Sarah Marcotte ’13 snuck a wrist shot past the outstretched glove of the St. Paul’s goalie last Saturday to give Andover Girl’s Hockey the early 1-0 lead in the first period on Saturday. That score held until the final whistle as Andover earned its second win of the season. Andover played a clean game for a full sixty minutes against St. Paul’s. Mid-way through the first period, Ann Doherty ’11 took the puck up the boards, skated behind the back of the net, and passed to Marcotte at the high slot. Marcotte was then able to receive the pass and score her goal for the lead. One of the aspects of Saturday’s game that made Andover especially advantageous was its ability to play disciplined, clean hockey. The team drew no penalties, so it always played at full strength. Net minder Sarah Schuchardt ’11 was fantastic in the game, turning aside every shot that came her way, earning the shutout with the help of defenders Doherty, Mari Walsh ’11, Amy Morin ’14 and Alex Donovan ’13. “The game was a very exciting game because it was a real turnaround from how we had been playing earlier in the season. We could really see our hard work from practice paying off,” said forward Nat Sohn ’11. Andover had another exciting game the following Wednesday, as it held a 2-1 lead into the third period, but ultimately surrendered the lead and lost 5-2 to a talented Lawrence Academy team. Captain Kellie Walsh ’11 lit up the lamp just minutes into the first period, as she scored on a rebound of a Mari Walsh shot. This goal gave Andover a 1-0 lead. Lawrence fought back just minutes later, evening the score at 1. Toward the end of the first period, Mari Walsh ’11deked out the goalie and slipped the puck past the goalie to put Andover up 2-1 going into the first intermission. Andover’s defense held Lawrence at bay throughout the entire second period. The team almost took a two-goal lead when a Mari Walsh goal was called back because the referee blew the whistle just a split second before the puck trickled into the net from under the goalie. Both teams went scoreless in the period, and Andover returned in the third with a 2-1 advantage. “Being ahead 2-1 for the first two periods was incredible. We were playing some of our best hockey this season. We had some great shots on goal, which really challenged the goalie,” said Sohn. However, Andover struggled in the third period. Despite drawing many penalties out of frustration, Lawrence battled back with four unanswered goals to claim a 5-2 win. Andover was also outshot 45-13 in the game. Said Captain Kellie Walsh, “It’s hard to win a game when you’re outshot by that great a margin.” Despite the loss, Andover played well in the first two periods. The break outs and neutral zone coverage that the team has been practicing has greatly improved, which has allowed for more scoring opportunities and more consistent defense. Concluded Sohn, “If we play with the energy we played with today–especially during the first two periods–there will be a lot more wins for us in the future.” Andover will next travel to square off against St. Mark’s this coming Saturday.
