WATERVILLE – For a while, it looked like the biggest crowd in the history of the McNally Senior All-Star field hockey game would see the worst contest in the history of the event.

The West scored two quick goals and led by three late in the first half. After that, the East dominated, getting three unanswered goals to force overtime. After eight scoreless minutes, the teams settled for a 3-3 tie Saturday at Colby College.

“I didn’t know half the girls (on my team),” said Skowhegan back Makayla Hancock, a defensive standout for the East. “So it just took a little bit to get into it; but the second half, we had it.”

The teams played one seven-on-seven, eight-minute overtime instead of the normal two. Some players, like Nokomis graduate Sabrina Vaillancourt, were feeling it by the end of the game.

“I was dead. I was beat,” said Vaillancourt, who scored twice and was named the East’s MVP. “I haven’t played for a while, and once you haven’t played in a while, it just kills you.”

West MVP Brittany Ross of Scarborough scored 1 minute, 40 seconds into the game. Eleven minutes later, Scarborough’s Jackie Morin scored off an assist from Ross to make it 2-0.

With five minutes left in the half, Skowhegan goalie Megan Hancock stuffed Ross on a close-range shot, but Morin grabbed the rebound and fed North Yarmouth Academy’s Lianna Hachborn, who poked it in for a 3-0 lead.

The East scored with 3:24 left in the half on a long-range shot by Camden Hills grad Monica Doucette.

The West missed a chance to take control early in the second half, but Hannah Prince of Gorham sent a penalty stroke just wide to the left with 18:57 to play.

Four minutes later, Maranacook’s Amanda Laporte and Hall-Dale’s Jess Woods combined to set up Vaillancourt, who scored to pull the East within 3-2.

Laporte played for the East even though Maranacook plays in Western Class B. She said it was simply a mix-up.

“I was actually put on the wrong team today,” Laporte said. “When I first signed up, my friend Alyssa (Dufour), who goes to Cony, was on the East team. So the lady who put me in to register said I would probably be on the East team because our schools are right next to each other. So it just kind of happened that way.”

The East tied the game with 9:07 left in regulation as Makayla Hancock set up Vaillancourt for a breakaway goal.

The East had a chance to win five minutes later, but West goalie Emily Downing of Sanford dived to her right to stop Doucette, and the follow shot by Winthrop’s Kelsey Ouellette hit the left post.

The West had the best chances in overtime. First, Ross got in close but couldn’t get around goalie Megan Hancock, who stacked her leg pads while lying on her left side.

Two minutes later, Makayla Hancock drove that ball out of danger just as Old Orchard Beach’s Anabelle Frenette was ready to shoot from close range.

This was the first year the McNally game was held as part of the Maine Field Hockey Festival. The festival featured 27 high school teams, with Leavitt defeating Skowhegan 2-1 in the gold medal game.

“It worked out, in my opinion, really well because the current high school athletes got to see a really great game,” said Krista Chase, president of the Maine Field Hockey Association.

 

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