Exciting Start to a Promising Season/Varsity Girls Ice Hockey Opens Up With a Win at The Gunnery

The Varsity Girls Ice Hockey team is a close knit group of 12 very dedicated young athletes. Under the leadership of Head Coach Zoe Schwam they will play their inaugural season in the Womens Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid Atlantic ( WIHLMA) . This is a great opportunity for Portledge Hockey and the girls are quite enthusiastic about their prospects.

Who Are the Leaders of the Varsity Girls Team?

The VGIH team is led by a trio of veterans who have all been with the program since its first game four years ago. Senior rear guard and co captain Kelly Alefeld and Senior goalie Jess Sarrantonio take charge of the Lady Panthers defensive zone with a combination of great skill and quality leadership, while Junior forward and co captain Siena Falino continues to illustrate why she is so respected in the world of Portledge athletics by maintaining a presence of thorough determination and regal eloquence. These three exceptional young ladies set an incredible example for the younger players by consistently working hard and never losing sight of their commitment to the development of girls ice hockey at Portledge.

Who Are Some of the Other Forwards on the Team?


Senior Liz Lanza returns to the ice after missing last year with an injury and is having a blast playing again. She often teams with Freshmen Alyssa Parke and Ashley Wade to form a line that creates a great deal of offensive pressure. Sophomore Addie Reilly has tremendous potential as a goal scorer and can usually be found riding shotgun on Falino's wing, always fighting hard to control loose pucks. Freshmen Maria Robbins is a consistent skater who loves to play the game, and Freshman Hope Mulry is also working hard in practice and coming along quite nicely as an all around player.

How Many Defenders Does the Team Have?

Only two other girls, Sophomores Chelsea Caracciolo and Emily Prey combine with Alefeld to form the teams blue line corps. They will each get a lot of ice time and have the opportunity to be an excellent and mobile defense. While they are all great skaters, the most impressive thing so far has been their impeccable positioning during fast paced play. It seems that they are never caught up and are always giving Goaltender Jess Sarrantonio lots of protection.

What Happened in the Lady Panthers First Game at the Gunnery?

Gunnery and Portledge have played three times in girls ice hockey with the Gunnery winning all three contests. As the teams took the ice this past Wednesday night it first appeared as if the Gunners would easily make it four straight over the Lady Panthers. Someone, however, forgot to tell Siena Falino and the rest of the Portledge players about this plan. From the drop of the puck it was a hard fought and physical contest as the referees gave the girls plenty of room to play a determined game. Both sides had good scoring chances during the first period, but neither team was able to put one by the opposing goalie and the period ended in a 0-0 tie. The Gunnery girls came out strong in the second stanza and consistently applied forechecking pressure in the Portledge zone. Finally, after a long shift with many attempts on the Portledge cage, Gunnery took the lead when their first line center sent a beautiful backhand shot past Sarrantonio and into the lower right corner of the net. The Lady Panthers steadied themselves though, and created some good chances of their own in the periods closing minutes. Even though they trailed 1-0 the Portledge girls were feeling comfortable and skating well as they took the ice for the third and final period. At the seven minute mark Falino got loose in front of the gunnery net and slid one by the keeper to tie the score at 1. As the period went on the Gunnery girls tired a bit, while the Lady Panthers were able to maintain their overall speed and pace. When the horn sounded to signal the end of regulation it was Portledge that was carrying the play. The overtime was a wild affair with the teams rushing the puck from end to end and almost no whistles to stop the rapid play. When Freshmen Alyssa Parke and a Gunnery player were sent off with coincidental minors for holding with a minute left I think it was an advantage for Portledge in that it created more open ice for Falino to work some of her magic. As the time ticked away and the clock showed 0.12 seconds to play Freshman Ashley Wade gathered a loose puck in the Portledge zone along the left boards. When she looked up she saw Falino streaking across the ice and sent the puck along in her path. The pass was perfect. It caught Falino in full stride and enabled her to get her head up at just the right time to elude one of the Gunnery defenders. Then she turned on the jets and raced towards the Gunnery zone. They couldn't catch her as all of a sudden, with less than 0.05 seconds remaining, Falino was in all alone . A slick move to the backhand and a calm finish put Portledge ahead right as the final horn sounded. THE BENCH EXPLODED IN JOY as the referee signaled goal and the girls realized that all their hard work had paid off in a very improbable victory. The 2-1 win with no time left will fade into Portledge hockey history, but it will never be forgotten by anyone who was there to witness it, or by the lucky girls who played in this amazing game.

Come see the Lady Panther skaters when they take on their league rivals Morristown-Beard this coming Monday, 12/3 down at Beaver Dam @5:30pm. You won't be disappointed, and you might even catch another miracle.