Girls’ hockey finished the season at 8-8-4 and met its goal of competing in the State Tournament, said coach Bob MacDougall.
“We faced injury, illness and inexperience, but the girls executed the game plan and had a great time,” MacDougall said.
The team improved “on offense, and we gained general skill and valuable experience despite having 10 new varsity players,” MacDougall said.
Andover’s Warriors beat the Tigers 2-0 in the first round at Andover Tuesday.
“We weren’t healthy, and Andover came in ready to play, ninth seeded and 15-4-1, while we were 24th seeded,” MacDougall said.
“It would have been easy to walk into that game and not try, but the team fought.”
According to Andover’s coach, Bill McCarthy, the Warriors “won because overall we were just a slightly better team with more depth. We also have a very strong defensive zone coverage.”
Commenting on the season, junior Kim Gillies said, “Everyone stepped up with lots of energy.
“We became a family and started to love not just the game but each other.
“Instead of just skating around, we learned to focus on a system, pick up our heads and make passes. We really learned what it means to play hockey.”
Earlier, Barnstable defeated the Tigers 3-0 Tuesday, Feb. 17 in Barnstable.
“They just came out flying,” MacDougall said. “They needed the win to qualify for States, so they just wanted it more then we did.”
In Needham Saturday, Feb. 14 the Tigers tied 2-2.
“It was the game that clinched out berth in the State Tournament,” MacDougall said. “We were down 2-1, but we rallied and pulled in the tie. It was probably the most exciting game I have ever been involved in.”

This post is tagged Meredith Abrams