Spartan girls hockey routs Framingham

LYNN – Was there any thought that the Framingham girls hockey team, ranked 17th in the Division 1 tourney, would pull off an upset similar to the Giants beating the Patriots against the top-rated and unbeaten St. Mary’s squad last night in first round play?Um?no.The Spartans controlled the action right from the opening faceoff (outshooting the Flyers 47-10), erupting for five goals in the middle stanza to knock Framingham out of the playoffs, 8-0. Forward Courtney Winters helped matters with a hat trick.St. Mary’s reward for the victory is a date with Boston Latin this weekend at the Watertown Rink.The Spartans peppered Flyers goalie Casey Curran right from the get-go, attacking the Framingham end relentlessly. Winters was robbed at point-blank range by Curran in the early going. Framingham’s (10-9-2) Brooke Guertin had a chance moments later to do some damage, rifling a slap from the right point, but the shot was gloved by Spartans goalie Kelsey Magrane to keep the game scoreless.St. Mary’s opened up the scoring late in the period. The Spartans were handed a power play advantage, and stormed the Framingham end. A slap by defenseman Alex Smith sailed wide of the net, but deflected off the back boards right to teammate Michelle Golden, positioned perfectly at the left of the goal. She got the rebound and stuffed the puck past Curran for a 1-0 St. Mary’s edge.”I think that in the first period, the kids were both nervous and excited because of the tourney,” said St. Mary’s coach Frank Pagliuca. “But once we settled down, we got good results. We did a good job identifying the puck carrier and putting good pressure on her.”The Spartans (22-0-0) didn’t waste much time once the periods changed in adding to their scoring. The team continued its intensity from the opening stanza, capped off when defenseman Caitlin Gottwald’s slap was tipped past Curran by teammate Sabrina Iannetti less than 90 seconds in to increase the score to 2-0.St. Mary’s again went on the power play midway through the stanza, and added to its total soon after. With 44 seconds remaining with the man advantage, forward Abby Gauthier beat Curran with a short wrist shot that gave the team a 3-0 lead.And then it was time for the Winters show. The winger netted her first score, wheeling around the net, coming out to the goalie’s right, and beating Curran with a wrist shot low for a 4-0 lead.Late in the frame, she took a pass from teammate Susan Hennessy, and bested Curran to the short side to increase the score to 5-0. Gottwald soon added a score of her own with 13 seconds remaining for the fifth and final score of the stanza.”Our shot selection was better in the second period than in the first,” Pagliuca added. “In the first, we were just shooting to shoot and not to score. (Courtney) Winters had a great game, as she was just so consistent throughout.”Winters completed her hat trick within the first minute of the final period, and Bridget Donovan closed the scoring midway through, as her shot trickled past Curran.