The Norman Wild picked up their third win – and second in regulation time – of the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League season on home ice in Thompson Nov. 19, riding a three-goal performance from captain Kali Cummings to a 5-3 victory over the Central Plains Capitals after having dropped the previous night’s game 2-1.
Cummings got the first goal of Saturday’s game against the flow of play in the first period, jamming a wraparound into the Capitals’ net with 6:04 left in the period on what was only her team’s second shot of the game to that point, compared to seven for Central Plains. She doubled the lead less than two minutes later on a shorthanded breakaway, winning a race for a loose puck at centre ice and then putting it in the net before ending up there herself.
The Wild’s lead grew to three goals when Carrigan Umpherville scored on a power play and the rest of the middle frame was scoreless, though Central Plains continued to badly outshoot the Wild, leading in that category 25-8 at the second intermission.
The Plains made a late comeback bid, getting goals less than two minutes apart in the latter half of the third period from Maiya Aschberg and Lauren Blight to make it a one-goal game but Cummings notched what proved to be the game-winner by completing her hat trick with less than five minutes to play. The Capitals hit the scoreboard once more with 2:20 left after pulling their goalie with 3:30 to play and Cummings in the penalty box for a 6-on-4 advantage that was finally capitalized on by Lindsey Rutherford. The outcome was finally put beyond doubt when the Widl’s Annaliese Meier scored into an empty net with 1:22 left.
Norman netminder Shayna Moore made 36 saves in the game as her team was outshot 39-16.
Pashen Garrick had the only goal for the Wild on Nov 18, while Blight and Marisa Fraser had the goals for the Capitals, who had 37 shots on Moore while Capitals goalie Lacey Friesen made 27 saves.
The Wild have three wins and 11 losses in 14 games so far this season, placing them seventh in league standings, three points ahead of the last-place Interlake Lightning and two behind the Capitals, who have played only 10 games so far.
