MARLBORO, Mass. — In a tough, physical matchup Sunday afternoon, Assabet Valley knocked off the Massachusetts Spitfires, 2-1, in the U16 Tier 1 Mass. Girls state championship.
The close battle between the two came down to the final play, where Assabet netminder Liz Luong (Framingham, Mass.) made a crucial stop to seal the victory and send the Patriots to nationals, which take place April 2-7 in Wesley Chapel, Fla.
In an intense battle, the game-winning goal was scored late in the second period when Assabet forward Nuala Gibbs fired a wrist shot into the back of the net, giving her team a lead it would never give up.
"The Spitfires, they're an unbelievable opponent. We split this year. They won one. We won one. So we knew we were going to be in for a game," Assabet head coach Kelly Sousa said. "We were excited about that, and we rose to the occasion.”
It was all about doing the little things right for Assabet, which was its game plan going into Sunday. That meant a physical game from both teams.
"We work hard on puck battles. We try to get the puck in deep. We focus on getting those pucks and the battle along the boards. It's like the little things that we do right that make us successful,” Assabet defender Madelyn Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) said.
The scoring started midway through the first period when Spitfires defender Abigail DeAnzeris got her team on the board. Assabet responded, however, when defender Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) found the back of the net on a rebound to tie the game, 1-1.
The intensity of the game led to a slew of penalties in the second period. Fortunately for Assabet, the penalty kill was a point of emphasis entering Sunday's final.
"We spent a lot of time practicing our (penalty kill) because we knew that (the Spitfires) power play was pretty good," Sousa said. "They've been successful at it all season executing it. We did spend quite a bit of time trying to defend against that, and the girls followed the game plan."
In the third period, Assabet Valley successfully slowed the Spitfires' offense. The Spitfires pulled their goalie in the final minute and with 4.9 seconds remaining, they had an opportunity to send the game to overtime with a faceoff in the offensive zone. The Spitfires won the draw, but their quick one-timer could not connect.
Once time ran out, Assabet shed their gloves and helmets and celebrated their achievement.
Following their win, one thing was certain: Assabet was very excited to be headed to Florida in the spring.
"This is my second year with Assabet, and both years we've gone to nationals. I'm excited with this great group of kids to go out there again," Murphy said.
First Star: (F) Nuala Gibbs
Gibbs broke the tie, scoring the go-ahead goal in the second period.
Gibbs seemingly was everywhere on the ice, always finding a way to make an impact all game. From deflections to stout defense at the point, the Lawrence Academy forward was the game’s biggest impact player.
Second star: (D) Madelyn Murphy
Murphy did the dirty work all game long — diving in front of passes, playing the puck nicely along the boards, and making contributions on the penalty-killing unit. Without Murphy on the ice, Assabet Valley would have had a much tougher time keeping the Spitfires' power play unit under wraps. It will not show up on the stat sheet, but Murphy's defensive performance was key to Assabet Valley's success.
Third star: (D) Abigail DeAnzeris
The lone goal-scorer for the Spitfires, DeAnzeris showcased great puck control all day long. Her two-way performance Sunday afternoon gave the Spitfires a shot to win it late, both shoring up their defense and providing a spark offensively.
