Spartan girls feature strength on defense

The St. Mary?s girls hockey team is justifiably proud of its status as an elite program. The Spartans? five State Championships since 2005 set them apart from all others in the state.However, that celebration on the TD Garden ice following last March?s State Division 1 championship shootout victory against league rival Arlington Catholic may as well have been 10 years ago as 10 months ago.Veteran coach Frank Pagliuca?s teams excel at focusing on the task immediately before them, reducing the schedule to one-game seasons. This year will be no different.?We have turned the page from last year. The team this year is different from last year. We have new players trying to earn a spot and returners trying to prove themselves. We understand that we will get every team?s best effort so we need to be physically and mentally prepared every time we hit the ice,” Pagliuca said.There is no doubt this year?s edition will have a different feel to it, building from the goal out behind senior goaltender Lauren Skinnion, who had a 1.25 GAA in four tournament starts, and senior defenseman Tatiana Doucette (15 points).?Lauren was outstanding last season and put herself on the map as a premier goaltender in the state. Tatiana is one of the top defensemen in the state, a puck-moving defenseman that has worked hard to improve her overall game,” Pagliuca said.Steady senior Amanda Donahoe (9 points), skilled sophomore Vanessa VanBuskirk (3-8-11) and freshman Ashley Wojewodzic, who logged plenty of time as an eighth-grader, round out an intact corps of seasoned defensemen.Pagliuca said the primary defenders are well complemented by responsible forwards that are “very disciplined, especially in our defensive zone.”The offense will require time to find its identity. Only five seniors graduated from last year?s 19-3-4 team, but forwards Alison Butler, Kaleigh Finigan and Gabby Crugnale took roughly 80 percent of the offense with them.Sophomore Samantha Callahan (10-8-18) is the Spartans? top returning scorer and will look to build off a strong freshman campaign. Senior Jacqueline Murphy will take on an expanded role and freshman Sarah Ryan showed promise as an eighth-grade regular.?We need to work on playing with confidence around the net and shooting with a purpose. We need to play disciplined hockey in all phases of the game and finish our scoring opportunities,” Pagliuca said.Pagliuca said Arlington Catholic is “loaded with quality players” and the clear favorite in Division 1 this season.?I believe we play in one of the toughest leagues in the state. Austin Prep is most improved and Archbishop Williams will be a very dangerous team in Division 2,” he said.In addition to its league schedule, St. Mary?s will tackle its typically ambitious non-league slate against powers such as Hingham (twice), Notre Dame of Hingham (twice), Fontbonne (twice) and Woburn as well as facing regional tests against Beverly/Danvers and Winthrop/Lynn.The goal is clear – to qualify for postseason play, one game at a time.