Hornets ‘sticks’ ace semi-final

By TED WADDELL
Posted 11/11/20

HONESDALE, PA — It was a “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” kind of afternoon.

At first glance, the grassy field of play still had lingering traces of ghostly snow from a couple of …

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Hornets ‘sticks’ ace semi-final

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HONESDALE, PA — It was a “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” kind of afternoon.

At first glance, the grassy field of play still had lingering traces of ghostly snow from a couple of days past, but in fact, the field was covered with a fine frosting of white seagull feathers, shimmering in the late-day light.

In a sense, the game of field hockey was suggestive of the fable by Richard Bach, illustrated by Russell Munson, that tells the tale of an individualistic seagull searching for the meaning of life, self-perfection and courage.

On Saturday, October 31, the home team Honesdale Hornets and the visiting Wolfpack of Wilkes Barre Area High School met at a semi-final match to decide who would advance to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) 2020 District II AAA Field Hockey Championship to be held at Harman Geist Stadium in Hazelton, PA.

With a 2-0 win over the Wolfpack, the Hornets were scheduled to take on the Cougars of Hazleton Area High School on November 4.

Honesdale’s Sarah Meyer posted her team’s first goal at 3:21 in the second frame, and at 12:05 in the final period, Leah Krol iced the cake for the Hornets.

Colleen Wood is in her 29th year at the helm of Wilkes Barre girls field hockey (1-10).

“We lost a lot of kids from last year, but we got better each game,” she said.

The Wolfpack captains this season are Hannah Chocallo, Laia Stets and Candaladia Washinski.

Rebecca Maciejewski, coach of the Hornets field hockey squad, is in her 18th season.

Asked about her team this year, she replied, “They’ve been a joy since day one. As a team, I think we’re starting to peak at the right time. It’s a total team effort, all the pieces we worked on in practice are coming together on the field.”

Honesdale’s captains this year are Katy Corcoran, Sarah Meyer and Grace Maxson.

And onto the title match...

In the November 4 District 2 Class AAA title match against the top-seeded Lady Cougars, the second-ranked Lady Hornets rallied from a 1-0 deficit at end of the half, forcing the game into overtime. They scored twice, evening out their opposition’s score in the second frame to tie it up 2-2 at the close of regulation play.

While dominating the opening period, Hazleton grabbed the first goal of the game at the 4:40 mark off a shot by Haylee Petroski. With 1:30 left in the third frame, Honesdale’s Rozalyn Mikulak tied it up 1-1 off an assist from Rozlyn Maciejewski.

Senior captain of the Cougars Gabby Cavenas put her squad back in the driver’s seat midway through the final period of regulation play. Honesdale’s Clair Campton tied the score with 2:30 remaining, forcing the match into an extra inning.

With less than five minutes left in overtime, the Hornets’ Mikulak reeled in a pass from fellow freshman Maciejewski and fired the game-winning slap shot into the net, giving Honesdale (5-6-2) a 3-2 victory over the silver medalists Lady Cougars (10-6).

The Lady Hornets picked up their first district championship in the history of their program after making their third appearance in the final act, having reached this slot in 2012 and 2017.

By snatching the brass ring, the Hornets are scheduled to compete in the first round of the 2020 PIAA 3A Field Hockey Championship on Tuesday, November 10. The championship then wraps up with the finals scheduled for Saturday, November 21 at the Zephyr Sports Complex stadium in Whitehall, PA.

Honesdale, Cougars, semi finals

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