Leaning on the scoring of Caroleena Genco and Claire Dickson could have been a major part of the concoction that led Team West to its second consecutive PIHL girls division championship.
But something else added to the pot left Team North stewing Monday at UPMC Lemieux Complex.
Team West played relentless, suffocating defense that shined through and allowed it to rally from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 win. Team West (8-4-1-0) became the first squad in the five-year history of the league to capture back-to-back championships.
“It’s a lot more fun to have more competitive hockey and have all the teams a lot closer,” said Genco, who scored her league-best 22nd goal and added two assists. “I know we went undefeated last year, but all the teams being so close together made it more fun of a season to play in.”
Outside of a 45-second stretch in the first period, when Team North scored on its first two shots on goal, Team West didn’t allow pucks to get to the net.
Team North — which averaged 27.3 shots entering the contest and had a previous low of 17 — was limited to 11 shots on goal.
“We shut them down,” Defenseman Ella Schultz said. “We always had a stick on the puck. We always had someone battling hard and keeping them away from the middle.”
Part of the issue for Team North was staying out of the penalty box. Team North was whistled for four penalties, including two in the second period that briefly gave Team West a 5-on-3 advantage.
Jovie Cagnacci made 29 stops in net for Team North.
“We were penalty killing a lot,” Team North coach Tom Dimond said. “That definitely impacted our shots on goal. They have a lot of good defenders, and we couldn’t get pucks on net.”
Team North was the top seed and beat Team West, 4-2, to open the season in their only meeting. When Team North was at its best, it was scoring dirty goals.
In the first period, Emma Yennie took advantage of an awkward bounce. A shot on net went fluttering off her teammate’s shoulder and in front of the crease.
Yennie’s goal came 8 minutes, 39 seconds in. Marie Doucet doubled Team North’s lead 45 seconds later when she scored off a scramble around the goalmouth.
“We had a fast start, and we slowed down,” Dimond said. “We didn’t do the little things we needed to do. I didn’t think we had the consistency and effort level we had to have in a championship game.”
Team West grabbed the momentum back late in the first period. Madeline Relyea fired a wrister from the point that was redirected into the net by Genco with 5.1 seconds left in the period.
Katelyn Wylie tied the score when she scored off an assist from Genco and Shaily Welsh.
Isabel King put Team West ahead for good late in the third period when she hammered a shot into the net off an assist from Ella Schultz.
“They played phenomenal,” Team West coach Ed Schultz said. “It’s a great group of girls. I couldn’t ask for anything more. They are resilient.”
In the final minute, Team North created chaos around the net, and Collen Warner had a backhand opportunity that Ava Jamiolkowski stopped with her pads with 11 seconds remaining.
“I was nervous,” Genco said. “We all trust each other a lot. Everyone was nervous, but we weren’t too nervous and were able to keep our composure.”