ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Adara Nazarian gets off a shot in Tuesday’s game at Ned O’Brien Rink in Woburn.
By SCOT COOPER
WOBURN — This was not the way any of the St. Mary’s girls hockey team thought the season would end.
Needham, the No. 1 seed in Division 1, steamrolled the Spartans Tuesday night, 6-2 to remain undefeated at 21-0-1.
Spartan goalie Emily Stephenson, who was under pressure most of the game from the Rockets’ top line of Gracie Bruno, Elizabeth Phalen and Elizabeth Hernberg, said that her team was confident heading into the game.
“We had an unexpected run in last year’s tournament, and we went into this game thinking we were going to win, it was a very disappointing end for my team,” the senior goalie said.
St. Mary’s had a couple of chances early against Rocket goalie Melissa Strauss, but she denied Adara Nazarian and Aylah Cioffi. Needham’s speed resulted in a hooking penalty on the Spartans, but Needham was whistled 27 seconds into the man-up, and St. Mary’s had 1:03 to get something going with the extra skater.
Things went south on the power play. Bruno whipped down the near boards and stole the puck along the goal line, skated in front of Stephenson and deposited a backhand in the net to put the Rockets up 1-0.
Needham coach Allisyn Furano-Foster said that her first line makes things happen with its speed and if someone makes a mistake, Strauss is there in the net to make a big save.
“Our first line puts pressure on the other team with its skating, Furano-Foster said. “We do however have a balanced team up and down the lineup. We knew coming into this game that St, Mary’s was an excellent team. They’re well-coached with a tremendous goalie, so we knew we were in for a tough game from the start.”
The Rockets expanded their lead to 2-0 early in the second period when the first bit of bad luck landed on top of the Spartans. Hernberg threw a backhander towards the net that appeared to be headed wide of the cage, but it hit a Spartan skate and ended up behind Stephenson.
Phelan put the Rockets up 3-0 when she took a pass on a 2-on-0 with Bruno and fired the puck in the net (Needham scored on a breakaway, a 2-on-0 and a 2-on-1). On five of the Rockets’ goals Stephenson had no chance at all.
Needham’s Celia Blaszkowsky grabbed the first point by someone other than the Rockets first line to make it 4-0 with 4:26 left in the second period.
St. Mary’s finally got one by Strauss late in the second period when Sarah Ryan snapped one home from the right side, just inside the faceoff circle. Mady Hentosh picked up an assist, and the Spartans had a boost heading into the third period.
Any momentum that the Spartans were hoping to carry over into the final 15 minutes after the Ryan goal evaporated when Hernberg scored her second goal from Bruno six minutes into the third.
Then the Spartans were victimized by another bad bounce, this time a shot from the right point by defenseman Rose Evans hit a St. Mary’s leg and bounced into the net.
St. Mary’s kept playing hard, and were rewarded with a power play, which they converted to make the final score 6-2 on a nice goal in close by senior co-captain Ashley Wojewodzic from Nazarian.
St. Mary’s coach Frank Pagliuca said his team was the victim of some bad puck luck. But, he said, good teams make their own luck.
“Needham has a great team, one of the better team’s we played all year, very good skating team,” Pagliuca said. “I’m proud of the girls for the season they’ve had and the effort tonight, we just lost to a better team tonight.
“We had some chances early, then they get that shorthanded goal, and that was a back-breaker,” Pagliuca said. “We were down 3-0 in the second and it’s tough to come back against a team like that. We fought hard, but just came up short.”
Wojewodzic, a senior co-captain from Lynn, said that it’s was a frustrating way to end a great career at St. Mary’s.
“It’s tough, we have been so close over the years, coming together as a team,” Wojewodzic said. “I’m really going to miss coming to practice and spending time with my teammates.”
Ryan, a senior co-captain from Nahant said that she couldn’t believe this is the end after so many great times, great years at St. Mary’s.
“It’s tough knowing that this is it, so many good friends on this team, such a good time playing with everybody,” Ryan said. “I don’t think it’s sunk in that this is it, but I’ll never forget being a member of this team.”
Ryan, Nazarian, Stephenson, Wojewodzic and Brittany McPherson, senior from Lynn, played their last game for the Spartans.
“It’s certainly disappointing, I wish we could have had a better ending, especially for our seniors,” Pagliuca said.