CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — BB&N is back on track.
The Knights took down Phillips Exeter, 3-2, at home on Saturday for their third win in a row. The three straight victories followed a 3-6-1 stretch in their previous 10 games.
Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) scored twice, and Kate Glantz (Burlington, Mass.) also scored for the Knights. Eva Mai Whyte (Natick, Mass.) made 23 saves in the win. BB&N improved to 10-6-2 with the win. The Knights, the reigning Large School champs, would be the No. 2 seed in the Large School bracket if the playoffs started today, according to USHR. They're currently projected to finish as the No. 1 seed in the Large School tournament.
Maria Gray scored for the Big Red, while Allie Bell (Rowley, Mass.) started in net. Exeter, who dropped to 10-6-1, have lost four straight and five of six. The Big Red would be the No. 3 seed in the Large School tournament if it were to start today. They're projected to take the second seed in the Large bracket.
Glantz opened the scoring with eight minutes to go in the first, one-timing a feed from Molly Halloran (Belmont, Mass.) in the slot, and Biotti opened the lead two minutes later as she redirected a shot from Lexi Mara (Winchester, Mass.).
Dominique Reiher cut it to 2-1 for Exeter when she buried Emma Shu's (Westwood, Mass.) rebound two minutes into the second period.
Biotti made it 3-1 three minutes into the third, going bar-down with a wrist shot as she walked the blue line. Gray cut it to 3-2 when her backhand deflected in off a defender with 1:34 to go.
From there, BB&N stifled Exeter's late push with the net empty.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways from the game.
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Hannah Weyerhaeuser
BB&N, 9/3/2006, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Cambridge, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Weyerhaeuser was arguably the best player on the ice. She drove offense and had a plethora of strong scoring chances that wouldn't go, especially in the second. She took a drop pass from Savana Littlewood (Braintree, Mass.) and had an open lane, driving in and getting a shot in the slot. Weyerhaeuser stuck with it, picking up the loose puck, curling around and firing another good wrister. On her next shift, she provided the second layer on the forecheck and was in a good spot to get to a loose puck after Littlewood's pressure. Weyerhaeuser deked to her backhand to the front of the net and tried to stuff it, but Bell made the stop. Later in the second, Weyerhaeuser had an excellent shorthanded bid. She stole the puck out high, closed in at the right dot and ripped a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Emi Biotti
BB&N, 1/4/2007, D, right shot, 5-10
Hometown: Cambridge, Mass.
NCAA: Harvard
Biotti was a force once again for the Knights. She was constantly jumping up into the play and creating offense. On her first goal, she did a great job battling in the slot and getting her stick free for the redirect. In the second, she made a sweet spin move around a defender at the top of the right circle, walking in and getting a good shot between the dots. She also had a fantastic chance crashing the backdoor, but Bell absolutely robbed her. Biotti's second goal was a pretty finish, too. She showed great edgework as she walked the blue line before flicking a wrister perfectly to the top right corner, going bar down.
Maria Gray
Phillips Exeter, 8/7/2007, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Monona, Wisc.
NCAA: Vermont
Gray got better as the game went on, and her line was Exeter's best. She was smart protecting pucks and maintaining possession down low, and she had several strong chances before her goal. In the second, she kept a puck alive at the blue line before getting a good look in the high slot. In the third, she nearly cut it to 3-2 earlier when she stole the puck at the right dot after Erin Sears (Cornwall, Vt.) disrupted the puck carrier. Gray fired a lightning-quick wrister five-hole that beat Whyte and barely trickled past the left post. Gray has an effortless release, and it was on display on that chance. She got rewarded late in regulation after keeping the puck alive in the corner. It found her in the slot, and she benefitted from a good bounce when her backhand deflected in.
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Grace Riley
Phillips Exeter, 8/14/2007, D, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Winter Garden, Fla.
NCAA: Connecticut
Riley's mobility, heavy shot and ability to push the pace offensively stood out. She was effective leading the rush, and it helped her draw a penalty in the first after she passed it off and drove hard to the net before getting hauled down. Earlier in the period, she made a good pinch to keep the puck in and prevent a quick up. A few moments later, at the other end, she tracked back and made a good play against Weyerhaeuser 1-on-1, forcing her outside off the rush and preventing her from cutting middle.
Riley can get a lot on her wrist shots, too, and she had two looks in the first from the point that forced Whyte to make good shoulder saves. In the third, Riley had another excellent look. After getting the puck out high, she had her head up the whole time, baited a defender and drove right around her to the right post. Whyte stoned her on the initial bid and the rebound.
Molly Halloran
BB&N, 06/2008, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Belmont, Mass.
Halloran's line with Glantz and Marina Kluzak (Cambridge, Mass.) had a great day on the forecheck, giving Exeter fits and creating offense from the pressure. Halloran was at the center of it. She and Kluzak did good work along the boards to bottle up the puck carrier and prevent an exit ahead of Glantz's goal. Halloran drove to the net and fed Glantz in her wheelhouse for the one-timer. In the second, Halloran had another good break-up on the forecheck, winning the puck and keeping it deep for an extended stretch. Later in the frame, she intercepted a centering pass on the back-check. She led the rush the other way and nearly set up a look in front, but her centering pass didn't connect.
Allie Bell
Phillips Exeter, Class of 2025, G, catches left
Hometown: Rowley, Mass.
NCAA: Villanova (lacrosse)
Bell had Weyerhaeuser's number all game, and she made several big stops in key moments to keep Exeter within striking distance. She made an unbelievable stop on Biotti on the doorstep for the save of the game late in the second period. Izzy King (Bedford, Mass.) cut toward the crease and fed Biotti at the backdoor. Biotti seemingly had an open net to bury it, but Bell exploded to her left to stone her. Early in the third, Bell had another great sequence to keep it 3-1 shortly after Biotti's second of the game. She saved Biotti's one-timer from the point before stretching out her pad to deny Weyerhaeuser on the rebound in front.
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Kate Glantz
BB&N, 10/2008, F, left shot
Hometown: Burlington, Mass.
Glantz showed good awareness and a nice finish on her goal. After Halloran and Kluzak forced a turnover along the boards, Glantz took full advantage of the open space on the far side, shading toward the net and into a passing lane. She blasted a one-timer past Bell to open the scoring. In the second, Glantz's playmaking ability was on full display when she set up Brenna O'Reilly (Burlington, Mass.) for a terrific chance in front off the rush. Glantz pulled to her backhand around a defender at the bottom of the right circle and slipped a feed perfectly to O'Reilly jumping up. She tried to chip it under the bar, and it barely missed.
Lexi Mara
BB&N, 2/27/2007, D, left shot, 5-10
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
NCAA: Northeastern
Mara played her typical, strong game in all three zones. She set up Biotti's opening goal with a heads-up shot from the point, seeing she had Biotti in the lane and sending in a low shot for a tip. Mara was especially strong in the last minute as Exeter tried to make a push with the goalie pulled. She was physical down low and did a great job of pinning opponents along the boards, preventing Exeter from moving the puck and killing a ton of clock.
Dominique Reiher
Phillips Exeter, 12/2009, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Brookfield, Wisc.
Reiher's goal was a product of hustle and putting herself in the right place at the right time. After Shu's rush was broken up coming over the blue line, she threw the puck on net from the boards. Whyte gave up a big rebound, and Reiher beat the defender on a strong drive to the net and buried the rebound to get Exeter on the board.
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Leftover thoughts...
- Exeter's top line with Gray, Sears and Paisley Meyer (Greenland, NH) was its only trio that was able to consistently generate pressure and chances against the Knights. They got pucks behind the defense and fed off each other well down low, which led to some late chances in front. While Gray got better as the game wore on, Sears and Meyer were better at the start. They drove offense and had a few good looks, including one in transition early in the first with Meyer shooting for a rebound for Sears. Meyer can rip the puck.
- While BB&N will want to clean up some of the things that led to Gray's goal, the Knights were stout on the forecheck and defensively, especially on the penalty kill. While shorthanded, they were fast, aggressive and hard on puck-carriers, especially in the first 40-plus minutes. It was the biggest reason Exeter could hardly get set up or maintain pressure on their power plays for much of the game. Those same traits were on display on the forecheck. It led to plenty of chances, whether off turnovers or just pressuring the puck, between Glantz's goal, some of Weyerhaeuser's looks and more. They had layers and got to that part of their game early on in the first, setting the tone. It's one of the biggest parts of BB&N's game that bodes well for the postseason. They play hard, and they will wear you down.
