The Andover Girls Hockey Team traveled to Dedham this week to take on an undefeated Nobles team. The Nobles Bulldogs, favorites in the upcoming New England tournament, defeated the Big Blue 6-2. Although the opposition outscored Andover 3-0 in the first period, the Girls in Blue immediately made adjustments and improved their play throughout the remainder of the game. Yet, with five minutes to go in the second period, Andover penalties allowed Nobles to slip two more in the net in a span of just thirty seconds. Amidst the Bulldog barrage, sophomores Julie Wadland and Melissa Tetreau highlighted the Andover effort with one goal apiece. To rid Nobles of their shutout, Lindsay Moramarco ’06 fed Tetreau the biscuit and she slapped it top shelf. For Andover’s second goal, Julie Wadland, last in a series of crisp coast to coast consecutive passes, chipped a low shot past the Nobles goalie. Paying no attention to the score, netminder O’Hara Shipe ’04 recorded thirty-eight saves and held her ground in the net. Furthermore, defenders Brenda Jones ’04, Audrey Deguire ’04, and Meg Montecalvo ‘06 helped the team shut down the Bulldog offense in the third period. Despite the opponent’s scoring parade early on, the Lady Blue showed their ability to compete with a very talented Nobles team. Nevertheless, the lack of shots and high number of penalty minutes made it difficulty for the Big Blue to come back from a 6-2 deficit. Highly supportive assistant coach Caroline Odden said, “Obviously it’s tough to loose by such a margin, however we have such talent, and it was clear especially on the series that led to Wads goal in the second period, possibly one of the best of the season.” The girls look forward to the possibility of a rematch against Nobles in the near future. On a more positive note, the girls dominated Northfield Mount Hermon last Friday in a terrific team effort. Marissa Hudson ’04 and Brenda Jones ’04 contributed three assists between them. Nikki Crocker ‘05, Lauren Seno ‘05, and Tetreau each scored one goal. Teammates praised the efforts of underclassmen sensations Lindsay Moramarco ‘06 and Megan Shea ’07, who both picked up hat tricks. Moramarco received excellent passes from Jones and Deguire on her first and second goals of the evening. Montecalvo applauded the efforts of both girls, “Both Lindsay and Megan established themselves as valuable assets to our team.” Referees limited the action with a high number of penalties for both Andover (9) and NMH (13). Andover did not allow this strict officiating to break their rhythm, skating to an 11-0 victory over the NMH Hoggers. Even though the individual performances of Moramarco and Jones were impressive, the squad has found the most success as a whole. Seno emphasized, “The team plays so well as a single unit; a lot of different players, even the occasional defender scores, and this year especially, the team is so strong in personality.” Each week different skaters contribute to the overall success of this hockey team. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Andover Girls hockey team hopes to improve their record and earn a berth in postseason play.
