By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Skates slid across the ice at the Rodman Arena on Saturday, February 18th as the Walpole girls' hockey Timberwolves hosted the Medfield Warriors in a senior day match-up. The two teams flung shots each period, leading into overtime competition, which resulted in a tie of 1-1.
The first period was intense; both teams were ravenous for the puck. The Warriors headed into the competition with just a couple of points needed in order to contest in the tournament. Players were neck and neck, bursting with energy. At 7:06 in the first, Medfield sophomore, Michaela McDonald, fired the puck past the Timberwolves’ defense. This gave the Warriors a leg up for the first and second periods.
The Walpole girls fought consistently as they struck their shots on the net. With only minutes left to go in the third, Timberwolves’ sophomore Cassie Burke hurled the puck into Medfield’s net. Walpole junior, Elena Govoni, aiding Burke with a smooth pass, tying the score with Medfield at 1-1.
With the scoreboard knotted by the end of the third, both teams faced off for a five-minute overtime battle for the winning title. The girls rocketed their shots against each other, but it was no match for the strong defense both teams provided. By the final buzzer, the Warriors and Timberwolves’ concluded in settling for a tie in the afternoon match-up.
Walpole has a couple more chances in the regular season to qualify for the tournament, co-coach Bob England is proud of how far this team has come in the regular season. The Timberwolves’ celebrate senior captains, Sophia Theofilou, Shannon Morris, and Maddie Clark.
“They have grown so much this season, they’ve matured, they listen and take in everything we say. They started off slow, but now they have developed so much, they are shooting the puck and are very vocal. It’s everything we could’ve asked for,” said England.