PEABODY – When it comes to tournament hockey, you have to throw out the rankings and records. Anything can happen.
The No. 9 Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading girls hockey team, on paper, looked to be a huge favorite against No. 24 Winchester at McVann-O’Keefe Memorial Ice Rink.
But in the Division 1 Round of 32 matchup, it didn’t turn out that way as the Sachems played 45 minutes of hard-nosed, hard-hitting hockey, outshooting PLNR, 31-17, and throwing everything they could at PLNR junior goaltender Alyse Mutti who was under pressure from start to finish – scrums in the crease, a couple of shots off the pipe, and screening bodies flying all over the place.
But in the end, it was Mutti who had the upper hand, aided-and-abetted by a defense that blocked more shots than could be counted. Senior captain Catie Kampersal scored the game-winning goal in PLNR’s 1-0 win.
“You know what, pressure is a privilege,” Mutti said. “It’s motivation knowing my teammates are doing everything they can to support me. The scrums and the bodies in front, I just need to cover everything up and do my job. For that, I owe a lot of credit to my D.”
PLNR head coach Michelle Roach said tournament games are “a whole different animal.”
“We fought the puck a bit, but it was clear that Winchester was very ready to play us. They play in the Middlesex League, which is tough and, for me, that is not a No. 24 seed,” she said. “We saw them in preseason and this was a different team. It was tight with it 1-0 and we would have liked to have had a little more breathing room, but I think the big story of this game is Alyse Mutti and how she continues to accept any challenge we throw at her. She is a fantastic goalie and the backbone of the team.”
The game was fast-paced from the get-go. The referees swallowed their whistles and let the girls play for the most part, but it was clear from the start that Winchester had a little more spring in its skates. The Sachems packed it in the offensive zone and gave Mutti what might have been the most pressure she’s seen all year long.
But, it was PLNR that broke through first – and last.
Midway through the first period, Kampersal swooped along the boards toward the side of the net. She cut back in front of the net and just kept poking at the puck. She finally succeeded on the third time from a tough angle – seeing-eye style – past goalie and captain Molly Hillier at the 8:38 mark. Abby McInerney was credited with the assist.
“I had my head up and was looking for space on the ice. I saw room in the middle and cut there,” Kampersal said. “I didn’t think I had a great shot, so I put it low and it just trickled in. We were just lucky to get that one early.”
“We knew we had to get pucks to the net and you saw that on that goal. We had the initial shot and had three forwards crash the net,” Roach said. “Catie just kept digging. That was a key goal for us because we play well when we score first.”
Winchester ramped up the pressure in the second, but, again, came up empty. Things were also dicey in the third, especially after the Sachems pulled Hillier for an extra skater with 1:46 left.
With 27 seconds remaining, An icing call gave the Sachems a dangerous faceoff to Mutti’s left. Their best chance came off the stick of Josie Chang, who played the puck into a crowded crease, but PLNR, somehow, managed to prevent the Sachems from getting any sticks on the puck.
Kampersal said Mutti received the game puck – for good reason.
“Our goalie saved the game,” Kampersal said. “We had a lot of trouble protecting the slot and not picking up their girls. Our goalie was focused the entire game and saved it for us.”
Mutti, however, gave all the credit to Kampersal, the female Moynihan Lumber Student-Athlete of January.
“It’s important to score first and get the momentum on our side,” Mutti said. “That was just a huge goal for us and, thankfully, it was enough for us to win the game and move on.”
Roach highlighted the play of defensemen Mikaela O’Driscoll, Eleni Spack, and Leah Buckley.
“They played great tonight,” Roach said. “And Eleni, there was a part in that third period when she broke up a breakaway. They got the puck and she fell on it and still, while on the ice, managed to clear it. That was a very big play at that time in the game.”
Winchester head coach Tommy Scarpa had high praise for Mutti.
“Absolutely, she kept them in it,” he said.
PLNR will play the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 8 Pope Francis and No. 25 Arlington.
“I certainly would really love to play here at home in our next game, so I think you know who I am rooting for,” Roach said. “At this point, you cannot underestimate anyone by any means, so we know that no matter who we play next, it’s going to be challenging and we will have to play our best.”
