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Luzerne County ends one tax break, considers another

KINGSTON &#8212; Carrying heartbreak in the back of their minds, the Hazleton Area Cougars entered a new year with pretty promising hopes.They just got even brighter.Ann Amentler scored Hazleton Area&#8217;s first goal and assisted on the team&#8217;s final tally Tuesday as the Cougars opened the 2015 field hockey season by avenging last year&#8217;s bitter playoff ending with a 3-2 victory over defending District 2 champion Wyoming Valley West at Spartan Stadium.&#8220;We&#8217;ve really been looking forward to this game,&#8221; said Hazleton Area coach Mary Kelly, whose 2014 club suffered an agonizing, season-ending 2-1 defeat to Valley West one round before the District 2 Class 3A finals. &#8220;Last year, we lost in overtime in the semifinals.&#8220;We were very excited for this game.&#8221;Amentler only added to the enthusiasm, ripping the game&#8217;s first goal into the net less than 10 minutes into the year.&#8220;We came out really fighting,&#8221; Amentler, a junior, said. &#8220;But with that goal, the momentum was in our favor.&#8220;We really gelled as a team.&#8221;Some nifty teamwork gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead later in the first half when Kara Sanford fed Megan Reed through a sea of bodies in front of the net for another goal.And just under six minutes into the second half, Sanford scored herself off a pass from Amentler as the Cougars appeared to break the game open with a 3-0 advantage.&#8220;Kara Sanford was just a big presence on the field,&#8221; Kelly said. &#8220;We move her around. She dominates.&#8221;It all led to nearly 50 minutes of domination for the Cougars.&#8220;I felt my game was pretty strong,&#8221; Amentler said. &#8220;Kara&#8217;s such a strong player. She&#8217;s so easy to find on the field. And whenever I find her, something good can happen.&#8221;But if the Cougars thought their rollicking start seemed too good to be true, it almost was.A Valley West lineup ravaged by last year&#8217;s graduation got going a little bit late in the game, as freshman Karaline Stelma scored twice in the final 12 minutes to spark a spirited Spartans rally.Her first score was unassisted, and her second came off a pass from super sophomore Madison Woods &#8212; who expertly moved the ball up and down the field with sharp stick skills throughout the game.&#8220;Once you score, that always gives you a little momentum boost,&#8221; Valley West coach Linda Fithian said.The victory boosted Hazleton Area&#8217;s hopes of making a strong run at the Division I title after finishing third last season.&#8220;I would say yeah. I think we have a really good shot,&#8221; Amentler said.That&#8217;s because a solid Hazleton Area defense frustrated the Spartans through most of the game, and Cougars junior goalie Margaret Fulton made 10 stops in net.&#8220;Give Hazleton a lot of credit,&#8221; Fithian said. &#8220;They have a beautiful team. Their goalie&#8217;s great.&#8221;There was one cause for concern, though. Down the stretch the Cougars nearly watched a game&#8217;s worth of hard work nearly get away.&#8220;I think they got tired in the heat,&#8221; Kelly said, &#8220;but we can&#8217;t use that as an excuse. Valley West had to play in the heat, too. We&#8217;ve been working on that a lot, to keep playing no matter what the score.&#8221;In the end, though, Hazleton Area&#8217;s defense never let the Spartans get particularly close to actually tying the score, fending off several plays around the Cougars&#8217; net in the final minutes without allowing a strong shot.&#8220;We knew we had to come out and really fight for it,&#8221; Amentler said. &#8220;It feels amazing to see our preseason and all the work we put in come together.&#8221;Honesdale 3, Wallenpaupack 1Penn State-bound junior Clayre Smith scored two unassisted goals in the second half, lifting the Hornets to a season-opening victory over Wallenpaupack.Nicole Longman scored off and assist from BrieAnn Mayers midway through the first half to give Honesdale the game&#8217;s first goal, but Wallenpaupack&#8217; tied it at 1-1 when Nicole Pesce scored just 4:20 into the second half.Mackenzie Jackson made four saves to ensure victory for Honesdale, while Katie Irving made six stops for Wallenpaupack.Hazleton Area 3, Wyoming Valley West 2Hazleton Area`2`1`&#8212;`3Wyoming Valley West`0`2`&#8212;`2First half &#8212; 1. HAZ, Ann Amentler (Celia Sokolofski), 9:26; 2. HAZ, Megan Reed (Kara Sanford), 25:39. Second half &#8212; 3. HAZ, Sanford (Amentler), 5:09; 4. WVW, Karaline Stelma, 18:47; 5. WVW, Stelma (Madison Woods), 26:26..Shots &#8212; HAZ 21; WVW 12. Saves &#8212; HAZ 10 (Margaret Fulton); WVW 13 (Nikki Hartzel). Penalty corners &#8212; HAZ 12; WVW 5.Honesdale 3, Wallenpaupack 1Honesdale`1`2`&#8212;`3Wallenpaupack`0`1`&#8212;`1First half &#8212; 1. HON, Nicole Longman (BrieAnn Mayers), 9:59. Second half &#8212; 2. WAL, Nicole Pesce, 4:20; 3. HON, Clayre Smith, 18:03; 4. HON, Smith, 12:00.Shots &#8212; HON 9; WAL 5. Saves &#8212; HON 4 (Mackenzie Jackson); WAL 6 (Katie Irving. Penalty corners &#8212; HON 3; WAL 9.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area&#8217;s Megan Reed, right, and Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Mercedes Jasterzenski duel for control of the ball in Tuesday&#8217;s high school field hockey season opening game at Spartan Stadium in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_hazwvwfieldhockey01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Megan Reed, right, and Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Mercedes Jasterzenski duel for control of the ball in Tuesday&#8217;s high school field hockey season opening game at Spartan Stadium in Kingston. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_hazwvwfieldhockey02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wyoming Valley West goalkeeper Nikki Hartzel knocks the ball away from a charging Megan Reed (29) of Hazleton Area in Tuesday&#8217;s high school field hockey opener at Spartan Stadium in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_hazwvwfieldhockey02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wyoming Valley West goalkeeper Nikki Hartzel knocks the ball away from a charging Megan Reed (29) of Hazleton Area in Tuesday&#8217;s high school field hockey opener at Spartan Stadium in Kingston. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Paul Sokoloskipsokoloski@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</shirttailMeta></div>

Amentler, Hazleton Area field hockey open with statement win