Chris Donovan, head coach of girls’ hockey, attributed the Tigers’ 3-2 win against the Wellesley Raiders to their acute utilization of the GAGG rule: “Get a good goalie.”
The Tigers maintained their undefeated streak on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at home in the John A. Arena. According to Donovan, sophomore Ellery Hanson’s outstanding goalie skills enabled her to combat the Raiders’ attacks and aggression, successfully blocking shot after shot.
Hanson commended the rest of the Tigers, claiming that their relentlessly high spirits resulted in her success. “My defense just really played well in front of me,” she said. “It made my job a lot easier.”
“I have a wonderful team,” said head coach Chris Donovan. “They work hard, they have a sense of humor, and they love hockey.”
In the beginning of the first period, the Tigers struggled against Wellesley’s relentless attacks and aggression. With the clutch help of Hanson, though, the Tigers persevered long enough to find their footing.
As the period continued, the Tigers began to dominate the game, pressing and connecting passes throughout the attacking half.
In the eighth minute, North’s efforts paid off as sophomore Elena Gillespie flew down the ice and slotted the puck into the back of the net off a rebound.
The Tigers didn’t keep their lead for long as the Raiders quickly retaliated and evened out the score seconds later.
“We need to work on not starting off slow,” said sophomore Willa Hanson. “We started the game off slow but we got stronger and stronger each period.”
The Tigers didn’t let the score lower their spirits, though. As they continued creating opportunities, Willa Hanson found freshman Maya Saris in front of the goal. Saris then easily slid the puck past the goalie to reclaim the Tigers’ lead.
“It’s a team effort,” said Donovan. “Even the kids who weren’t playing were cheering them on.”
The Tigers came out fast in the second period, with dynamic attacks from Willa Hanson, Saris, and senior Audrey Welstead, a captain alongside senior Lexi Blanchfield, attempting to find the back of the net. Ellery Hanson continued fending off the Raiders’ attacks.
Despite the Tigers’ efforts, Wellesley’s aggression caused the puck to slide past Ellery Hanson in the ninth minute, evening the score once again.
This setback only fueled the Tigers’ fire as they continued creating opportunities and testing the Raiders goalie. Eventually, sophomore Malin Vardeh capitalized on a scramble in front of the net and put the Tigers in the lead once again.
The third period began with high levels of energy from both teams, constantly battling for the puck in a seemingly even matchup.
The constant turnovers and missed opportunities continued throughout the period, with no goals from either side.
With one minute remaining, the Tigers called a timeout, allowing the Raiders to take their goalie off the ice and add another player. This resulted in the Tigers becoming outnumbered, with their five players and a goalie facing Wellesley’s six players and open net.
“We really amped up the energy at the end there and played defensive to hold off the other team since we were outnumbered,” said Ellery Hanson.
Instead of shying away from the challenge, the Tigers’ defense held strong. Taking advantage of the Raiders’ open net and North’s determination, the Tigers faced their opponent head-on, resulting in triumphant victory.
“We want to keep our undefeated streak going for as long as possible,” said Blanchfield.
“I have a wonderful team,” said head coach Chris Donovan. “They work hard, they have a sense of humor, and they love hockey.”
The Tigers, 2-3-1, dominated Natick 4-1 Saturday Dec. 20 at John A. Ryan Arena. They fell to Dedham on Saturday, Dec. 27, Wellesley on Monday, Dec. 29, and Brookline on Sunday, Jan. 4. The team will square up against Needham on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
