With a lot of energy and a little luck, York rallied for three goals in the third period – including two in 1 minute, 30 seconds – to nip Cheverus 4-3 in a Western Conference girls’ hockey game Friday at Portland Ice Arena.

Katherine Bertolini collected the rebound of Emma Ford’s shot and banked it in off a skate at 9:51 to make it 3-3. Kayla Kelly then scored the winner at 11:21, slipping in the rebound of Kendall Carr’s shot for a 4-3 lead with about three minutes to play.

“I look at this as a game we can learn a ton from,” Cheverus Coach Amy McNally said. “Bounces will go against us and we’ll get some bounces eventually. We have to. Karma will give those back to you at some point.”

The winning play started when Taylor Courtois (25 saves) stopped a hard shot by Carr and the rebound fell to Kelly in the right circle.

“It was a lucky shot, I guess,” Kelly said. “You just put it on net because you never know.”

The Wildcats (6-3), who typically play with 16 skaters, won their second straight game despite missing three players because of the holidays. The Stags (3-6), who typically dress 14 skaters, were also missing three.

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Those who did play, played hard. Jill Hannigan, a smooth skating junior defender, led Cheverus with three goals, two unassisted.

“She put a lot of pressure on us,” Carr said. “She really kept us on our toes. We weren’t able to relax at all.”

Hannigan seemed to be everywhere for the Stags, pressuring the York goal one moment, breaking up a rush or intercepting a pass the next.

“Jill made some fabulous defensive plays,” McNally said. “She scored the three goals, too, but she backchecked and won the battles defensively that we needed her to.”

York goalie Emily Mahoney made five saves on seven shots through the first two periods before Sophie Stephens came on for the third to make 12 saves. Overall, York outshot Cheverus, 49-23.

Despite York’s possession in the early going, Hannigan put the Stags up 1-0 with a wrist shot from the left circle at 8:51 of the first period. York tied it about three minutes later on Erin McKenna’s wrister.

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Hannigan struck again in the second, skating in again on the left side and slipping a shot between the pads at 7:06. Despite strong bids by Carr, McKenna and Ford, Courtois turned aside all six shots on goal to enter the third period up, 2-1.

“Our sense of urgency in the third was the biggest part,” Carr said. “We played with a lot of aggression; we had to get out there and be first to the puck. And that’s what we did in the first and third periods.”

Carr generated much of that urgency herself, repeatedly breaking up Cheverus’ attack and carrying the puck the length of the ice for a shot.

“I told her to take control,” York Coach Kevin Banfield said. “She knows what that means. We try to conserve her energy early on so she can really turn it on when we need her. I told her ‘You have the green light, do what you can.’ ”

She set up Ford’s goal that made it 2-2 and then Kelly’s winner.

“I call the girls the Cardiac Kids,” Banfield said. “They can really turn it on. We play with urgency, a high forecheck, and they really don’t want to lose.”


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