RJ Craig
The Lady Ice Dawgs hosted the Georgia Southern Ice Eagles in a rematch at the brand-new Akins Ford Arena early Sunday afternoon.
Before the game, however, the Dawgs celebrated their seniors who are set to graduate this May.
The seniors walked onto the ice with their families, and their families greeted them with hugs and flowers.
Here’s what the seniors had to say about their special night:
“Senior Night was such an incredible experience to have…When I joined the team three years ago, I didn't know just how fast this program would grow, or how close I'd become with my teammates. Seeing the effort they put in to surprise us with prints, flowers, and decorations made me feel so valued and loved as a teammate and a friend,” Bailey Lesko stated.
“Senior Night means honoring those who have given their time to this program, even in the midst of the stress of senior year of college, job hunting, and whatever else they have going on. All of the seniors this year were founding members of the team so it was extra special for us to see how much this program had grown,” Ashlyn Carroll remarked.
“Senior Night meant so much to me. I’ve been here since the start of the program, and this year’s senior class will be the last of the original team to graduate. It’s been amazing to see how much the program has grown in such a short amount of time,” Hailey Hultberg said.
It was certainly a special night for the seniors who, as all of them said, were founding members of the program and are now about to graduate. Many smiles and laughs were had as the seniors took in the cheers and applause from the crowd.
“When we walked onto the ice for warm-ups, my family [was] waiting for me on the far side of the arena. Just above them were some friends that had come to surprise me, and I felt like my heart was going to burst because I was so happy and I felt so loved,” Lesko added.
With everyone still elated from the pre-game ceremony, the puck dropped, and the rematch against the Ice Eagles was underway, with the Dawgs striking first.
It was none other than sophomore forward Paige Oukes who lit the lamp at the 9:21 mark to give the Dawgs an early 1-0 lead.
Then, both teams traded blows in a tightly contested second period.
Oukes found the back of the net again about halfway into the period, countered shortly by the Ice Eagles’ Genevieve Crouch on an unassisted goal.
Entering the third period with only a one-goal lead, the Dawgs looked to extend their lead and put away the Ice Eagles for good.
“Georgia Southern was starting to get tired due to their short bench. It was important to keep putting in the extra effort, ensuring we were first to the puck and maintained majority control,” Hultberg said.
And they did just that. Georgia maintained possession of the puck for the majority of the period, as Verheyden potted a goal four minutes into the period followed immediately by Oukes’ third goal of the game.
Sophomore forward Dana Stott scored at the eight-minute mark, and Oukes tacked on one more to shut the door on the Ice Eagles, 6-1.
Oukes led the team in scoring with four goals, her sixth hat-trick of the season, followed by Verheyden and Pumpelly with two points each.
Oukes has avoided the infamous sophomore slump, continuing her dominance from her freshman campaign into this season. Her offensive prowess is unmatched, leading all of CHS Women’s in goals and points.
“Paige is such a joy to have as a friend and a teammate. Not only is she an incredible player, but she's equally as amazing as a captain and a teacher,” Lesko said.
“Not only is she extremely talented, but she also shares her knowledge with others on the team and consistently goes the extra mile to help newer players…when I pass [her] the puck, she’ll find a way to get the job done and put it in the net,” Hultberg said.
The Dawgs will return to the ice on Friday, January 24th, for a 10:30 pm ET puck drop to take on the University of Tennessee Lady Ice Vols.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Paige Oukes recorded her fifth hat trick of the season. The earlier version also incorrectly stated that Sunny Yang scored a goal in the third period instead of Dana Stott. These errors have been corrected.