By Ken Chaisson
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The Walpole Ladytimbs girls’ ice hockey team played the Medfield Warriors at the Cadillac of Norwood Ice Arena in Walpole on Saturday December 27, 2025.
The separate conference neighboring towns haven’t played each other for two years in girls hockey.
Walpole came into the contest off a quality victory over Framingham to give O’Brien her first win as the Walpole coach. Senior captain Kate Schneider contributed two shorthanded goals to the win.
Walpole finished 7-14 last season. They made the state tournament for the fourth consecutive year but lost to Westwood in the first round.
Medfield, the defending Division 2 state champions, were ranked 13th in the Boston Globe weekly poll at Christmas.
The Lady Timbs have twenty two skaters plus senior goalie Nadia Michienzi including seven seniors and nine new freshwomen.
The first period was good hockey at both ends as each squad pressured the goaltenders who were solid in their respective creases. Scoring chances were about equal and the stanza ended where it began at 0-0.
Medfield broke the ice early in the second to go up 1-0. Following that tally Medfield peppered Michienzi for two more minutes but Nadia was up to the task to keep the deficit at one. The Lady Timbs came right back to knot the score at the end of a power play. Kate Schneider made a nifty pass to Caroline Sullivan who buried it. The Lady Warriors went ahead again 2-1 with the Lady Timbs then tying it up at 2. Freshwoman Eva Karacaldis smoked a wrister from the top of the right wing circle to the far side top corner. Both teams headed to the final period all squared at 2.
Medfield scored early in the third to break the tie one last time. They kept the puck in at the blue and wristed a high shot which got by Michienzi as she was screened. The backbreaker was the fourth goal as Medfield forced a faceoff in the Walpole zone. They dug the puck out of the corner into the slot where a backhander to the high blocker side doubled their lead to 4-2. Walpole pulled their goalie with 90 seconds to go. Medfield’s quality freshman forward, Leah Carlson, completed her hat trick by wristing it from her own blue line into the empty cage to make the final 5-2. Eighth grader Kate Grzeskowiak scored Medfield’s other two goals.
The Walpole line of Schneider, Karacaldi and captain Nora Kelley applied offensive pressure every time they were on the ice. Michienzi was once again stoic between the pipes coming up with several big saves. Ella Dacey made her presence felt in the Medfield crease multiple times.
