PEABODY – With solely three Div. 1 ladies hockey applications permitting fewer targets per sport than Peabody/Lynnf./NR and Methuen/Tewksbury this yr, it was no overreaction to have excessive defensive expectations for when their Div. 1 state match second-round matchup arrived on Saturday night time.
Surrounded by a big crowd at McVann Rink, they actually didn’t disappoint.
Sophomore Alyse Mutti posted her tenth shutout of the yr and the protection in entrance of her made sound choices all through, serving to the eighth-seeded Tanners (18-4) clean the No. 9 Red Rangers, 3-0. Three completely different gamers scored for PLNR, which led a lot of the sport regardless of Methuen/Tewksbury (13-6-3) solely permitting 15 photographs on internet till an empty-net objective got here within the closing two minutes.
Special groups starred, too, killing three penalties over the ultimate 17 minutes shortly after scoring a objective on an influence play. Mutti (21 saves) took care of the remainder reverse an in any other case strong efficiency from Red Rangers senior Taylor Bruno (16 saves), main PLNR to its second state quarterfinal look inside head coach Michelle Roach’s eight-year tenure.
The solely different yr the Tanners made it this far got here in 2019, after they misplaced to eventual champion Methuen/Tewksbury.
“It feels so good to say (see you tomorrow),” Roach stated. “This program has come so far. … I think this was one of the strongest efforts we’ve had all season. We played three strong periods and I think an effort like this, if we can continue this, I think good things are going to happen.”
Knowing the offensive wrestle to come back towards the scrappy Red Rangers, Roach emphasised merely getting photographs on internet as early and infrequently as attainable. The Tanners solely registered three photographs on internet within the first interval, however Jenna DiNapoli’s objective off a rebound lower than 4 minutes into the sport was all they wanted offensively to win.
Mutti performed a big position in that, tasked with a bevy of inauspicious saves as Methuen/Tewksbury maintained strain on the assault in lengthy stretches all through the primary and third durations. Chloe Gromko, Leah Buckley and Penny Spack stood out in entrance of her inside a deep defensive efficiency, clearing harmful rebounds and free pucks within the center.
“To be a good team, you have to play a strong defensive game,” Roach stated. “That’s Alyse Mutti’s 10th shutout of the season, I think that is so impressive. Our D is the backbone of our team, you start there and we can work our way out. … One of the things I was most impressed of with my team was just how they worked together, how they backed each other up. We had layers going, and if you got by one white shirt we had another white shirt right there.”
The Methuen/Tewksbury forecheck prevented a lot from getting previous the impartial zone over lengthy stretches, and an aggressive method defensively restricted area for PLNR to manage possession within the offensive third – particularly within the first interval.
Once the Tanners drew a hooking penalty early within the second, although, they gained some momentum to pepper Bruno with 4 high quality photographs on internet in an influence play. A second benefit within the waning minutes of the identical body picked up that momentum immediately, and Angela Fabbo fired a missile from left circle that belted the within of the far submit for a 2-0 lead.
Penalty kill was known as upon 3 times during the last 17 minutes of motion, and Methuen/Tewksbury confirmed its offensive starvation with eight mixed photographs on internet in these energy performs. Mutti and the protection cleared the whole lot, although, and Catie Kampersal’s empty-net objective sealed the win.
Source: www.bostonherald.com