Vanessa Rimbey could exhale.

“We didn’t actually have an overtime tonight, right?” said the first-year Lehighton field hockey coach with a laugh.

Rimbey has watched three of the Indians’ first five games go beyond regulation, with her squad coming out on top twice. The most recent contest against Liberty ended in a 2-2 draw.

But there was no such drama Thursday against District 4’s Bloomsburg, as Lehighton scored twice in each half en route to a 4-0 victory in the Lehigh Valley Health Network Game of the Week.

“I always tell them to jump out early. Like, we can score in the first half, let’s get a little cushion there, so we don’t have to go into overtime,” said Rimbey. “But we worked on a lot of shooting and rebounding the last two games. I feel like we were kind of lacking that a little bit with just positioning, and not really knowing the angles, and where our feet go. Today, I definitely saw more of that since it was 4-0.”

The Indians (4-1-1) broke through when Aleah Nothstein fired a penalty stroke past Panthers’ goalie Maddy Trivelpiece with 3:02 remaining in the first half. Adriana Hinkle scored on an assist from Mackenzie Hoats with 1:11 to play before intermission to make it 2-0.

“That 2-0 lead helped us a lot because it made us feel a little more relaxed,” said Nothstein, “but we knew we still had to keep up the intensity.”

Going into halftime with a two-goal lead was just the spark the team was looking for.

“We didn’t start out (strong) right off the bat, but after we got that first goal, I think that really just put up the intensity for us, and we came out there and just played our game,” said Olivia Frendt, the Lehigh Valley Health Network Player of the Game.

The momentum carried over into the second half. Allison Miller found the back of the cage with 12:04 to play, before Hoats finished the scoring with 9:25 remaining in the second half.

Lehighton held a 9-8 edge in shots on goal, and a 6-4 advantage in corners.

“I think they’re understanding hockey a lot more, and their roles and positions and where they play on the field as a unit,” said Rimbey. “They’re playing a lot more of a passing game, which is good. We don’t look toward one person and expect them to do a bunch. They’re really coming together as a unit, and they just get better and better each game.”

Rimbey pointed to Saturday’s tie against Liberty, a Class 3A team, as a game that showed her just how good the Indians can be.

“I think the most impressed I’ve been with them was our last game against Liberty,” said Rimbey, whose team has been in the District 11 Class 1A championship game each of the last two seasons. “They really came out and wanted to play. And I said, if they come out and play that game – their game – every game, they can compete with anybody in District 11, whether that be 3A, 1A. If they can play that game, and are that focused, they can beat anybody they want.”

Angelina Romito made three saves to preserve the shutout.

“We’re just honestly really excited for the rest of the season, and to see how far we can go this year,” said Frendt.

CLOSE CALLS

… Lehighton opened the season with back-to-back 1-0 overtime victories, topping Northern Lehigh and Pleasant Valley to begin the year. The Indians rebounded from a 3-1 loss to Bangor with a 3-2 win over Northwestern.

HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE

… Playing as an independent, Lehighton’s schedule features teams from far and wide. In addition to several tough District 11 opponents, the Indians also face teams from Districts 2, 3, and 4. Their next game is Saturday against Northampton, another 3A team.

SAVES

… Trivelpiece stopped four shots for the Panthers (2-2).