MARION, Mass. — Dawson Styles wasn't going to be denied.
With less than two minutes left in overtime, Rivers went to bank the puck out of the zone. It wasn't clean, and Tabor threw the puck on goal, where it tumbled to the crease.
In the scramble in front, Styles (South Hamilton, Mass.) dug away, jamming the loose puck home to lift No. 8 Tabor to a 3-2 win over No. 9 Rivers.
It was Styles' second of the game. Lilly Shaughnessy (Medfield, Mass.) also scored for the Seawolves (2-0-0), and Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.) started in net.
Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.) and Nora Swaim (Concord, Mass.) scored for the Red Wings (1-1-0). Ellie Beigel (Natick, Mass.) was in net.
Styles opened the scoring with less than a minute to go in the first, chipping a feed from Charleigh Milburn from behind the net over Beigel's shoulder in tight.
MacDonald tied it for Rivers on the power play with 4:52 left in the second, stepping into a slap shot on a loose puck in the high slot. Swaim put the Red Wings up, 2-1, just over a minute later when she capitalized on a counter rush off a quick up.
Shaughnessy tied it, 2-2, with 11:16 to go in regulation with a wrister from the slot.
Let's dive into eight standouts from the game before getting into four takeaways from the top-10 girls prep clash.
Dawson Styles
Tabor, 2010, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: South Hamilton, Mass.
After showing well as a freshman, Styles is off to a promising start as a sophomore. The power forward used her strength to her advantage in the offensive zone and did a great job of getting to the net. She showed great hands with a sweet finish on her first goal that was just as good as the pass. Milburn took a quick look over her shoulder and slipped a backhand behind her back to Styles, who elevated it quickly under the bar. Styles continued to drive to the crease and find open space, and she got rewarded in OT, burying it in the pile.
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Simone Burns
Rivers, 03/2009, F, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Burns sees the ice exceptionally well. She sent Brooke Bartlett (Wayland, Mass.) in alone on a breakaway early in the first, hitting her with a perfect stretch pass through a seam. Burns found passing lanes in the offensive zone and set up chances between the dots, including a chance for Nora McLean (Canton, Mass.) in the slot off a pass from the corner. Her quick feet and explosive first few strides allowed her to create several chances in transition, too. She pounced on a loose puck in the defensive zone early in the third and motored the other way for a decent look. Burns will be among the top sophomores to track in prep this winter.
Ellie Beigel
Rivers, Class of 2026, G, catches left, 5-9
Hometown: Natick, Mass.
NCAA: SUNY Plattsburgh
Beigel came up with key saves in key spots, whether it was under heavy pressure in the first or against Grade-A looks with the game in the balance in the third. She made the Save of the Game when she stoned Giuliana Polcari's (Marshfield, Mass.)Â in tight late in regulation. Beigel lunged to her right and stoned Polcari with the pad off a slick feed from Birolini. Beigel followed it up with several big saves in overtime before Styles ended it, denying Birolini's end-to-end rush as well as a few bids in tight off a rush by Mirella Martinelli (North Providence, R.I.).
Jen Birolini
Tabor, 4/3/2007, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Pembroke, Mass.
Birolini was flying all game, making plays in all three zones. In the first, she made a great defensive play to lift Kyleigh Rabazzi's (Burlington, Mass.) stick and prevent a shot inside the dots. Birolini was strong in carrying the puck through neutral ice, driving wide into the offensive zone and finding passing lanes for chances off the rush. She set up one of the best chances of the game with 1:48 to go in regulation, stealing the puck at the right dot, cutting to the right post and slipping a backhand feed right to Polcari tape on the doorstep. Beigel made a fantastic save. Birolini also had a great look in OT, weaving end-to-end and trying to stuff home a backhand. The uncommitted senior has all the tools of a Division 1 player.
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Lilly Shaughnessy
Tabor, 10/12/2007, F, right shot, 5-9
Hometown: Medfield, Mass.
NCAA: Colby
Shaughnessy was dangerous from the start, playing a powerful game and generating good scoring chances. She used her frame effectively down low in the offensive zone, too. Before her equalizer, she had a golden opportunity in front off a centering pass from Birolini, but Beigel came up big. Shaughnessy stuck with it and curled to the top of the umbrella before taking the open lane in the slot. She picked her spot with a perfect shot between the blocker and the pad.
Mirella Martinelli
Tabor, 3/28/2009, D, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: North Providence, R.I.
NCAA: Providence
Martinelli created chances throughout the game, and her poise with the puck on regroups and in transition was impressive. She made some slick, albeit subtle, plays in the neutral zone, too, and she was terrific down the stretch. Martinelli was also a constant threat on the power play, working well with Shaughnessy and Sofia Nardelli (Cranston, R.I.). Martinelli set up multiple chances curling behind the net. The first was a perfect setup for Polcari in the first from behind the net, and Beigel shut the door. In the second, Martinelli drove behind the net and dropped off to Nardelli, who followed in support before dangling to the slot for a great backhand bid.
Nora Swaim
Rivers, 11/2009, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
Swaim was a key play-driver on Rivers' second line, showcasing good skating with the puck and generating clean entries into the offensive zone. She got better as the game wore on and found a groove after her goal, which capitalized on good momentum after MacDonald's equalizer. After Rivers stopped a Tabor rush at the defensive blue line, Chloe Chitkara (Wayland, Mass.) chipped a puck into space for Swaim, who was off to the races on a partial break before beating Lacey with a quick release from the slot. The puck may have deflected off a skate as Swaim shot it, but she got a lot on it nonetheless.
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Kathryn Butkus
Rivers, 07/2009, D, left shot, 5-2,
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.
Butkus was confident and decisive, especially early on, passing well at the point and making quick reads with the puck out high. One of her best plays came when she cut off Shaughnessy at the half wall, intercepting the breakout pass and getting it back in deep to hem Tabor in.
1. Contrasting the two power plays
The difference between Tabor and Rivers' power plays was night and day. Tabor had pace and constant motion between Nardelli, Martinelli and Shaughnessy in the umbrella. It opened lanes and helped create plays to the net out of the cycle. Although Rivers cashed in on an advantage with MacDonald's goal, the Red Wings struggled to generate quality chances consistently. They were stagnant and almost too deliberate when moving the puck in the umbrella and on regroups and entries. Most chances came off pitch-and-catches with MacDonald at the top of the umbrella and Burns on the left flank. It was almost predictable and too easy for Tabor to close down lanes.
2. Rivers is still growing
With that said, Rivers has a ton of promise. There is skill and size throughout the forward group. Beigel gives them a strong foundation in net. There are plenty of puck-movers on defense, too, be it MacDonald, Butkus or Joelle Burns (Winchester, Mass.), who showed good poise and made some heads-up plays. The offense clicking consistently is what would likely propel Rivers into the Elite 8. What helps is that the Red Wings' top line of Simone Burns-Bartlett-McLean should be a constant headache for opposing teams.
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3. Tabor's details were among the differences
Tabor had Rivers hemmed in for much of the first period, establishing its forecheck and creating plenty of pressure as a result. Later in the game, Tabor did a great job of taking away stretch pass options and bottling Rivers up in the neutral zone, thanks to heads-up defending from Martinelli, Lucy Stearns (Carver, Mass.) and the rest of the defense. The Seawolves' crop of young forwards in Styles, Nardelli and Polcari played powerful games. Couple their ascent with Tabor's key veterans, and the Seawolves could find themselves back in the Elite 8.
4. Like Beigel, Lacey did enough to win
Lacey seemed to have a little trouble gloving pucks cleanly at times, but the Brown commit wasn't fazed and made the saves she needed to make to deliver the win. She also had Bartlett's number all game. Bartlett, a Harvard commit, had a ton of dangerous chances, be it the first-period breakaway, a backhand bid dangling to the slot or another look in the middle off the rush. It was no use against Lacey.
