RallyNorth.net

Sun, Mar 02, 2008 03:45 PM @ Neutral Location

Team	1	2	3	OT	Final
Playoff Game Division 1 - Quarterfinals
Woburn	1	1	0	1	3
Andover	1	0	1	0	2

Andover girls falls short in shootout

Monday, March, 03 By Peter A. Martin
Staff writer

WATERTOWN | For the second day in a row, a shootout doomed Andover hockey.

The Golden Warriors allowed the tying goal with less than a minute to go in regulation, and like the Andover boys a day earlier came up short in the shootout and fell to Woburn 3-2 in the Division 1 quarterfinals.

"It was exactly what you were looking for in a game as a fan," said Andover coach Bill McCarthy. "The game ends tied, the (first) shootout ends tied. It was a great finish, it was just too bad we weren't on the (losing) end."

The Golden Warriors opened the scoring just three minutes in, when Sarah Oteri received a pass from Katie Shields and slid it underneath a sprawling Rebecca Papa. The goal her 14th of the year.

However Woburn struck back quickly, scoring less than a minute later. Katie Davis, a junior defenseman, scored off and assist from Colleen Martel.

Andover struggled through the rest of the first and most of the second period under pressure from the Bulls' attack. But Megan Pettoruto was up to the challenge and held the line for her team, stopping 28 shots in the game.

Relief finally came for the Warriors when Heather Paonessa found a streaking Nicole Giroux in the neutral zone. Giroux deked one Woburn defenseman and took the puck in one-on-one with the goaltender. She moved the puck to her forehand and ripped a shot that found the top corner of the net giving Andover the lead.

Despite taking three third-period penalties, it looked as though the Warriors were in position to hang on for the win. But Woburn's Lindsey Downie had other plans.

With less than a minute to go in the game Woburn pulled it goaltender in favor of a sixth attacker and began to work the puck around its offensive zone looking for an opening.

The puck eventually went out to the point where Downie was waiting. The Bulls' leading scorer wound up and ripped a slap shot that found the top corner of the net with 49.2 seconds left in the game, tying the score 2-2.

Neither team was able to gain an advantage for the remainder of regulation or during the eight-minute overtime period, leading to a shootout.

At the end of the five-skater shootout, each team had scored three goals, leading to sudden death shootout.

Andover shot first, but was denied, giving Woburn's Alaina Schiano an opportunity to end the game.

Schiano, a freshman defenseman who had not scored all year, faked to her forehand, flipped the puck to her backhand and jamming it in the corner of the net, just under the arm of the flailing goaltender for the win.

Despite the loss, McCarthy remained upbeat.

"The girls worked hard and were very good as a group," said McCarthy. "We have basically the same nucleus coming back next year, so we hope we can push deeper in the tournament."