By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Reporter
It was an electrifying evening for hockey last Wednesday, December 13th, as local rinks hosted numerous matches to inaugurate the 2023-2024 high school hockey season. The Needham girls hockey team embarked on a journey to Ulin Rink in Milton for their inaugural league match against Milton High.
Family and friends, bundled up for the chilly occasion, gathered to cheer on the Needham High girls as they graced the ice, prepared to confront their adversary. Despite a scoreless first and second period on both ends of the rink, the Rockets exuded energy and a thirst for puck action. Executing precise and seamless passes across the ice, the Needham Rockets began to exhibit the traits of a cohesive team, showcasing remarkable talent despite only a few weeks of practice. Demonstrating connectivity on the ice, the Rockets capitalized on scoring opportunities, falling just short of a successful shot.
As the referees initiated the third-period faceoff by dropping the puck, the Rockets assumed a robust defensive stance on the ice. However, Milton entered the ice with determination and grit, seeking to match Needham's intensity. Three minutes into the third period, Milton secured a goal, breaking through Needham's defense and establishing a 1-0 lead. Merely a minute later, Milton took another shot at the net, propelling the puck into the back of the net past Needham's tenacious goalie. Despite Milton's two-point lead, the Rockets persisted throughout the remaining period. The girls concluded the match with an empty net and a few minutes left, maintaining possession as the clock ticked away, resulting in a 2-0 conclusion to the game.
Head coach Allisyn Furano shared her thoughts on what the team did well throughout the match, and how the team hopes to learn from this game and make improvements for the season ahead.
“This is the fourth or fifth year we have played against Milton’s goaltender, we knew what her strengths were, we always knew they played a pretty aggressive forecheck and an overall aggressive brand of hockey. I think for the first two periods our team worked really hard, we had our chances, we just couldn’t bury the puck, and we can’t win if we aren’t scoring those goals. I think Ally, our goaltender played phenomenally, I thought she had an amazing game, this is the kind of game we want to play early in the season because it gets us going. Moving forward we are recognizing it’s the beginning of the season and we will take the mistakes that we made, and those things that didn’t go as well as we needed them to, and just make those adjustments,” said Furano.
The Rockets will play against Weymouth High at Babson College Hockey Rink, puck drop is set for 2:45 pm.
