With 18 seconds left on the clock, Elizabeth Welch ’18 whipped a clean shot into the back of net, cutting Tabor’s lead to one goal at the end of the first period. Ultimately, Andover Girls Hockey fell to Tabor on Wednesday by a 6-3 margin. Along with a 4-3 loss to New Hampton on Saturday, the team’s record now stands at 10-6.
The first period of the game against Tabor was played with high intensity, with both teams scoring a combined seven goals. Tabor scored three goals within the first eight minutes of the game, taking an early 3-0 lead.
Kelly McCarthy ’19 said, “Tabor came out flying because of the tough 3-0 loss they had to us at the Taft Tournament earlier in the season. We got down 3-0 so soon, and that is when we knew we had to step it up.”
Andover refused to end the first period with no goals, as Elizabeth Welch scored two, and Lily Feeney ’20 added one. Tabor snuck in another goal with 50 seconds to play, closing the first period with a 4-3 lead.
In the second period, Tabor managed to outpace Andover, putting in two goals to Andover’s none. The period ended in a 5-3 deficit for Andover.
The third period followed a similar pattern, as both teams played with grit and high energy.
Andover continued making smart passes to create opportunities, but none of its shots were successful. Tabor added another goal to take a 6-3 lead, and this would ultimately remain the final score.
Captain Kaitlin Hoang ’17 said, “We need to tighten up our defensive zone coverage if we want to give up less goals. We simply cannot afford to give up so many goals because it’s hard to come back from such a deficit.”
McCarthy said, “We needed to have urgency, but Tabor had more energy, and it was hard to compete with.”
A few days earlier on Saturday, Andover squared off against New Hampton and fell just short of win in a 4-3 loss. Elizabeth Welch started off the game on a high note, scoring the first goal of the game. New Hampton followed suit and also put a goal on the scoreboard, ending the first period in a 1-1 tie.
In the second period, New Hampton scored twice to take a 3-1 lead, but Andover continued to put shots on net. Eventually, Charlotte Welch ’18 drove a shot home and reduced the deficit to one goal.
Andover kept possession over the puck at the beginning of the third period, and set up quality shots on net. Charlotte Welch scored another goal for the team to tie, but New Hampton soon came back and regained a one goal lead.
With the score at 4-3, Charlotte Welch put the puck in the back of the net as the final buzzer went off, but ultimately, the shot was determined to be after the buzzer, and Andover fell 4-3.
Anna Maniaci ’19 said, “Especially in the third period, the whole team just dug down deep and kept the puck in our zone the whole time. They had only about three shots on net. At the buzzer, Charlotte took a shot and the puck went in, but [the referees] didn’t count it because it went in just as the buzzer went off.”
Hoang said, “Everyone worked so hard, we were shutting down the other team. But we came out flying, every period we fought. New Hampton was ranked above us but we gave them a run for their money. It wasn’t an easy win for them. We were neck-in-neck for most of the game.”
Andover will look to bounce back from these two losses and secure a win against Williston on Saturday.
