LYNN, Mass. — In one of the premier early-season matchups in girls MIAA hockey, St. Mary's knocked off Notre Dame (Hingham), 2-0, Wednesday night.
Senior defender Kasey Litwin (Swampscott, Mass.) and freshman forward Alyssa Norden (Peabody, Mass.) each scored for the Spartans. Sophomore goaltender Megan Donato (Stoneham, Mass.) earned the shutout.
After putting the Cougars on their heels for much of the opening period, SMH broke through in the closing moments. Katy Sarazen (Melrose, Mass.) won a face-off at the right circle cleanly to Litwin.
She wasted no time, stepping into a slap shot at the top of the circle that deflected in off an NDA defender.
Norden doubled the lead in the second period, pick-pocketing an NDA skater with a quick stick lift before scoring on a quick, glove-side shot from the high slot.
St. Mary's withstood a push from the Cougars late in the second and throughout the third, killing off a penalty to begin the final frame, too.
They entered the year at No. 2 in our preseason rankings after falling in the Division 1 final last season. At 4-0-0 to start the season, any worries of a retool for Frank Pagliuca's group have been squelched. SMH's young core has stepped up after losing nine seniors. The Spartans applied a ton of pressure early, forcing turnovers and creating dangerous looks.
NDA checked in at third in our rankings after they fell to eventual champion Shrewsbury in the semifinals last year. John Findley's team dropped to 2-1-0 Wednesday but still boasts a strong, experienced nucleus. The Cougars got better as the game went on, turning the tables and putting St. Mary's on its heels in the third.
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Each lived up to its billing on Wednesday.
Let's dive into some standouts from the game.
Bella Freitas
St. Mary's, Freshman, F
Hometown: Everett, Mass.
Freitas had a hat trick in her first game, and she's coming off a two-goal performance last time out. It's easy to see why she's been so effective so soon for the Spartans.
Freitas is a supremely confident player, and she made something happen each time she was on the ice. She was constantly looking to make a move to the slot and the net. She created forechecking headaches for the Cougars with her skating and tenacity. Not only did her explosiveness stand out in the offensive zone, but she also made some terrific defensive plays on the penalty kill in the second. The first saw her track down an NDA skater and deny a shorthanded bid with a quick stick lift. The other saw her make a great read to help below the dots in her own end, breaking a play up with a stick check before getting a clear. The sky is the limit for her.
Vanessa Hall
St. Mary's, 8th grade, D
Hometown: Saugus, Mass
Hall was one of our 10 skaters to watch entering the season after making a big impact as a seventh-grader last season. She lived up to the hype on Wednesday. Like Freitas, it's not hard to see Hall has oodles of confidence, making plays nearly every shift. She was unafraid to jump into the play offensively or hold the blue line. She had a Grade-A chance in the first period, cutting to the slot and protecting the puck before getting a shot away in tight. Later in the period, she did a nice job of fending off some NDA forecheckers to exit the defensive zone with possession. Hall also made some aggressive reads that paid off at the offensive blue line, forcing turnovers and hemming the Cougars in. It's crazy to think she's only in eighth grade.
Ava Larkin
NDA (Hingham), Senior, G
Hometown: Canton, Mass.
Larkin was arguably NDA's best player on balance. She was particularly busy in the first period as the Spartans started strong. Larkin denied Hall, Freitas and Keira Twomey (Melrose, Mass.) on high-danger chances in the first. She recovered quickly to make saves on second and third-chance opportunities before holding for whistles, too. The only blemishes against her came from an unlucky bounce and a terrific goal by Norden.
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Alyssa Norden
St. Mary's, Freshman, F
Hometown: Peabody, Mass.
Norden was effective on SMH's second line. She had high energy and was among several Spartans that made an impact forcing turnovers from the Cougars. That was best on display on her second-period goal. Norden made an excellent stick lift to strip the puck before flashing a quick release to beat Larkin to the glove. It was the type of play that St. Mary's had been flirting with all game with their forechecking pressure. Later in the third, Norden had a great rush that saw her gain the attacking zone with possession before shielding the puck as she worked toward the slot and got a quality scoring chance.
Megan Donato
St. Mary's, Sophomore, G
Hometown: Stoneham, Mass.
There were some pockets of play early on where it would have been easy for Donato's focus to slip as SMH dominated at the other end. But it was far from the case, rising to the challenge each time the Cougars generated chances around the crease. Donato was at her best as the Spartans protected their two goal-cushion late in the second and for most of the third. She made a nice reaction save on a low, dipping shot from the point through multiple moving bodies in the second. Donato also came up big on some slot chances for NDA's Sarah White (Hanover, Mass.) and Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.) in the second.
Sarah White
NDA (Hingham), Junior, F
Hometown: Hanover, Mass.
White drove play on NDA's top line and had a solid night on draws. One of her wins led to one of the Cougars' best looks of the night in the second on a chance for Moore. Two of White's most dangerous chances came in the second. First, she burst into the slot with tons of speed, firing a quick shot in tight and getting an offensive zone draw out of it. On an ensuing shift, she unloaded a low one-timer through traffic in the high slot, but Donato made the pad save. She's able to accelerate and get shots away quickly.
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Sarah Francis
NDA (Hingham), Senior, D
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
Like Notre Dame, I thought Francis got much better as the game went on. She tried to force some plays that weren't there early on, but she simplified things and got to her game. She made some good first passes to quickly jumpstart NDA's breakout during their late push. Nothing came of the chance, but she had a great heads-up play with a stretch pass in the second to spring the Cougars for an odd-numbered counter rush. She also flashed some nice hands on a saucer pass on the breakout in the third. Francis maintained good gaps defensively and was very strong on her stick. During one of NDA's surges, Francis aggressively held the blue line, keeping the puck in with her skate. Then she broke free for a 1-on-1 with Donato in the slot, who made a good save.
Devon Moore
NDA (Hingham), Sophomore, F
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
Moore was strong on the Cougars' top line alongside White, generating some quality looks on Donato throughout the game. One of her best chances came on a nice face-off play in the second. White won it cleanly, and Moore picked up a burst of speed with a couple of powerful strides. She made a pretty forehand-backhand move around a defender to break into the slot and get a backhander on net.
