Following the opening faceoff won by Charlotte Welch ’18 against Exeter on Wednesday, Kelli Mackey ’15 raced into the offensive zone, beat both defenders and wrapped the puck around the sprawled Exeter goalie for her 12th goal of the year just ten seconds into the game. Despite a strong offensive performance, Andover Girls Hockey tied Exeter 2-2 in overtime.
Andover’s tie came on the heels of a solid weekend for the team, beating St. Mark’s 5-2 and Deerfield 4-0 on the road on Friday and Saturday night, respectively.
After Mackey’s goal, Andover then poured on 14 total shots in the first period to Exeter’s seven, but headed to the locker room still up only 1-0.
In the second period, Andover tacked on ten more shots to Exeter’s six, but couldn’t find the net, missing a few key opportunities. Alexa Matses ’18 was brilliant at goalie, stopping all 13 shots sent her way before exiting prior to the start of the third period due to an injury.
Exeter scored in the first minute of the third period to tie the game off a rebound. With just under five minutes left to play in the game, Charlotte Welch retook the lead for Andover off a precise feed from sister Elizabeth Welch ’18.
Andover had a chance to win, but a power play goal from Exeter with 1:42 remaining tied the score and sent the game into overtime.
“This is one I really felt like we should’ve had,” said Caroline Garrity ’15, “We outshot them, outskated them and we really felt like we put ourselves in a good position to win and it was just disappointing to see it end up as it did.”
In regulation, Andover outshot Exeter 36-19 and won about 60 percent of draws in the faceoff circle.
In overtime, the two teams were evenly matched. Exeter opened up with heavy pressure in the Andover zone, producing three quick shots before Andover took over later in the period. An Exeter penalty with 1:34 left in overtime ensured Andover would be on the attack towards the end of the game.
Andover failed to capitalize on this offensive opportunity, however, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
Captain Anna Fucillo ’15 said, “I’d like to have this one back. A few mistakes cost us a win and I think we definitely could have played better. All we can do now is just move on to the next [game].”
On Friday, Andover pounded St. Mark’s for five goals and 40 shots. The team also set a new season high with an incredible 24 shots in the second period alone.
Saturday’s game continued this pattern of offensive prowess, as Andover shut out Deerfield 4-0. The team has shown great depth as of late, as eight different players scored nine goals during the weekend. As Andover continues to push towards playoffs, it will need contributions from the entire team.
The team boasts a 11-4-2 record heading into its away game on Saturday against New Hampton.
