Raiders and Warriors renew hockey grudge

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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor

The Medfield and Dover-Sherborn/Hopkinton varsity girls hockey teams took to the ice on Wednesday night at Blackstone Valley Ice Arena in Hopedale for their first of two meetings in 2017-2018. Behind a lockdown defensive effort and a 12-save shutout performance by senior goaltender Skylar Flynn, the Warriors (3-6-3, 2-1-2) earned a 3-0 win.

A pair of early power play opportunities for DS went for naught thanks to an incredible job by the Medfield penalty killers, who failed to surrender a single shot on goal throughout the four-minute short-handed span.

With 2:51 to play, it appeared as if Becca Brown had given the Warriors a 1-0 lead when the senior forward smacked home a rebound off of a net-mouth scramble. However, the referee lost sight of the puck and blew the play dead just before Brown got lumber on rubber, and the game remained scoreless. With 14 seconds to play, Medfield drew first blood. This time, the goal stood as junior forward Laney Ockerbloom converted on the power play with a wrist shot from just below the hash marks to put the Warriors ahead, 1-0, at the end of the first period.

The Warriors kept their foot on the gas in the first minute of the second period, as Caroline Davenport fired home a goal just 44 seconds in to double Medfield’s lead to 2-0. Midway through the period with about 6:30 to play, Flynn made a sprawling save on DS/Hopkinton’s Annie Parizeau on a two-on-one after the freshman received a pass from Elisabeth Cooperman and fired a one-timer on cage. The puck was turned aside by the left pad of Flynn and Medfield rushed down the ice on a three-on-two. On the odd-man rush, junior forward Lauren Sleboda fired home a goal off of a rebound to extend Medfield’s lead to 3-0 at the end of two periods.

DS/Hopkinton tried vigorously to pot one in the back of the net and climb back into the contest during the beginning of the third period, but it went for naught as the Warriors did everything in their power to clog shooting lanes and prevent pucks from getting to Flynn and the Medfield net.

The Warriors set up a relentless cycle in the DS end during the game’s final seven minutes to help chew away precious clock as time ran out on the Raiders and Medfield emerged with the 3-0 shutout win.

On Saturday, Flynn earned her second consecutive shutout for the Warriors. This time, though, the game ended in a scoreless tie against Medway. At the time of print, Medfield will return to action against Silver Lake/Whitman Hanson on January 10 before hosting King Phillip Regional on January 15.

DS/Hopkinton, meanwhile, will battle in the Nan Rheault Tournament on Martha’s Vineyard from January 13-14.

For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter at @fLAno0, or read his blog at www.flannylive.wordpress.com.