CANTON – Some would possibly say lightning doesn’t strike twice, however the Archbishop Williams women hockey group would beg to vary after by far its greatest win of the yr Saturday evening at Canton Sportsplex.
Maggie Lynch made up for an uncharacteristic miss on a breakaway in time beyond regulation by netting the game-winner on a uncommon second alternative, pairing with Grace Mottau’s game-tying tally with simply 23 seconds left in regulation to energy the No. 6 Bishops (10-0-1) to a sensational, 3-2 comeback win over beforehand undefeated St. Mary’s of Lynn (13-1) in Catholic Central League motion.
It was the right set of offensive execution amid an effort that relied closely on goalie Evelyn Lacey (23 saves) and the protection to stave off the Spartans, offering the crowded barn with an anticipated thriller between the 2 respective top-ranked groups within the MIAA’s newest Div. 1 and Div. 2 energy rankings.
This form of recreation can be a part of what enticed Lynch to switch to an already loaded Archies group from Quincy/North Quincy this offseason to start with.
“We’re (No. 1) in D2, they’re (No. 1) in D1, we just come to battle, just get it done,” Lynch mentioned. “Just the energy itself on that game. Everyone’s into it. The fans, the team – it’s just a great atmosphere, a great experience. It’s awesome.”
“That’s what girls hockey is all about,” added head coach Doug Nolan, with a notable rasp after the strenuous comeback. “It’s gotten a lot better over the last five or six years here … and obviously coming back and winning in overtime is definitely exciting for our girls, exciting for our program.”
Down 2-1 after freshman Abbie Poole put St. Mary’s forward halfway via the third interval, Archbishop Williams didn’t panic as the ultimate two minutes waned down. A bevy of harmful 6-on-5 bids have been cleared by the Spartans, however the puck stored returning to the offensive zone with quite a few icing calls. Finally, Mottau adopted the puck to a crowded soiled space from the faceoff, and she or he completed a rebound previous Ang Catino (20 saves) amid an in any other case stellar effort in internet.
That stellar effort confirmed on Lynch’s first breakaway in time beyond regulation, developing with the save simply moments after Lacey produced a save reverse her on a Spartans odd-man rush. But after Lynch made a superb transfer previous the final defender on a second breakaway only a minute later, the senior couldn’t be stopped for the winner.
“I think Maggie was playing games with us, she wanted to keep us on the edge of our seats there,” Nolan mentioned. “Maggie Lynch, she wants that moment. She’s definitely a prime-time player.”
For as a lot speak as there’s surrounding the Bishops among the many high of the record of Div. 2 state title contenders, the emotion behind this win was a bit pointed at those that labeled the rival Spartans because the sure-fire high group within the state. They went into the matchup carrying a distinct label in thoughts.
St. Mary’s, which hadn’t allowed greater than two targets to any opponent all yr, bought off to a gradual begin by permitting Archies sophomore Caroline Batchelder to attain off a defender’s again on a shot from the purpose. It got here out weapons blazing within the second interval to rattle off 15 photographs on internet, wiping away the deficit as its personal 200-point scorer – Jenna Chaplain – tipped in a Maggie Pierce shot for the 1-1 tie on the ability play. But for essentially the most half, the Spartans wanted to work extraordinarily arduous for any benefit.
Eventually, the Archies simply confirmed how rather more they needed it.
“We’ve been trying to prove ourselves all year,” Nolan mentioned. “We love all of the polls, we love being sixth and fifth and seventh, and it simply motivates these women as a result of they know they’re one. So we’ll preserve working, we’ll preserve being motivated, we’ll preserve ripping up the polls.
“Last year, we were afraid of them. We would talk about St. Mary’s and we would kind of put our shoulders back and our body language was a little scared. But now, I think we have a good group of seniors. We believe in ourselves, we believe in our program and I think we’re here to stay.”
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