PEABODY — When the Bishop Fenwick girls hockey team needed it most Sunday morning, its power play came through, leading the way to a 2-1 win over Oakmont on senior day at McVann-O’Keefe Rink.
The Crusaders controlled play for most of the day but found themselves in a 1-1 tie on a 5-on-3 advantage with just over five minutes to play. Fenwick drew up the look they wanted during a timeout and executed it perfectly, with Abbey Millman’s go-ahead goal becoming the eventual game winner.
“We saw a few times that we had some openings down low,” Crusaders’ coach John Kasle said. “We wanted to win the draw and get the puck back up top to our defenseman in the middle (Grace Morey) and then slide it right back to where it came from. Get your head up, walk in and either shoot, which (Millman) did and it worked out, or look for the off wing on the back door. We had sort of seen that as the day was going on so we just wanted to emphasize that.”
Finishing with a goal on the power play was just what Fenwick needed from a unit that had moved the puck well but lacked production on the day.
“Sometimes they have to realize it’s more than just moving the puck,” Kasle said. “It would be nice to shoot and score the goal. We need to work on that end product I guess if that’s the way to put it. We have some skilled kids, we believe in them and I think they do a good job. We just have to score better down low.”
The Spartans made some huge improvements since the Crusaders last saw them in December (a 5-0 Fenwick win). Oakmont goalie Mackenzie Donoghue totaled 31 saves in the loss.
“We missed some chances but their goalie played well,” Kasle said. “I thought we had outplayed them, but to Oakmont’s credit they’re an improved team. They were coming off two wins in a row and we knew that coming in. Oakmont played hard, so congratulations to them.”
Fenwick went on the offensive early but had nothing to show for it despite out shooting the Spartans 11-2 in the first period.
The Crusaders finally cashed in midway through the second. Gabby Davern’s slap shot went wide of the Oakmont goal but bounced back out front of the net off the boards where Lauren Diranian was able to chip it in and give Fenwick a 1-0 lead.
The rest of the second was filled with penalties on both sides. Both teams had brief 5-on-3 advantages, but neither could capitalize.
Oakmont got the bounce it needed when Heather McHatton’s shot from the point was deflected by Hannah Seymour and slipped past goaltender Cailyn Wesley to tie the game at 1-1 midway through the third.
Things stayed tied until Fenwick’s 5-on-3 chance. Morey slid a pass to Millman in the right faceoff circle and her goal put the Crusaders back out front, 2-1.
Fenwick kept up the pressure over the final few minutes, preventing Oakmont from pulling Donoghue and sealing the win.
“Overall we’re happy,” Kasle said. “Things are good and we’re moving in the right direction. We have a couple games left and now we’re starting to think about the tournament too.”
The Crusaders (11-4-3) will have some time off before visiting Medford/Malden Saturday (2).
