Girls’ hockey fell 4-1 to the Natick Redhawks despite a tense fight, Wednesday, Feb. 4.
According to junior Caroline Fahey, the Tigers’ motivation was rampant. “Natick just tied Framingham recently. We tie them a lot, so we were like ‘okay, this is a pretty even match, we got this,’” Fahey said.
As the puck dropped, Natick took possession, but missed an early shot at North’s goal. Natick kept the pressure on, attempting to score three more times.
With four minutes left in the first period, the Redhawks’ quick passes resulted in a goal, giving Natick the lead.
North switched to offense in an attempt to catch up, with senior Audrey Welstead, a captain alongside senior Lexi Blanchfield, and sophomore Willa Hanson taking multiple swings at the net.
“We were a little sloppy coming out on the ice, especially in front of the net,” Fahey added. “We were slapping at it, and I think that cost us the first few goals.”
Hanson passed to Welstead to line up another shot, but an interception allowed Natick the chance to score.
Up by two, Natick remained strong on the offense early into the second quarter.
Luckily, Welstead snatched the puck and cleared it across the rink, allowing the Tigers another chance at a goal. “We had many more shots compared to our first game against Natick,” said head coach Chris Donovan.
Sophomores Jillian Fialkosky and Malin Vardeh’s quick passing sequence was shut down by the Redhawks.
With the puck in Natick’s possession, the Tigers had a score of 0-3 halfway through the second quarter.
“Natick is very chippy and pretty fast. They have a lot of players who are skilled with their hands,” said Fahey. “In hockey, you always have a second more than you think, and we just didn’t keep that in mind a lot this game.”
Natick remained relentless, and a series of rapid puck exchanges saw yet another goal for Natick.
In the third quarter, Fahey received three penalties, which kept her off the ice for a total of six minutes. “A few players on Natick’s team like to flop, where at the slightest touch they fall, and makes the refs think we got a penalty,” said Fahey.
Despite its penalties, North fought through the third period with grit and kept Natick from widening the gap. Five minutes left in the game, Welstead managed to gain control of the puck and passed to freshman Maya Saris, who gave the Tigers their first point.
According to Fahey, although the goal was late, it still motivated the team to push through until the end of the game. “We didn’t get a complete shut-out,” she added.
With 30 seconds left on the clock, both teams raced for the puck, but the score ultimately remained at 4-1 as the final buzzer sounded.
“Even though we were at a four-nothing deficit after the second, we won that third period one to nothing,” added Donovan. “We’ll get back at it tomorrow and see what happens the next game.”
Girls’ hockey, 5-13-2, experienced a strenuous rest of the season. The Tigers fell to Brookline February 7, Auburn February 9, Weymouth February 11, Newburyport February 14, and Melrose February 18.
