FRAMINGHAM — From the opening puck-drop of Sunday’s Division 1 Final 4 matchup between No. 2 St. Mary’s and No. 11 Archbishop Williams, Bella Freitas of the Spartans was looking for what every goal-scorer looks for: time and space.
Well, in overtime of a 1-1 game – and a trip to TD Garden on the line – the Catholic Central League’s Most Valuable Player saw what she was looking for.
Freitas picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, leaving just her and one defender. With a few strides and a flick of the wrist, the right-handed sniper ended it, giving St. Mary’s a 2-1 victory.
She admitted that Archbishop Williams goalie Maggie Shea (16 saves) got her the previous time.
“I attempted it once. It didn’t work out and I shot high,” Freitas said. “I knew I had to switch it up and I saw that little area below her glove. It obviously went in, so that was great.”
As was her performance, from beginning to end. Freitas made her zone entries look effortless, and recorded three shots on goal in the second period.
“Like a great player does, she elevated her game when she needed to,” said St. Mary’s coach Frank Pagliuca.
In a scoreless game with 9:19 remaining in regulation, Freitas ripped one from the left face-off dot that was tipped in by Alyssa Norden in front of the net (1-0).
“I definitely think that first goal picked us up and got us some momentum going,” Freitas said. “It gave us lots of confidence, and we knew it wasn’t going to end there.”
She was right. Just a minute later, Archbishop Williams found its equalizer on a rebound that got by goalie Gianna Tringale (36 saves).
However, Tringale’s been in the spotlight before.
“You just have to wash it off,” she said. “I trust my team. I knew we could do it.”
And they did, punching their ticket to Causeway Street next Sunday against Notre Dame (Hingham) (TBD).
“Very excited,” Freitas said about going to The Garden. “It’s going to be my first time. I watched last year and was like, ‘I really want that to be me.’”
Freitas may have ended the game, but Tringale kept the Spartans in it. The netminder began the game with three saves in two minutes, and was near-perfect the rest of the way through tips, scrums, and snipe attempts.
“Gianna was outstanding,” Pagliuca said. “And we needed some senior leadership. She stepped up and elevated her game. That was the best game she’s played – by far – this postseason.”
A team with no seniors, Pagliuca credited Archbishop Williams, adding “They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
“They gave us everything they had. I thought they outplayed us for two periods, honestly,” Pagliuca said. “They made it hard on us with their speed and forced a lot of turnovers.”
But despite being outplayed, “It doesn’t matter,” according to Pagliuca.
“Win the game, and we’re happy we did,” he said. “Don’t sit back; go for it. If we’re going to go out, we’re going to go out being aggressive.”
And now, top-seeded Notre Dame awaits as the opening face-off across the spoked-B is just days away.
“For us to get back to The Garden, it’s a tremendous accomplishment for them,” Pagliuca said. “And we know what we’re getting in Notre Dame… I expect both teams to be ready to go.”
When asked if the moment hit her yet, Tringale was all smiles.
“No, not really,” she said. “I’m so excited.”
