Las Vegas 'Women's Classic' Champions
Date Posted:
1/28/08
The Betties' first trip to Nevada to
participate in the 12th annual 'Las Vegas Women's Hockey Classic'
Tournament proved a great success, as the Betties beat the Phoenix
Scorpions 2-1 in the Championship game of the Caesars Palace Division.
The Betties opened the tournament with a hard-earned 3-2 victory over the
defending champions, the Washington (D.C.) Wolves. Captain Laura
Garber notched her first hat-trick of the season, potting all three
Betties goals, while netminder Courtney Shannon stood strong, turning
aside 20 of 22 shots. The 2nd game found the Betties matched up against a team from Houston, TX
(Houston Class of '99). The Betties, sparked by Graham's first ever
two-goal game, jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead, and never looked
back en route to a convincing 6-2 victory. O'Dowd, like Graham,
dented the twine twice in the game, while Garber and Patterson added solo
tallies. Ross, Marquez, and Holmdahl earned assists for their
efforts, and Shannon was once again strong between the pipes, turning
aside 10 of the 12 shots she faced. With wins in their first two
games, the Betties found themselves guaranteed a spot in the finals
regardless of the results of their third game against the Phoenix
Scorpions (who also had no motivation to play). The game wasn't as
intense as the first two, with both teams holding back for their title
tilt on Sunday morning. The final result was a 2-1 OT win for the
Scorpions. Garber got the lone Betties goal, with an assist from
Barber. The championship game provided a better result. The
Betties overcame three 1st period
penalties, a late second period 1-0 deficit, and a 6 on 4 shorthanded
situation the last 1:21 of the game, to eke out a hard-earned 2-1 win over
the Scorpions. Britny Patterson's goal (with assists from Marquez &
O'Dowd) with 5.7 seconds left in the 2nd stanza gave the Betties hope for
the 3rd, and then half-way through the final period, Tucker and Patterson
expertly set up Marquez for the game-winner. The victory earned the
Betties their first tournament title since winning the Eagle, CO 'Stick Or
Treat' Tournament in October of 2006. For their stellar efforts
throughout the tournament, Betties players Laura Garber (F), Molly Marquez
(D), and Courtney Shannon (G) were selected to the 'All Tournament Team',
and Garber was named MVP of the tournament.
