Girls hockey concludes season in State Semis

[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]

By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor

The Westwood High School girls varsity hockey team’s magical run deep into the 2016-2017 MIAA Division II Tournament came to an end last Wednesday night, as the Wolverines (19-5-2) suffered a tough 1-0 loss at the hands of Canton at Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne.

Along with the Wolverines, who received the No. 7 seed in the tournament, the No. 14 seed Bulldogs (14-4-6) were the other Cinderella team to make a long run in this year’s big dance, so something had to give when the two bordering towns met on the Cape on Wednesday evening.

On December 30, the two clubs met at Canton Ice House in a non-conference matchup. The Wolverines prevailed by a final of 1-0 behind a shutout by sophomore goaltender Caroline McDonough. On Wednesday night, however, it was Canton’s Colleen Kelleher who stole the show, notching a shutout and propelling the Bulldogs to victory.

After a scoreless first period, the Wolverines continued to play lockdown defense throughout the second period. However, Canton would finally break the scoreless drought with a rebound goal with just over three minutes to play to enter the final frame of regulation ahead at 1-0.

The Wolverines went into desperation mode in the third period with their season on the line. Sophomore forward Kat Keith had arguably the best chance of the period on a two-on-one, but Keith’s shot was turned away by the left pad of Kelleher with just over six minutes to play, preserving the 1-0 lead for the Bulldogs.

With 1:17 left to play, Westwood called timeout ahead of an offensive zone faceoff. The Wolverines opted to pull McDonough out of the net to gain the extra attacker. Canton was able to win the ensuing draw and clear the zone, leading to one last rush up the ice for the Westwood girls to attempt to extend the game into overtime and their season another day. Unfortunately, the Wolverines were unable to get that quality scoring chance they so desperately needed in the final 30 seconds, as Canton hung on for the 1-0 victory, advancing to the state finals and ending Westwood’s incredible season.

Wednesday night’s defeat was obviously an extremely tough pill to swallow for the Westwood girls, but they achieved immensely in this tournament, particularly given their No. 7 seeding.
Congrats to the lady-Wolverines on a fantastic season.