To most, it seemed as if Andover would not be able to handle Westminster, the league powerhouse from Connecticut, this Wednesday. Westminster came into the game with an impressive 15-3-1 record and as the only team to halt the supposedly unstoppable Nobles. Andover thought differently, however. Despite the 2-1 loss, Lauren Glynn ’10 netted Andover’s only goal of the day in the second period in the teams’ most intense and hard fought battle of the year. For most of the first period, Andover and Westminster played evenly, and it was still a toss up as to who would come out on top. With time dwindling in the period, Westminster scored the game’s first goal off a rebound, putting them on top 1-0. Andover went into the locker room after the first, determined to put up a fight and set fire to their offense. They had to get momentum back in their direction to stop Westminster from pulling away. Andover did just that. With three minutes left in the second, one of Andover’s 13 shots found the back of the net to bring the game to a 1-1 tie. Glynn stood just left to the net and scored the lone goal, thanks to passes from Kaitlyn McInnis ’09 and Ann Doherty ’11. After fighting a scoreless battle for the remainder of the second period, Andover entered the third period with high hopes. Five minutes and seven seconds into the third, however, Westminster delivered a devastating blow to Andover with a goal off of a deflection. Andover refused to give up, however, until the final whistle. In last second of the game, the offense generated what was thought to be a goal, only to have it called back upon review by the referees. As coaches, players, and even managers jeered at officials, all that could be done was to shake hands with their opponents and leave it all on the ice. “It was a battle. Every period we fought hard and left it all out there. It always hard to lose a game like this, but we fought until the end,” said Katie Riley ’10. Even more tragic for Andover was that a win in this game would have almost guaranteed a playoff birth, which now looks grim. This loss comes after a Friday offensive blowout at Milton, in which Andover put up four goals. A minute and a half into the first, Riley scored, assisted by Kyleigh Keating ’10 and captain Lindsey Newman ’09. McInnis added her own goal with 3:17 left, assisted by Keating and Doherty. A scrappy bundle of energy, Kellie Walsh ’11 scored her first goal of the year shortly into the second period off a pass from Glynn. Minutes later, Mari Walsh ’11 scored off another assist from Glynn. On the day, Glynn and Keating both had two points. The defense also played with vindication, allowing only 17 shots on the day, all of which Goalie Alissa Fromkin ’09 halted. The shutout was Fromkin’s eighth of the year in the 4-0 victory. On Saturday, Andover will face Exeter at its home rink.
