Bellevue drops heartbreaker to Newport in 3OT

On Monday afternoon, the Wolverines continued their streak of nail-biter finishes against cross-town rival Newport. The first game between the two schools ended in a 3-2 Bellevue win. The second game ended in a 4-3 Newport win. Unfortunately, the third and final game ended with the Knights escaping Woodridge Pool with a 6-5 victory in sudden death overtime.

With senior co-captain Sierra Anderson nearly fully recovered from a foot injury suffered last week, the Wolverines showed why its defense is considered one of the best in the North League, blanking the Knights for the entire first half. Meanwhile, sophomore Nina Stash scored on a man-up and freshman Morgan Baker converted an outside shot to put Bellevue up 2-0 at half.

In the third quarter, Baker scored again to put Bellevue up 3-0. Newport responded with three straight goals to end the period tied at 3-3. But with the Wolverines shooting deep in the fourth quarter, there was reason for optimism on the Wolverine sideline. And early in the fourth, senior co-captain Sophie Pasewark delivered, scoring her first goal of the season to put the Wolverines up 4-3. When junior co-captain Julie Mao scored with less than 2 minutes remaining, it appeared that Bellevue was destined for its second league win over Newport. But the Knights had other ideas, scoring with 1:33 and 0:32 remaining in the game to tie the score. Maggie Ugelstad earned an ejection with 0:08 to play, but the Wolverines were unable to score, sending the game into overtime.

In the first two overtime periods, both teams stepped up their defensive intensity and shots were few and far between. Sudden death began favorably, as the Wolverines won the sprint and set-up their offense. But Newport sophomore Annaliese Nahlin stole the ball, swam the length of the pool and buried the game-winner to end the game.

Bellevue (5-11) returns to action on Friday against Roosevelt.