MARLBORO, Mass. — The Boston Americans needed all the time they could get.
Trailing 3-2 in the closing seconds with Lovell Academy trying to bleed out the clock in the corner, Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) delivered.
McCool dug the puck free from the scrum in the left corner and took it to the net, and her centering pass deflected five-hole on Peyton Scott to tie it with 7.2 seconds to go in regulation.
The Americans survived overtime to force a shootout, where Maddy Call (Dedham, Mass.) and Marie Lee (Andover, Mass.) were the heroes. Call scored the shootout's lone goal in the top of the sixth round before Lee shut the door for the 4-3 win and the Massachusetts 16U Tier 1 state title, ending Lovell Academy's bid at a repeat.
Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) and Mia MacDonald also scored for the Americans, who automatically advance to USA Hockey Nationals, which will be in Amherst, N.Y., from March 24-29.
Aubryn Monter, Remi Karsh and Annabelle Lovell (Hingham, Mass.) each scored for Lovell Academy.
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Karsh opened the scoring midway through the first with a top-shelf wrister from the left circle off the rush.
Monter doubled the lead with 1:40 to go in the first on a counter rush, putting a heavy shot on net that trickled in after Lee got a piece.
Ames got the Americans on the board with a shorthanded goal with five minutes to go in the second, intercepting a stretch pass and scoring as she got in alone.
MacDonald tied it at two apiece less than three minutes into the third, leading the rush into the offensive zone and going bar-down to the top-left corner.
Lovell restored the Lions' lead with four minutes to go on a power play when her seeing-eye wrist shot found a way through Lee.
Let's dive into nine standouts from the game.
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Maddy Call
Boston Americans/Thayer, 02/2009, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Dedham, Mass.
Call played with a ton of compete and still had plenty of legs in the third and overtime. She made plays in the neutral zone, which led to a couple of good rushes, including a 2-on-1 with McCool in the second that came up empty. In the shootout, Call scored a beauty. She got Scott to bite on her forehand pump fake before dangling to her backhand and burying it in the open goal.
Remi Karsh
Lovell Academy, 7/2/2009, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Parker, Colo.
NCAA: Yale
Karsh had a tremendous shot on her goal, overpowering Lee with a heavy, top-shelf wrister that was labeled. She used her strength to her advantage around the net and low in the offensive zone, and she created good chances throughout the game, including a bid in overtime. Karsh got the puck behind the net and swiveled to the right post, trying to stuff it home.
Aubryn Monter
Lovell Academy, 2/19/2009, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: North Ridgeville, Ohio
NCAA: Penn State
Monter was one of the best players on the ice. Her speed and compete created issues for the Americans all night. It was on full display on her goal as she flew to the left dot on the counter rush and scored. In the second, she nearly took advantage of a miscue in a shorthanded 2-on-0, intercepting Lee's clearing attempt, but the shot missed wide. Monter got another shorthanded bid in the third when she won the race for a loose puck off a clear, taking it to the net out of the corner. In overtime, Monter had a golden opportunity to win it on a breakaway after Abbey Deroeve (Charlestown, Mass.) caught an edge. Lee stoned her. Monter may have gotten the breakaway either way. That's how much of a speed mismatch there was.
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Annabelle Lovell
Lovell Academy, 2/25/2009, F/D, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.
NCAA: Minnesota
Like Monter, Lovell's speed created mismatches throughout the game. She was strong quarterbacking the power play, and it was a matter of time until she broke through, as she did a good job of getting shots through from the top of the umbrella. It was on full display on her goal. After Lee got a stick on her first shot, Lovell got another look up top, sending a low shot in that squeaked through. Lovell also had a Grade-A bid to ice it late, flying out of the penalty box for a breakaway. Lee stoned her.
Mia MacDonald
Boston Americans/Rivers, 06/2009, D, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Walpole, Mass.
MacDonald capped a great weekend with a strong showing on Sunday night. In the second, she had a great stick to break up Madeline Carey's (Braintree, Mass.) rush before giving her a bump in the corner to win the battle for the loose puck. MacDonald's goal was a thing of beauty, too. She regrouped and led a counter rush into the attacking zone with a head of steam, cut into the circle and rifled a perfect shot bar-down over the blocker. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot.
Francie Ames
Boston Americans/Nobles, 5/25/2010, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Brookline, Mass.
Ames came alive down the stretch, and it all started on her shorthanded goal. She made a great play to intercept Lovell's stretch pass before walking in alone and scoring with a low bullet off the left post and in. From there, Ames was one of the top players on the ice, driving play and creating chances on nearly every shift in the third. On the power play, she faked a one-timer and zipped a pass to Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.) at the right dot. The play was there, but it was a little too hot to handle as Burns' one-timer went by the wayside. Ames also won a key defensive zone draw in the closing seconds of the third, preventing a last-ditch shot.
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Catherine McCool
Boston Americans/Nobles, 10/2009, F, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: West Roxbury, Mass.
McCool made winning plays all weekend, and none were bigger than her equalizer, refusing to give up on the play with time winding down and the puck pinned to the boards. She caught a break when her bid banked in five-hole, but it was a reward after some strong looks earlier in the game. She had a great bid in tight early on, going backhand-forehand. In the third, her backhand hit the post in tight after a rebound popped right to her on a net drive.
Kari McKay
Lovell Academy, 4/2/2009, D, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
NCAA: Union
McKay was a terrific defensive presence all night. She was strong defending in front of the net, establishing body position and winning battles. McKay also did a great job of using her long reach to get her stick into lanes and break up plays. She had a good stick off the rush in the second to prevent a quality shot from Call before a similar play on McCool in a 2-on-1 in OT. McKay came through again later in overtime when she broke up Ames' centering feed on the power play before blocking a shot for McCool in the slot.
Marie Lee
Boston Americans/Phillips Andover, 3/6/2010, G, catches left, 5-7
Hometown: Andover, Mass.
Lee looked to have gotten pieces of Monter and Lovell's goals. She'll want those back, but otherwise, she was spectacular, making quality saves in the face of heavy pressure throughout the game. She read Lovell's breakaway late in the third perfectly, tracking her the whole way and stoning her on the backhand. Lee read Monter perfectly as well on her overtime breakaway, too, taking a good angle and making a pad save on her wrister. Lee kept it up in the shootout, too, giving shooters very little space and coming up with some tremendous stops.
