Click here to subscribe today or Login.
KINGSTON — Carrying heartbreak in the back of their minds, the Hazleton Area Cougars entered a new year with pretty promising hopes.
They just got even brighter.
Ann Amentler scored Hazleton Area’s first goal and assisted on the team’s final tally Tuesday as the Cougars opened the 2015 field hockey season by avenging last year’s bitter playoff ending with a 3-2 victory over defending District 2 champion Wyoming Valley West at Spartan Stadium.
“We’ve really been looking forward to this game,” said Hazleton Area coach Mary Kelly, whose 2014 club suffered an agonizing, season-ending 2-1 defeat to Valley West one round before the District 2 Class 3A finals. “Last year, we lost in overtime in the semifinals.
“We were very excited for this game.”
Amentler only added to the enthusiasm, ripping the game’s first goal into the net less than 10 minutes into the year.
“We came out really fighting,” Amentler, a junior, said. “But with that goal, the momentum was in our favor.
“We really gelled as a team.”
Some nifty teamwork gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead later in the first half when Kara Sanford fed Megan Reed through a sea of bodies in front of the net for another goal.
And just under six minutes into the second half, Sanford scored herself off a pass from Amentler as the Cougars appeared to break the game open with a 3-0 advantage.
“Kara Sanford was just a big presence on the field,” Kelly said. “We move her around. She dominates.”
It all led to nearly 50 minutes of domination for the Cougars.
“I felt my game was pretty strong,” Amentler said. “Kara’s such a strong player. She’s so easy to find on the field. And whenever I find her, something good can happen.”
But if the Cougars thought their rollicking start seemed too good to be true, it almost was.
A Valley West lineup ravaged by last year’s graduation got going a little bit late in the game, as freshman Karaline Stelma scored twice in the final 12 minutes to spark a spirited Spartans rally.
Her first score was unassisted, and her second came off a pass from super sophomore Madison Woods — who expertly moved the ball up and down the field with sharp stick skills throughout the game.
“Once you score, that always gives you a little momentum boost,” Valley West coach Linda Fithian said.
The victory boosted Hazleton Area’s hopes of making a strong run at the Division I title after finishing third last season.
“I would say yeah. I think we have a really good shot,” Amentler said.
That’s because a solid Hazleton Area defense frustrated the Spartans through most of the game, and Cougars junior goalie Margaret Fulton made 10 stops in net.
“Give Hazleton a lot of credit,” Fithian said. “They have a beautiful team. Their goalie’s great.”
There was one cause for concern, though. Down the stretch the Cougars nearly watched a game’s worth of hard work nearly get away.
“I think they got tired in the heat,” Kelly said, “but we can’t use that as an excuse. Valley West had to play in the heat, too. We’ve been working on that a lot, to keep playing no matter what the score.”
In the end, though, Hazleton Area’s defense never let the Spartans get particularly close to actually tying the score, fending off several plays around the Cougars’ net in the final minutes without allowing a strong shot.
“We knew we had to come out and really fight for it,” Amentler said. “It feels amazing to see our preseason and all the work we put in come together.”
Honesdale 3, Wallenpaupack 1
Penn State-bound junior Clayre Smith scored two unassisted goals in the second half, lifting the Hornets to a season-opening victory over Wallenpaupack.
Nicole Longman scored off and assist from BrieAnn Mayers midway through the first half to give Honesdale the game’s first goal, but Wallenpaupack’ tied it at 1-1 when Nicole Pesce scored just 4:20 into the second half.
Mackenzie Jackson made four saves to ensure victory for Honesdale, while Katie Irving made six stops for Wallenpaupack.
Hazleton Area 3, Wyoming Valley West 2
Hazleton Area`2`1`—`3
Wyoming Valley West`0`2`—`2
First half — 1. HAZ, Ann Amentler (Celia Sokolofski), 9:26; 2. HAZ, Megan Reed (Kara Sanford), 25:39. Second half — 3. HAZ, Sanford (Amentler), 5:09; 4. WVW, Karaline Stelma, 18:47; 5. WVW, Stelma (Madison Woods), 26:26..
Shots — HAZ 21; WVW 12. Saves — HAZ 10 (Margaret Fulton); WVW 13 (Nikki Hartzel). Penalty corners — HAZ 12; WVW 5.
Honesdale 3, Wallenpaupack 1
Honesdale`1`2`—`3
Wallenpaupack`0`1`—`1
First half — 1. HON, Nicole Longman (BrieAnn Mayers), 9:59. Second half — 2. WAL, Nicole Pesce, 4:20; 3. HON, Clayre Smith, 18:03; 4. HON, Smith, 12:00.
Shots — HON 9; WAL 5. Saves — HON 4 (Mackenzie Jackson); WAL 6 (Katie Irving. Penalty corners — HON 3; WAL 9.
