The score was tied at 2. The shot count almost even. Both teams had scored short-handed goals, and really, there was no separation between Blake and Breck for three periods in the Class 1A, Section 5 final.
That changed in overtime, when Blake’s Sara McClanahan got some space and took full advantage, scoring the winner in Blake’s 3-2 victory Thursday at Parade Ice Garden.
"I was in the moment," McClanahan said. "All season my coaches have been telling me a quick shot is a lot better than a slow shot, and I often times think about it too much. ... I just shot it quickly, not really thinking about it."
The hard-fought game started with a dull first period where both teams went scoreless and Blake held a 6-5 shots advantage.
The second period was another story entirely.
Anna Zumwinkle went to the penalty box early in the period, giving Blake what it seemed would be a crucial power play. But it was Breck sister Grace Zumwinkle who put the first goal on the board soon after, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the period.
The short-handed goal became a reoccurring theme when Blake’s Carly Bullock scored almost five minutes later to even the game despite her team having only four skaters on the ice.
Breck answered 16 seconds later when Cheyenne Harris scored a power play goal. Both Zumwinkles earned assists on the score.
But Blake tied the game with 3:23 left in the action-packed period, this time on an unassisted score from Grace Vojta, who sent the puck flying easily past Breck goalie Jenna Brenneman.
By the end of the period, the shot count was tied at 16. And it was more of the same in the third period, when the teams each had chances, but neither showed a clear advantage.
The shot total ended up tied at 27, but with McClanahan's score, Blake had the one that counted most.