In a power play late into the third period, Caroline Garrity ’15 picked up a lost puck and slapped it into the net, giving Garrity her second goal of the game and Andover Girls Hockey a 3-0 lead against Exeter.
At home in front of a massive crowd, Andover toppled Exeter in an emotional 4-0 shutout, avenging a tie earlier this season.
“Ending the season with such a big win was absolutely perfect. I can’t imagine a better way to finish out what has been a really incredible season for us as a program,” said Co-Captain Renée LaMarche ’14 in an email to The Phillipian.
Garrity started the scoring with a first period goal to put Andover up 1-0. The team almost increased its lead to two when Eliza Quigley ’15 fired a powerful slap-shot from the point late in the first period.
“We had tied Exeter earlier in the season, so I knew that we had a great chance. It would take everything we had,” said Co-Captain Amy Morin ’14. “Seeing the huge crowd and just knowing that my friends and family were all there, and just knowing that a lot of people from the school were there to support us meant a lot. It definitely got us fired up.”
She continued, “The game itself was insane, 4-0 was unheard of against any team. The fact that it was Exeter was the greatest feeling. I cannot think of a better way to go out on, and I am so proud of the team and how far we have come, and how far I know they will go next year too.”
Andover had a total of 32 shots, including a swift goal from Morgan Hollowell ’14 on a power play with assists from Anna Fucillo ’15 and Hannah Sorkin ’14 to widen the gap in the second period.
“The energy level was really high and our confidence was increasing as the game progressed,” said Nikoletta Toffoloni ’15.
Facing six Exeter players against Andover’s four, Evagelia Toffoloni sniped an empty-netter in the final minutes of the game to secure the team’s first short-handed victory.
“I couldn’t believe it went in. I feel everything was going our way this game and that goal just made me even more excited,” Eva Toffoloni said. “Every loss, and every setback during our season helped us to fix every mistake and push our hardest to win.”
LaMarche said, “I think all of us will remember this game for a very long time because the crowd was insane, the energy on the bench was unlike anything we’ve felt all season and it truly was a culmination of all of the effort we’ve put in all year.”
“As [Coach] Kate Dolan says, ‘we have setbacks so we can have comebacks’ and for us, this win against Exeter made all of the losses and frustrations we faced during the season totally worth it,” she continued.
