Sun, Mar 18, 2018
09:00 AM @
Methuen
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Final |
| Woburn |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Methuen |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Methuen-Tewksbury edged by defending champs in title game at Garden
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BOSTON — With the clock ticking under a minute, Methuen-Tewksbury mustered one final rush up the ice, and fired one last shot that, for a moment, looked like it may slip past the goalie.
But the shot was stopped, and after a brief struggle for the puck, time ran out on the No. 4 Red Rangers, who fell to No. 2 Woburn 1-0 in the Division 1 girls state championship game at the TD Garden in front of an estimated crowd of 1,500.
“I thought the girls gave it their all, but it just didn’t happen today,” said Methuen-Tewksbury coach Sarah Oteri. “There were nerves, but by the third period we were pressuring and controlling the puck. We just didn’t have a goal in us. But I am so proud of the girls.”
It was the first state title game appearance in the six-year history of the Red Rangers (22-2-2). With the win, Woburn (24-0-2) claimed its second straight girls Division 1 crown.
“It was a good game,” said Methuen-Tewksbury star Kelly Golini. “It was 1-0 so obviously it was a really close game. It came down to the last seconds at the end when we pulled our goalie. I thought the goal would come, but we just didn’t get enough shots on net and that hurt us.”
Trying to win the first Massachusetts state hockey title — boys or girls — ever by a local team, the Red Rangers hit the ice for a 9 a.m. start. Woburn carried the momentum early, but thanks to a few key stops by Methuen-Tewksbury star goalie Kaia Hollingsworth (20 saves), it was 0-0 at the end of one.
“We started slow,” said Oteri. “Kaia as always made some great saves. She is so solid. She gives us so much momentum. She was great to have back there.”
Woburn was able to break though with 8:26 to play in the second on a goal by Kaitlyn Delaney to take a 1-0 lead.
Sparked by another huge check by Methuen’s Brenna Greene, Methuen-Tewksbury took the momentum.
But despite keeping the puck in the Woburn defensive zone, the Red Rangers could not find the equalizer.
“We were doing everything we could,” said Golini. “But we didn’t have enough shots on net. I didn’t get enough shots on net. We didn’t test her (Woburn goalie Amanda Essigmann) as much as we should have. They blocked a lot of our shots. I should have taken more shots. I tried to go for that last move, but it just wasn’t working tonight.”
The Rangers struggled to find clean lanes for shots on Essigmann, as Tanner defenders were hitting the ice to block shots, while disrupting others with their sticks.
It was just the second time they were shut out this year. The other was 2-0 by Andover on Dec. 30.
“Our girls were trying to make plays,” said Oteri.
“But Woburn did a great job of putting defenders in front to protect their goalie and they cleared the puck very well. We tried everything, and we made adjustments. But we just couldn’t find the goal.”
While the Red Rangers fell short of a state title, Oteri reminded her players of how much they accomplished this winter.
“We made it to the Garden and every player should hold their head high,” she said. “It takes so much to even make it here. Every girl should be proud they made it this far. They were just amazing.
“The girls rose to every challenge all season. We put the bar high, and they pushed it even higher. Our expectation is to make it to the Garden now, and hopefully we’ll be back next year.”
And while she was disappointed with the results, Golini, a St. Anselm recruit from Tewksbury, was proud of her team’s accomplishments.
“We did everything we set out to do besides one thing,” said Golini. “We said we were going to go to the Garden, and the only thing we didn’t do was win today. We accomplished everything else we set out to do this year.
“What a way to go out, playing your last high school game at the TD Garden. I am so proud of what this whole team accomplished this year.”
Game Statistics:
Goals: Kaitlyn Delaney
Assists: Cassidy Connolly, Marissa Gregory
Saves: M/T — Kaia Hollingsworth 20; W — Amanda Essigmann 18
