St. Paul United Finishes Season With Fighting Spirit

The numbers didn’t matter to St. Paul United until the final buzzer.

Delaney Middlebrook scored, but it wasn’t enough in Tuesday’s 3-1 section 4A semifinal loss to Totino-Grace.  

With four regulars out of its lineup due to injury or suspension, the remaining girls of the joint team between Convent of the Visitation School and St. Paul Academy couldn’t prevent the season from ending at St. Thomas Arena, Feb. 15. It is the third straight season that St. Paul United was eliminated in the section semifinals.

“This one is tough,” said coach Ted Cheesebrough, fighting back his emotions. “We were a skeleton crew and I’m so proud of the way our girls competed. It was going to be an uphill battle against a quick, physical team like Totino. We knew we had to fight this battle without the entire Army, but I have no regrets. They gave it everything they had.”

It seemed as though players like Middlebrook, Alev Baysoy, Claire Herzog, Nina Perkkio, Jessie Wyatt, Sarah Leach, Kathleen LeFevour and Maggie Blaisdell never left the ice.

Down by two goals midway through the third period, Baysoy clanged a shot off the pipe after cleanly beating Totino-Grace goaltender Brittany Fussy, who finished with 30 saves. It was almost a last gasp effort for United, who couldn’t keep momentum against the fresher Eagles.

“It just wasn’t our night,” Cheesebrough said.

The Eagles (12-13-1) scored just 1 minute 37 seconds into the game when Erika Berndt stole a puck and stuffed it into the St. Paul United net. The deficit could have been worse, but Cory Russell made a pair of glove saves during a penalty kill. The sophomore finished with 36 saves.

Middlebrook evened the game with a picturesque goal at 13:23.

The senior picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, carried it into the Totino-Grace end and beat Fussy with a high wrist shot from the left circle that was just inside where the post and crossbar meet.

“She’ll go play at Niagara University,” Cheesebrough said. “When the dust settles on our season you’re looking at someone who had a six-year career for us. That goal she scored tonight was as good as any she’s ever scored. I love her resolve.”

Totino-Grace got a goal from Caroline Ponessa with just 6.5 seconds left in the opening period, and Jill Mertz converted a turnover into a goal just 35 seconds in to the second period for a 3-1 lead.

St. Paul United had plenty of opportunities with an extra player, but went 0 for 7 on the power play.

“We had possessions and had good chances, but that’s where our lack of depth hurt us,” Cheesebrough said. “We were at 29 percent coming into tonight, so when we’re scoring on three out of 10 we like our chances. We know we’re going to get a power-play goal on average, but our lack of depth left our kids so gassed playing 5-on-5 that when we had our chances we couldn’t convert.”

Cheesebrough said the four senior captains — Middlebrook, Wyatt, LeFevour and Ashley Bruber — deserve all kinds of credit for their leadership.

“They led us all season long, and especially tonight,” he said. “They’re the ones I hurt for the most.”

St. Paul United finishes its season at 9-14-3, and although the team loses four top spiritual and on-ice players, Cheesebrough is optimistic about the 2011-12 campaign. “We’ll be back better than ever with our returning kids next year. … We anticipate being right back in this spot playing for a spot in the section final.”

Boysey, who finished the year with a team-leading 17 goals and 19 assists, is just a freshman.

“She already is a game-changer, and to think, her best years are still ahead of her,” Cheesebrough said.

Other top returning players should include: Blaisdell, a junior forward who finished with nine goals and 19 assists; Claire Herzog, another junior forward who finished with 11 goals and 12 assists, and defender Alli Prokop, who finished with four goals and 17 assists.