KINGSTON – Coming off back-to-back 2-1 losses, Duxbury was not looking for that kind of hat trick.
The Dragons dominated tape-to-tape, end-to-end and tossed in managed puck possession all through the primary interval for a 2-0 shutout over top-ranked Division 1 foe Notre Dame Academy of Hingham in a nonleague ladies hockey deal with at The Bog.
Duxbury, the defending Division 2 state champions, improved to 16-3 as Megan Carney scored unassisted within the first for the eventual game-winning tally.
“This was an important game for us. Coming off two losses, two close games that could have gone either way, didn’t go our way, but it’s kind of a situation late in the season where the team could have hung their head,” mentioned Duxbury head coach Dan Najarian. “They rallied and we had two good days of practice because of the snow day, and I think they showed up. They wanted to win this one.”
Carney went in untouched via the slot proper to left and turned the puck over to the backhand to seek out some mild via the five-hole for a 1-0 lead at 12:06 of the primary.
After an 0-for-3 begin on the person benefit in a chippy sport all through, the Dragons pulled off the facility play tally with 25 seconds left within the Cougars’ penalty at 11:16 of the second.
Reece Porter, Najarian’s third-line middle, doubled up the lead as Porter popped residence a juicy rebound off the blast from Alannah Gallagher from simply outdoors the left faceoff circle.
Porter appeared to pound the pads of Cougars’ goalie Ava Larkin to power the puck into the again of the online and the scrum sparked some pushing and shoving out in entrance of the online.
But the Cougars (10-4-3) simply couldn’t muster a lot on internet early on and fell right into a black gap late within the third. The last seven minutes of play noticed zero pictures on internet for a Cougars group that was improbable on protection on their very own however simply couldn’t work out the Duxbury blue line.
“We were talking with the girls that they tend to come out slow sometimes and it’s not anything against them, but it’s more the team that is playing them. They want to beat them,” mentioned interim head coach Martha Findlay, who stuffed in for her father, head coach John Findlay, who was out sick. “Once we got caught down a goal, we did look better in the second, but our struggle is putting pucks on the net. It has been a bit of a struggle this year.”
Anna McGinty took care of the remainder in internet for Duxbury, particularly within the second interval with two point-blank saves when the rating was 1-0.
Chase Harmon had the perfect probability to tie issues halfway via the second for Notre Dame after a faceoff within the far finish of the ice however was turned away by McGinty proper in entrance of the crease. Harmon went with an try low inside the best publish however the senior netminder was up for the duty with the pad and glove save.
McGinty had a complete of 11 saves, largely excessive leverage stops out entrance, to report her seventh shutout.
The win appears that a lot spectacular with Notre Dame prime three within the MIAA Power Rankings with Duxbury tops in Division 2 in a battle of two of finest applications Massachusetts has to supply.
“I think we came out flying in the first period and thought we saw a lot of puck possession and something we have been talking about in slowing the game down and making sure you are taking advantage of your opportunities,” mentioned Najarian. “I thought they took it to us a little in the second and that’s when you are lucky enough to have a kid like Anna McGinty in net to rely on and make those saves and turn the momentum.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com