By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
With a thrilling 3-2 win over Auburn on Thursday night, Westwood girls hockey is heading to the Final Four.
Auburn proved to be more than a formidable opponent, giving the Wolverines a run for their money from beginning to end. After letting up a second period goal, Westwood found itself trailing in a game for only the second time this season.
“They responded really well,” said head coach Lauren Hillberg. “They're a very mentally tough group of girls. We talked a lot yesterday about mental toughness… I think they did a really good job with that coming back right away.”
Westwood answered about two minutes later with a goal of its own. A freshman Abby Presley pass from the perimeter to captain Kate Sullivan on the right side of the goal set up a pass across the crease that was tipped in by freshman Maggie Ash to tie things up.
“[Maggie’s] an extremely talented player,” said Sullivan. “She's one of the top scorers on our team, possibly in the [Tri-Valley League] too, but she's an amazing player when she plays her game and she gets the puck in the net.”
Sullivan went on to record an assist on the game-winning goal from Ash – her second goal of the game – 5:02 into the third period. With the assist, she moved into first place on the all-time points list, recording 181 over the course of her high school career.
“It feels amazing,” said Sullivan of the feat. “It's not something I really imagined happening… It's nothing that I've done to make it a part of my game and make me a selfish player, at all. It's always doing what's best for the team in the end.”
The Wolverines were also able to play with a lead from the beginning of the game. Eighth-grader Liz Levering scored off of a pass from sophomore Avery Hughes 15 seconds into action. However, Auburn answered midway through the period with a slap shot from the perimeter.
Fast-forwarding to the third period, Westwood played a clean final 10 minutes and did not face any big threats. Auburn committed a penalty with 1:56 left, diminishing any chance of tying the game up again.
Now, the Wolverines face a familiar opponent in Tri-Valley League member Medfield. Westwood tied the Warriors in the first game of the season and secured a 6-3 victory over them in early February.
“It’s amazing to have two TVL teams in the Final Four,” said Hillberg. “I honestly don't know the last time that's ever happened, so I'm proud of the TVL for how far we've come over the last few years and finally getting the recognition that we deserve. It'll be fun. “They're a good team, it's always a good game, so [we have to] come ready to play.”
The teams face off on Saturday with a shot at the championship on the line.
