BRAINTREE, Mass. — Nobles took care of business on Friday with a 9-0 win over a shorthanded Thayer team.
Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) led the way for the Bulldogs with two goals and an assist, and Rachel Zhao (Westwood, Mass.) had a pair of goals.
Six other skaters scored for Nobles, including Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) and Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.). Anya Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.) had the shutout.
MacCurtain opened the scoring on the power play with about 10 minutes to go in the opening period. Brown found her with a cross-ice feed at the right circle. Lizzy MacDonald (Medford, Mass.) made the initial save, but MacCurtain put home her own rebound.
Hulbig made it 2-0 in the second on a shorthanded 2-on-1 with MacCurtain. The latter made a strong net drive, but couldn't beat MacDonald. Hulbig was there to put in the rebound, though.
From there, the floodgates opened for Nobles.
Ashley Loeber (Weston, Mass.) and Brown scored in short order for a 4-0 lead. Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) had a chance to get Thayer on the board before the end of the period, but rang the inside of the left post.
MacCurtain picked up her second of the game to make it 5-0 early in the third. Zhao added the last two goals for Nobles for the 9-0 final.
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Let's dive into five takeaways from the game before getting into seven standouts.
1. It's hard to put a lot of stock into this game for Thayer. The Tigers were very depleted, dressing just 13 skaters due to injuries and illness. On the balance of the season, they've proven to be better than they showed on Friday. It was disappointing to not be able to see Thayer at full strength go up against Nobles. Things don't get easier either with BB&N and Groton still on tap as they look to solidify their standing in the Large School tournament.
2. In the same vein, it had the feel of a get-right game for Nobles. Although, there's really no such thing for a team that hasn't lost this season. The Bulldogs had tied three of their last four. Save for remaining undefeated, there isn't a whole lot left to play for in the regular season, frankly, as a top seed in the Elite 8 is all but locked up. But a huge win like this where everyone gets involved could be what they need for another boost of momentum. It's especially important with a challenge against a red-hot Tabor team ahead on Saturday before finishing up against Governor's and Milton.
3. Nobles' bigger names like MacCurtain, Brown and Hulbig had big games once again, but perhaps their biggest X-factors lie further down the forward group. Zhao's line with Addy Keaveney (Westwood, Mass.) and Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.) has been a dominant forechecking unit each of the last two times I've seen Nobles. Their puck pursuit, ability to win battles and extend offensive zone shifts as a cohesive trio are very effective. Eighth-graders like Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) and Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) did well in that area, too.
4. MacDonald deserves a hat tip for doing as much as she could for the Tigers in this one. She was a huge reason the score was only 1-0 for as long as it was. She had several huge saves in the first. There was a desperation save on eighth-grader Alexa Georgantas (Foxboro, Mass.), who later scored, right in front. She made a great save moving to her left on MacCurtain's initial chance before the goal. She denied MacCurtain again later in the period, making a big push to the top of her crease to smother a shot. MacDonald's effort throughout, despite the lopsided score, was commendable.
5. Thayer is extremely young this season with six eighth-graders on the roster. Many have seen meaningful ice time as well. Two that caught my eye were defender Emersyn Fisher-Bailey (Duxbury, Mass.) and forward Lydia Kealty (Norfolk, Mass.). Fisher-Bailey is undersized, but made some good reads, especially at the offensive blue line. I liked her ability to pinch and disrupt breakout passes. Kealty's speed is evident. She seemed to be one of the few Tigers to have any legs left by the end of the game. She created some chances for herself and others with her legs.
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Here are seven more standouts from the game.
Molly MacCurtain
Nobles, 6/30/2006, F, left shot, 5-5
NCAA: Northeastern
MacCurtain was one of Nobles' best on Friday. She could have had a hat trick if not for MacDonald. The junior flashed a quick release on the initial chance ahead of her first goal before crashing the net and finding her own rebound. She did all the work on Hulbig's goal, too, setting her edges, shielding the puck and making a strong drive to the net before trying to chip it over the pad. In the third, she ripped a one-timer for a shorthanded goal after hemming Thayer in.
Gretta Hulbig
Nobles, 8/11/2007, F, left shot, 5-7
Hulbig used her strength to dominate physical matchups in the offensive zone and create chances throughout. She found Georgantas for a Grade-A look in the first. In the second, she was outnumbered but outmuscled the defense to protect the puck, work into the slot and get a shot on net. She read the play well and was in a perfect spot as a trailer with MacCurtain on the odd-numbered rush to bury the rebound for her goal.
Morgan McGathey
Thayer, 8/30/2006, F, right shot, 5-5
NCAA: Harvard
McGathey was clearly gassed by the second period, getting minimal breaks with the Tigers shorthanded, but she continued to find ways to create chances. She had some strong looks early, including one where she dangled into the slot and got a good backhand on net. In the second, she made a nice move on a face-off to step around the opposing center and get a quick shot on. She nearly found the back of the net on a rush late in the second with an effortless release from the right dot, but it rang off the left post. There was another chance in the third where she cut into the slot and got a high-danger chance, but Zupkofska made the blocker save. She's a powerful skater and is always looking to get into the dangerous areas of the ice.
Calleigh Brown
Nobles, 8/24/2006, F, left shot, 5-5
Brown had a good connection with MacCurtain, setting up both her goals. She showed good vision and passing, finding her through a cross-ice seam on the power play for the first goal of the game. In the third, she made a good pass right to MacCurtain's tape for a one-timer to make it 5-0. Brown's goal came as she put home a loose puck in tight during the second period, continuing her success around the crease amid her breakout season.
Abby DeAnzeris
Thayer, 3/1/2007, D, right shot, 5-4
DeAnzeris is having a career season so far as a two-way threat on the blue line. You can see why. In the second, she picked off a cross-ice pass before using her legs to exit the zone with possession and leading the rush. She also flashed some good edgework later in the period to evade pressure and get another clean exit. In the first, she defended a 1-on-1 well, maintaining a good gap and forcing the attacker to the outside. She pinned her in the corner before winning the puck battle and starting the breakout.
Kate Sullivan
Thayer, 1/18/2007, F, left shot, 5-7
Sullivan's speed stood out on the top line with McGathey. She has long, smooth and almost effortless strides. It led to a nice look for McGathey in a 2-on-1 off one of the turnovers she forced. Sullivan motored right back through the slot, backing the defender up and forcing her to respect her speed before dropping it for McGathey. There was another sequence in the first where she missed the net, but darted across to the wall to retrieve her own loose puck. She nearly got Thayer on the board in the third, taking advantage of a Nobles miscue and looking to pick the top-right corner with a quick release. Zupkofska made the save.
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Anya Zupkofska
Nobles, 2/15/2005, G, catches left, 5-5
NCAA: Brown
It's tough to be busy when your team is winning 9-0, but Zupkofska had her hands full at times trying to preserve the shutout. She had McGathey's number all night, saving a nice opportunity off a face-off as well as a pair of chances where McGathey cut into the slot for high-danger looks. She also came up with a big save on Sullivan late, flashing a quick glove to rob her shot labeled for the top right corner. Zupkofska often makes it look easy, and the former Thayer goalie did just that again for Nobles on Friday.
