Monday, March 20, 2017

Woburn Tops Needham for Girls' Hockey D1 Title


By Marisa Ingemi (@Marisa_Ingemi)

BOSTON -Woburn hadn’t won a state title in 11 years, and came into Sunday's Division 1 girls' final matched up against undefeated Needham squad. Facing those odds, the Tanners rode a two-goal first period to end the Rockets' undefeated run with a 3-1 win.

Maddie Russo scored twice for the Tanners, with the sophomore forward tallying both in the first and the second periods. Cassidy Connolly scored the other Woburn goal.

“She was clutch,” head coach Bob MacCurtain said. “She’s been that way the whole tournament, she’s had a fantastic year.”

Senior goalie Katelind Ciavardone made nine saves behind a Tanner defense that limited the Rocket attack to very few scoring opportunities.

The victory for the Tanners is their first state title in 11 years after they defeated Canton in 2006 to take home the state crown.

“It’s hard to describe it, it’s been a long time,” said MacCurtain, who coached that championship team more than a decade ago. “We were just hoping to give ourselves a chance all year, and we did it.”

Needham finishes their season with only a single loss, putting out a lineup of just 13 skaters all season. The Rockets had to get by Reading to advance, and made an unlikely run all season long. The Rockets graduate just three seniors heading into next year, and will certainly be considered a favorite to get back to the TD Garden in 2018.

“Any time you go into a game like this, you have high expectations, and we’ve had high expectations all season,” said Needham head coach Allisyan Furano-Foster. “Woburn is a very disciplined team, their coach has them prepared very well.

“It was just not our day today. I couldn’t ask them to work any harder or try any harder. Sometimes the puck just doesn’t bounce your way.”

No comments :