sheehan has been surprised at the Raiders’ offensive struggles. That’s what made Wednesday’s conclusion so satisfying.
Nowell and LSK’s two other senior captains, Lily Barber and Makayla Maccioli, factored into all of the scoring in their final regular-season home game. Lebanon also won in extra time for the second time in three occasions.
“We had some good play today,” Sheehan said. “Lena had some good rushes. Our first line was effective, and they were all over them down in the offensive zone. Obviously, you’re always hoping to score more than three goals, but if you hold them to two, we’ll take it.”
Although Sheehan’s roster lists 13 skaters along with two goaltenders, only nine or 10 regularly rotate onto the ice. That puts a premium on fitness and opportunity.
The latter landed in the Raiders’ laps early. Barber, owner of 10 goals last winter, netted her first of the current season at 6:48 of the opening period, sneaking a right-circle wrister through Berry’s pads on a power play. The lead lasted less than four minutes, speedy Berlin-Gorham freshman blueliner Ava Bartoli squeezing a goal-crease shot between Hoegler and the right post at 10:10.
Lebanon, which owned a 9-4 shots advantage in the first period, seemed to slow in the second. The frame began with the Raiders killing off a Barber bodychecking penalty that closed the opening stanza, then having to stop a second similar call on the Lebanon senior near the five-minute mark of the second period.
Hoegler kept Lebanon level with back-to-back denials of Berlin’s Sidney Chapman, the second coming chest-high through traffic.
“I’ve said all year she’s one of the best goalies in the state, and I think she’s turned a lot of heads this year,” Sheehan said. “She was there when we needed her today. We’re a young, inexperienced team, we make a few too many mistakes, and she’s there to bail us out.”
Berlin’s Bartoli, who impressed with end-to-end rushes all night, set up the Mountaineers’ go-ahead goal at 4:04 of the third period. From the neutral zone, Bartoli maneuvered around a Lebanon defender in the right-wing circle, forcing a save from Hoegler but leaving a rebound that Mickailey Walsh stuffed into the open left side.
An interference minor against the visitors’ Sophia Shoenbeck about a minute later got Lebanon going again. Perry caught a break when a point drive from Nowell caught a teammate’s stick and deflected wide of the post. But the Raiders kept pressing and tied the contest at 9:04 when sophomore Greta Barber followed her own blocked shot and converted from the left dot.
“People are pretty used to playing down players, sadly,” Nowell said. “It sucks that we don’t have that many people in the program, but we were wearing down. OT is hard on anybody.”
Berlin carried play early in the extra period. Hoegler got behind three early Berlin bids and denied back-to-back point attempts from Shoenbeck to keep the game level.
Nowell’s winner seemingly came out of nowhere. Lily Barber settled a bouncing puck at the Berlin blue line and fed Nowell for a shot that hit a defender’s stick and out of Berry’s vision until it settled in the back of the net.
“I was trying to get it on net but, knowing me, I hit the girl,” Nowell said. “It took off and got by her.”
Don’t hear anyone complaining.
■
Ice Chips: Nowell finished the night with a goal and two assists, as did Lily Barber. Maccioli also had a helper for Lebanon. … Sheehan said he expects to hear about his team’s postseason assignment perhaps as early as Thursday. A rematch with Berlin-Gorham next week would not surprise him. … Nowell has a team-high five goals for Lebanon-Stevens-Kearsarge, which scored 80 goals in 18 contests last year. … The Raiders close the regular season at Keene-Monadnock-Fall Mountain on Saturday.
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 727-3226.