MARLBORO, Mass. — Keagan Gray was there when her team needed her most, again.
Out past the top of her crease, the Boston Jr. Eagles goaltender stared down Chicago Mission forward Samantha Bonarek skating toward her in the bottom of the fourth round of the shootout.
With the game on the line, Gray (Canton, Mass.) read Bonarek the whole way making a left-pad save and lifting the Jr. Eagles to a 2-1 win in USA Hockey's 14U Tier I girls national championship.
Cassie Ling (Needham, Mass.) scored the deciding goal in the shootout, reaching around Chicago goalie Quinn Kelly to tuck a forehand bid before Gray locked it down.
That the game made it to overtime in the first place is thanks to Gray. Late in the extra frame, Chicago's Katherine Jessup broke in on a 2-on-0 with Quinn Wigmore. Jessup held until the last second and dished to Wigmore at the right post, where Gray was waiting to stone her with the right pad.
The Eagles had their backs against the wall in the third period before Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) tied it, 1-1, with less than four minutes to go in regulation. Ling won the face-off back to Joelle Burns (Winchester, Mass.), who dished to Chudzinski at the top of the offensive zone, and she scored with a knuckling wrist shot.
Wigmore opened the scoring toward the tail end of the second period on the power play, wiring a wrist shot top shelf from the left dot.
Let's dive into some standouts from the game.
Keagan Gray
Boston Jr. Eagles/Canton High, Class of 2028, G, catches left
Hometown: Canton, Mass.
Gray wasn't overly busy through regulation as the Eagles carried most of the play. But the Mission dominated most of the overtime, and that's when Gray was at her best. She was poised and calm in the face of heavy pressure. She anticipated well and was very quick moving laterally, as evidenced by one save on a left-to-right push on a penalty kill and her huge save on the 2-on-0 late. Gray was excellent in the shootout, challenging shooters and giving them almost no daylight. She finished with 13 saves and was a perfect 4-for-4 in the shootout.
Quinn Wigmore
Chicago Mission, 2010 F, right shot
Wigmore was one of the best players on the ice. She drove play for the Mission, and her line consistently generated scoring chances. Her goal was a perfect catch-and-release shot on the power play. The puck spent almost no time on her stick after she got it back from Elise Fontana, and Wigmore went top shelf with a good wrister. She had multiple other Grade-A looks, including the near game-winner, but couldn't break through again.
Maggie Chudzinski
Boston Jr. Eagles/Dexter Southfield, 4/3/2010, D, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
Chudzinski got better as the game went on after a quiet start to the first, and she had some dominant stretches of play. She was patient in transition, reading the play and letting seams open up to skate through neutral ice. She was often a one-person breakout and made smart plays in the neutral zone. The young blue-liner didn't get too cute on her equalizer, getting the puck at the point and throwing it on net. Any shot was a good one in that moment, and the tumbling puck found a way through Quinn Kelly.
Chloe Rabazzi
Boston Jr. Eagles/Burlington High, 9/2/2010, D, left shot
Hometown: Burlington, Mass.
Rabazzi was strong defending in 1-on-1's. She maintained strong gaps and read puck-carriers well, easily getting into shooting lanes and preventing chances as she used her size and reach to her advantage. In the second, she sparked a shorthanded chance for Teagan Beigel (Natick, Mass.), sending her in on a partial break with an excellent stretch pass into open space.
Lydia Kealty
Boston Jr. Eagles/Thayer, Class of 2028, F, left shot
Hometown: Norfolk, Mass.
Kealty drove offense for the Eagles. She used her size and strength to dominate 1-on-1 matchups and protect pucks in transition and in the offensive zone. It was on display in the first when she easily outmuscled a puck-carrier at center ice, drove back into the offensive zone and took it to the net for a good look. She had a strong connection with Caroline Kreuz (Worcester, Mass.).
Teagan Beigel
Boston Jr. Eagles, Class of 2029, F, left shot
Hometown: Natick, Mass.
Beigel generated chances throughout the game for the Eagles, and she was strong carrying the puck in neutral ice and in the attacking end. She rang the post in the second after getting to a loose puck at the hashmark. She had daylight high on the short side, and had her spot picked. Beigel also had a great bid shorthanded in the second, taking advantage of a change and wide open lane up ice. She took a stretch pass from Rabazzi, drove into the zone and put a quality shot on net, using a defender as a screen. It was a tricky save for Kelly.
Caroline Kreuz
Boston Jr. Eagles/St. Mark's, Class of 2028, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.
Kreuz was one of the Eagles' most impactful forwards. She drew a penalty in the first, buying time on a solo forecheck in the offensive zone. Kreuz was typically in the right places at the right times in the offensive zone, too. She got a good chance at the right circle in the second off a centering feed from Beigel. In the third, she crashed the left post on the power play, getting into a perfect spot to one-time a rebound. Kelly made a great save.
Quinn Kelly
Chicago Mission, 2010, G, catches left
Kelly will want Chudzinski's goal back after she got a piece of it with the glove, but the knuckleball was a tough shot to handle. Regardless, she was fantastic for the Mission from the jump as the Eagles poured shots on, especially in the first two periods. Kelly was strong tracking shots from distance and through traffic. She made one of her best saves toward the end of the second on a deceptive shot from Beigel on the rush, and in the third, she beat Kreuz to the post to stone her one-timer. She finished with 19 saves and went 3-for-4 in the shootout.
Cassie Ling
Boston Jr. Eagles/Needham High, Class of 2028, F, right shot
Ling was smart and effective in all three zones. She was excellent at the face-off dot all game. It paid off on Chudzinski's equalizer when she easily won the draw back to Burns, who set up Chudzinski. In the first, Ling had a great setup for Finley Kolaric from the corner, threading a dish to her through a seam for a bid at the left post that wouldn't go. In the shootout, Ling came through in the clutch with a slick finish.
Elise Fontana
Chicago Mission, 6/11/2010, D, left shot
Fontana was strong running the blue line in the offensive zone, especially on the power play. She set up Wigmore's goal off quick puck movement out high, playing pitch and catch and drifting to the middle. It drew a defender toward her and opened up a shooting lane for Wigmore. Fontana also made a massive block on Beigel in the slot with under a minute to go in overtime.
Reese Warrington
Chicago Mission, 2010, D, right shot
The Mission did a great job of limiting chances in middle ice and keeping the Eagles to the perimeter. Warrington was at the forefront of that. She did a good job blocking shots, had a good stick and forced puck carriers to the outside. She was terrific in overtime, handling forechecking pressure well, and she had a great poke check on Kreuz to prevent her from driving to the slot for a late chance.
