PEABODY — It’s been a long time coming, but the Bishop Fenwick girls hockey team finally got over the hump in its annual battle with cross-town rival Peabody/Lynnfield, picking up a 2-0 victory on Monday afternoon to win the Carlin Cup.
“I think prior to this year the best we’d ever done in this game was a tie, so this is a really great feeling and I’m so proud of the senior class,” said Fenwick coach John Kasle. “We have a really hardworking group of girls and they came out and played really well against a strong Peabody/Lynnfield team.”
Lily Pregent netted the eventual game-winning goal just 11 seconds into the third period, while Lauren Diranian finished with one goal and one assist. Catherine Salvo had one assist.
But the player of the game was freshman goalie Ella Tucker, who made 16 saves and held the high-powered Tanners offense off the scoreboard.
“She’s really come a long way this year and it’s been great to see,” Kasle said of Tucker. “She was a good player coming in, but she’s really gained confidence and she gets out and challenges shooters, which you don’t usually see in a freshman.”
Although Peabody/Lynnfield came up empty on the offensive end Monday, the play from senior goalie Audrey Buckley (17 saves) helped keep the Tanners in the game until the end.
Fenwick came out and established its defensive prowess from the beginning, swarming around Peabody/Lynnfield star freshman Sarah Powers — who leads the league in goals, assists and total points — and not allowing her to get into open space. That, combined with a number of turnovers from the Tanners, led to a number of opportunities coming up empty.
The first two periods went by with no score on either side, as the two goalies took over the game and put on a show — especially in the final minutes of the second period.
But things changed in the third. Just 11 seconds into the period and right off of the opening faceoff, Pregent took control of the puck, moved into the offensive zone and fired a shot over Buckley’s right shoulder to break the deadlock.
The Tanners continued to push from there and even got a powerplay opportunity, but they just couldn’t find the back of the net to tie the score. After Peabody/Lynnfield pulled its goalie in the final minute, Diranian won a faceoff and scored on the empty net to seal the victory.
Peabody/Lynnfield (14-4-1) closes out the regular season Wednesday (5:15) at home against Haverhill.
Fenwick (8-8-2) will now play on the road Wednesday (3) against Bishop Stang.
“We have two more games to go, so it’ll be nice to be playing right up to the last day before the cutoff (for the state tournament),” said Kasle.
