KENT, Conn. — Chloe Obser and Lindsay Stepnowski each had five points as Loomis Chaffee cruised to an 8-1 win at Kent on Wednesday.
Obser finished with a hat trick and two assists, while Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) had two goals and three assists. Linemate Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.) added a goal and two assists. Adeline Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) made 19 saves for the Pelicans (9-1-1) in the win. Loomis has won three straight and is unbeaten in its last 10 after a season-opening loss to Nobles.
Chloe Pittinaro scored for Kent (5-4-1), who has lost three straight.
Obser opened the scoring midway through the first when she redirected a feed from Stepnowski off the rush. Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn) doubled the lead late in the first when her wrist shot pin-balled through traffic in front and tumbled in.
Stepnowski made it 3-0 on the power play less than a minute from the second before Pittinaro cut it to 3-1 five minutes into the period, burying a loose puck in front.
Bella Zolezzi answered for Loomis seconds after Pittinaro's goal, and Stepnowski extended the lead to 5-1 moments later.
Obser's second of the game made it 6-1 with seven minutes left in the second, and she completed the hat trick on a breakaway in the third for the 8-1 final.
Let's dive into eight standouts before getting into four takeaways from the game.
Lindsay Stepnowski
Loomis Chaffee, 1/28/08, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: South Glastonbury, Conn.
NCAA: Harvard
Stepnowski was one of the best players on the ice, evidenced by her five-point outing. She drove play and created chances on every shift. Her line with Obser and Lachance overwhelmed Kent, creating turnovers and capitalizing in transition. Stepnowski showcased great vision and passing throughout the game, starting with her feed to Obser for the opening goal. She fought through stick traffic entering the zone, took the space she had out high and slipped a feed in a perfect spot for Obser to extend her stick and redirect it. Stepnowski forced a turnover high in the defensive zone for a break the other way with Lachance, feeding her for the 7-1 goal, and she found Obser with a stretch pass for the late breakaway.
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Chloe Obser
Loomis Chaffee, 10/28/06, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Manhasset, NY
NCAA: RPI
Obser dominated. She had a terrific effort on her first goal, winning a 1-on-1 battle away from the puck to get her stick free and redirect Stepnowski's feed. She was consistently in the right spots away from the puck, leading to good things once it found her. It was on display on her second goal when Stepnowski's shot from distance went wide, but the rebound popped right to Obser at the left post, where she buried it. Obser also made it look easy with a nice high-glove finish on her breakaway for the hat trick.
Ellie Lachance
Loomis Chaffee, Class of 2026, F, right shot
Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.
Lachance was opportunistic all game, and she capitalized. She did a great job of pressuring puck carriers and creating chaos for Kent. She set up Stepnowski's second of the game when she easily intercepted a pass from Penelope Davies at the blue line, going off to the races and feeding Stepnowski for an easy goal. Lachance extended it to 7-1 in the second when Stepnowski returned the favor on a similar rush off a turnover. In the third, Lachance and Schwarz created a couple good looks shorthanded. Lachance pounced on a loose puck and led a good rush up ice, feeding Schwarz for a chance in tight that wouldn't go.
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Megan Duplantie
Loomis Chaffee, 4/28/05, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Laval, QC
Duplantie didn't find the scoresheet against her former team, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of opportunities. A good power forward, she carried the puck with confidence and used her size and strength to her advantage in transition and in the offensive zone. She hardly got knocked off the puck. Duplantie had two excellent chances that showcased her hands. She walked a defender off the rush in the second period, dangling to the slot and trying to go forehand-backhand. In the third, she drove into the slot after dancing around a defender in the corner, but her backhander wouldn't go.
Hattie Willard
Loomis Chaffee, Class of 2026, D, right shot
Hometown: Mill Neck, NY
Willard was strong defensively for Loomis. She was good in battles and on regroups, kept things simple and made quick decisions. The junior was excellent on a couple of penalty kills, too. She was great in a 1-on-1 with Pittinaro in transition late in the second, easily stifling her rush and forcing her outside. Willard had another similar sequence on Renee Bishop in the third, reading her perfectly as she tried to change directions and drive middle. Willard poked the puck away and muscled Bishop outside as she tried to split the defense.
Renee Bishop
Kent, 5/25/07, F, right shot
Hometown: Baie-d'Urfé, QC
NCAA: Cornell
Bishop was Kent's best play-driver, setting up multiple Grade-A looks. She scanned the ice and read the play well. With the puck, she had good hands, her head was always up and the game slowed down at times. She had a couple of good chances in the first, but her best play came in the second when she nearly set up Kent's first goal. Bishop and Olivia Machan created a turnover behind the net with great forechecking pressure. Bishop curled into the corner and made a fantastic pass to Louise Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) driving into the slot, but Adeline Roper robbed her with the save of the game. She got another good look in the third, curling to the front of the net from below the goal line, but it wouldn't go.
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Adeline Roper
Loomis Chaffee, 03/2008, G, catches left, 5-6
Hometown: Kennebunkport, Maine
Loomis didn't need a standout performance from Roper, and she didn't face a heavy shot volume. But the junior still made some high-quality saves and did a solid job steering rebounds into the corners. She made a couple of good stops in the first that prevented Kent from taking back some momentum, including one on a hard wrist shot through traffic before smothering the rebound with several sticks jamming away at it. Her best save of the night came against her sister in the second period. She made a huge push to her left to stone her backdoor chance from Bishop. Later in the second, Roper made a nice glove save on Machan off the rush on a shot that changed directions off a skate. In the third, she made a strong blocker save on Pittinaro in a 2-on-1. Roper got out to the top of the crease and gave her nothing for an angle.
Ainsley Moffitt
Kent, 2008, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Brentwood, Tenn.
Moffitt was good carrying the puck through neutral ice for the Lions. She had a nice look in transition in the third, curling through the neutral zone on a regroup before driving into the offensive zone. She got the defense to back off with a nice stutter step as she cut to the slot before shooting back toward the blocker side. It nearly beat Roper.
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Leftover thoughts...
- As high-flying as Loomis' top line and forwards were, the defensive core was one of the biggest difference-makers. Whether it was the big three of Catie Collins (South Burlington, Vt.), Carly Dann (Hanover, NH) and Megan Hosman, or others like Willard and Alexine Beaulieu (Hudson, NH), the Pelicans' blue-liners were strong from start to finish. They helped push the pace with their legs, quick breakout passes, stretch passes and not backing too far into the neutral zone on regroups. They were constantly driving transition and offense without playing recklessly either. Hosman prevented two breakaways with good positioning and a quick stick in the neutral zone. Collins' smooth skating and terrific edgework helped her handle pressure and create plays out of nothing.
- The Pelicans played with an edge and had a good brand of physicality all game, too. They're a big, strong team that knows how to use its size to win battles and force turnovers. It's a style that will go a long way down the stretch and in the playoffs. Nobles had that edge last season (and still does), and Williston has a similar blend of skill, size and strength right now, too.
- Zolezzi's goal was a very odd chain of events. After Kent cut it to 3-1, she went the other way off the rush and fired a quick shot. From my vantage point, it didn't appear to go in. A few seconds after the play continued, the referee blew the play dead and ruled it a goal. After a long conference between the officials and the coaches, the call stood. That was a major blow to Kent, who went down 4-1, about 15 seconds after getting on the board.
- Kent probably deserved better than the 8-1 final, especially after some of their strong offensive pushes in the second and the third. The Lions had chances to get back in it before things got out of hand, and they were starting to find a groove offensively before Zolezzi's goal, thanks to Bishop's line, Moffitt and Pittinaro, among others. But whether it was frustration after the Zolezzi goal, unforced errors, trying to do too much, etc., things snowballed. By the time they had those next good pockets of pressure, the score was already inflated.
