Sports

Girl Skaters Destroy Rival PEA in Victory

The Andover Girls Hockey team had an opportunity to feast on its favorite meal last Saturday, with a date with Exeter. The girls enjoyed their favorite meal, raw red meat, to the tune of a 7-1 steamrolling victory. Going into the game, the Lady Blue were confident in their ability to take on the Exeter team, seeing as it had already beaten Exeter once earlier this season. The Blue played fast and furious hockey in the first period, but could not seem to find the net. Finally, with fewer than 20 seconds left in the period, PG sensation Kelly Lannan ’03 and Britney McKenna ’05 set up junior defenseman Megan Montecalvo ’06 for Andover’s first goal of the game. The girls turned it up a notch in the second period, during which they scored three goals. Lannan started the scoring early in the period when she put away a nice pass from Kate Leonard ’03 to give Andover a 2-1 lead. Exeter answered back with a goal of their own ten seconds later, showing the Lady Blue that they were not one to give up easily. Andover’s Lauren Seno ’05 immediately squashed any hopes the Big Red might have had. After Nikki Crocker ’05 and Marissa Hudson ’04 gained possession of the puck, they passed it off to Seno who fired a shot between the pipes to give the Blue a two-goal lead over their opponents. Soon after Seno’s power play, Leonard took a shot on net, only to have it blocked by the Exeter goalie. Fortunately, Melissa Tetrault ’06 was there to pick up the rebound and push the puck by the PEA goalie, making the score 4-1 to end the second period. Leonard, who tallied two assists in the first two periods, finally scored one of her own in the third period. Defenders Jenn Vanecek ’04 and Montecalvo assisted her goal. With a little under ten minutes left to play in the period, Crocker and Seno set up their line-mate Hudson for the team’s sixth goal of the game. Two minutes later, McKenna scored the Blue’s final goal, leaving the final score standing at 7-1. Saturday’s win against Exeter contributed to Andover’s playoff berth, an honor the Blue has not earned in recent history. On Wednesday, PA traveled to Loomis-Chaffee to play the Berkshire School. The Lady Blue Hockey team’s heart-breaking 3-2 loss to Berkshire, the second best team in New England, concluded what was arguably the most successful season in recent Andover history. The first period saw quality action at both ends of the net, but only Berkshire managed to capitalize. With fewer than five minutes left to play, a Berkshire forward grabbed the puck at the top of the circles and slapped a sizzler past Andover goalie O’Hara Shipe ’04. Towards the end of the period, Leonard picked up a loose puck in the Blue’s offensive end and fired a beautiful shot on net to tie the game. Although Berkshire managed to score two quick goals toward the middle of the third period, the Lady Blue still fought hard until the end of the game. With 1.9 seconds on the clock, PG standout Alex Warren ’03 made a sharp pass to McKenna, who slapped it into the back of the net. Unfortunately, not enough time remained on the arena clock for the Blue to stage the comeback they had been hoping for. Their 3-2 loss, however, is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. This year’s team deserves a lot of credit for all that they have accomplished. Three-year varsity member Hudson commented on the season, saying, “This season, we made it further than many thought possible. With the new talent that we received, our team gained confidence and respect, which causes many of us to be excited for what the future holds in store.”