BOSTON — Medfield's Cinderella run got its storybook ending.
The No. 13 Warriors capped off an improbable tournament run with a 3-0 shutout of No. 6 Milton for the MIAA Division 2 girls crown, their first title in program history. No one faced a tougher road than Medfield, who beat the first, fourth, fifth and sixth seeds en route to a title.
Senior captain Maeve Kelly, junior forward Genna McDonald and freshman forward Anne Flippo each scored. Junior goalie Kamryn Perachi pitched a 34-save shutout for the Warriors.
Kelly opened the scoring just 1:18 into the game. The forward stole the puck out high, danced into the slot and put a shot on net. Milton freshman goalie Caera Hart made the initial pad stop, but the rebound jumped right to Kelly, who buried it.
GIRLS BRACKETS:Â Division 1Â |Â Division 2
Medfield never looked back.
The Wildcats pushed and mounted chances with junior forward Sabrina Stone at the center of it, but they couldn't solve Perachi.
McDonald doubled the lead with 4:44 to go in the second. After a broken exit for Milton coming out of the zone, Medfield senior captain Brooke Reilly forced a turnover and drove back in on a 2-on-1. Reilly slipped a feed to McDonald, and she put it past Hart, who got a piece of it.
The Warriors survived multiple penalty kills in the third, holding Stone and the rest of the Wildcats at bay before Flippo iced it with an empty-netter. The freshman forced a turnover at center ice, won a footrace and scored from a tough angle for the 3-0 final with 46 seconds left.
CHAMPS: Hingham beats Bishop Stang for Division 1 girls crown
The win puts the finishing touches on a big finish to the season for Medfield, who won five in a row to win the title after going 2-5-0 to finish the regular season.
Here are some quick takeaways from the game.
1. What a run by Medfield. That was a hell of a road they had to face, going through some of the very best teams in Division 2 and even the state, whether it was No. 4 Algonquin, No. 5 Burlington, No. 6 Milton and especially No. 1 Westwood. They allowed just three goals in five tournament games, shutting out Westwood, Milton and No. 20 Hopkinton along the way. The Warriors had a strong defensive effort in this one, bending but not breaking. They got big saves and were opportunistic, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on their chances. They forced a turnover on each of their three goals.
BOYS BRACKETS:Â Division 1Â |Â Division 2Â |Â Division 3Â |Â Division 4
2. A major hat tip to Perachi, who was strong from the jump. She had Stone's number from the start, making a big stop on her in the opening moments as she got a partial break. She got a piece of a Grade-A look for Milton senior Molly Murphy in the slot on one of the Wildcats' best looks of the night. Perachi was at her best in the third, standing tall amid frantic sequences around the crease, tracking pucks and keeping good angles.
3. Stone was everywhere for Milton. She was arguably the best player on the ice. She was sharp from the jump, powering by the defense and protecting the puck for a partial break and chance in tight. After Medfield opened the scoring, Stone tried to go top shelf in tight, but Perachi held the post. She had a golden chance moments later off a feed from Nayeli Thayer in the slot, but the shot barely missed. Stone played with pace and drove to middle ice constantly, drawing a hooking call in the second. She also made a big defensive play, down 1-0 in the first, diving to swipe a loose puck out of the crease.
