BOSTON — After a complete effort for the full 45 minutes, the Marblehead girls hockey team fell just short of a win in Saturday’s non-league contest against Brookline.
The host Warriors scored shorthanded in the first period and then on the power play in the second to secure a 2-1 victory at Boston University’s Walter Brown Arena. Eighth-grader Madison Twombley scored Marblehead’s goal 20 seconds into the third period and the Magicians held a 25-16 shooting advantage, but it was not enough against goaltender Caroline Davis and the Brookline defense.
“I think our effort was good but there were some bounces that didn’t go our way,” Marblehead coach Ryan Wood said. “We tried to persevere, but it’s tough to play catch-up when you fall behind early like that.”
Defender Cassandra Terranova scored both of Brookline’s goals.
The Magicians had some strong offensive chances in the first period, though Davis stood equal to the task on all 10 shots she faced. Brookline scored the opening goal with 6:35 to play when Terranova beat Marblehead goalie Avery Olsen with a hard shot from the center point.
Feeding off of the shorthanded goal, Brookline controlled the offensive play in the second period and put one of its eight shots past Olsen in the form of Terranova’s try on the power play after a quick rush into the zone.
“When you allow a shorthanded goal early like that, things can turn in the other direction,” Wood said. “We were down 2-0, but I was happy that our team kept at it.”
The Magicians didn’t allow the two special-teams goals to deter them. There were chances to cut into the two-goal deficit in half before the second intermission, but Davis made critical stops on Twombley’s drive to the net and then a follow-up bid by Mackenzie Walles.
After two periods of scoreless hockey, the Magicians finally broke the home team’s shutout bid on the first shift of the final frame. Twombley rushed down the left wing, cut inside and snuck a short-side backhander past Davis to cut Marblehead’s deficit to 2-1.
“We talked about trying to force that short-side goal and really take advantage of those opportunities where she can create space for herself,” said Wood. “Besides scoring the goal, she had three or four blocked shots and played great all over the ice. She brings a lot of consistency for such a young player.”
Though Marblehead was unable to find the tying goal in the waning minutes, Wood was impressed with his team’s full-length effort in the first of two games on the weekend. He also praised the play of Olsen, another eighth-grader, who stood tall in the net.
“I think she kind of weathered the storm in the second period when we got caught on a few long shifts and she made some really opportunistic stops,” Wood said. “She was solid for us today. You can’t undervalue the experience that our young goalies and young players are getting. Some eighth-graders and ninth-graders are seeing some quality time at the varsity level. Hopefully it’ll benefit us in the future.”
Marblehead defeated Auburn 2-0 Sunday at Rockett Arena. They’re back on the ice Wednesday (5) at Medford/Malden.
