Panthers Girls hockey defeat Assumption for AABHN north crown

Members of the Paris Panthers celebrate after defeating the Assumption Saints 3-2 to capture the AABHN North championship, earning redemption against the only team to beat them during the regular season.

George Le Gresley

Sports Correspondent 

Redemption was on the line — and the Panthers delivered.

After advancing by default in the semifinal against North Park, the Panthers faced a familiar rival in the championship final: Assumption, the only team to defeat them twice during the regular season. With a North Division banner at stake, Paris seized the moment, holding off a late Saints surge to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory and claim the AABHN North championship.

Kenzie Coates got the start in net for the Panthers. In the first period, both teams played a tight game, giving each other few scoring opportunities until the 5-minute mark. Sydney Kipp scored on assists by Raegan Charter and Harley Shuart. Assumption came back to tie the score a minute later, making it 1-1, which was the score at the end of the period.

The second period belonged to the Panthers, with goals by Reese Halliday and Rowan Worrall for a 3-1 lead. Reese’s goal was assisted by Alyssa Oakes and Taylor Drinkle, and Rowan’s goal was assisted by   Scout Hergott-Leader and Taylor Drinkle.

In the third period, Assumption pulled out all the stops, trying to catch up and tie the game, but with two minutes left, the Saints scored to make the score 3-2. Assumption called a time out to work out a strategy to tie the game and pulled their goalie for an extra attacker.  Despite the extra player on the ice, the Panthers played great defense and won the AABHN North championship.

The Panthers will now face the South Division champion for a chance to advance to the regional championship. We will provide an update on their progress in next week’s edition.