Sports

Girls Hockey Still Searching for Offensive Spark in Both Losses; Fromkin ’09 Provides Back-to-Back 50-Plus Save Efforts

Captain Kate Foley ’08 ripped a shot from the blue line late in the third period against Tabor Academy on Wednesday to narrow Tabor’s lead to 2 – 1. Unfortunately Andover couldn’t come up with an equalizing goal and Tabor pulled off a one-goal victory. Andover came out strong against Tabor and played well defensively, keeping the score at 0 – 0 until only a minute left in the second period. At that point the puck was won back to Tabor’s defenseman at the point, who was perfectly situated to score a one-timer. Alissa Fromkin ’09 saw around 50 shots, and played a great game, keeping the score down and keeping Andover in the game. However, Fromkin couldn’t stop the well-positioned shot, and Tabor jumped out to the lead. As the game progressed, Andover had trouble breaking the puck out of the defensive zone throughout the game. Andover often found itself having to ice the puck, and the team wasn’t able to develop a rhythm throughout much of the game. Tabor had a strong but low fore-check, which Andover used to its advantage to generate odd–man rushes when it was finally able to beat Tabor forwards. “We were not able to connect on our passes through the neutral zone during the game as well as we would have hoped,” said Kaitlyn McInnis ’09. After Tabor scored the game’s second goal, Andover finally found its flow on offense. Andover finished the game in the offensive zone, close to capitalizing and tying up the score. “If only we had had five more seconds left in the game, we might have scored,” said Lindsay Newman ’09. Pulling its goalie, Andover tried to create a man-up advantage. However, a bad break caused Andover to take a penalty with thirty seconds left in the game. Being able to put only four players on the ice against Tabor’s five, Andover hustled, determined to create even more opportunities for itself. Winning the face-off with three seconds left in the game, Andover had possession of the puck, but only long enough to hear the buzzer. Throughout the third period, the team moved the puck well in the offensive zone, generating shots from the point and the slot. Tabor’s goalie succeeded in limiting rebounds and forced Andover to shoot from difficult positions. “I thought the team played really well. We were aggressive and played really hard with poise and confidence,” said Kaitlin Gaiss ’09. Facing Brewster Academy on Monday at home, the Andover played a tough first two periods, keeping the score at 0–0. However, early on in the third period, Brewster capitalized on a scramble in front of the net to beat a screened Fromkin. Only minutes later in the third period, Brewster found the back of the net again to make the score 2-0. Fromkin played a great game, facing 57 shots against her. “The team just needs to generate more offense,” said Fromkin. Although Captain Stephanie Clegg ’08 found the post in the third period, Andover could not put itself on the scoreboard. Recently, Andover has lost a lot games to equal competition. “The inability to come through and shoot when the opportunity is there has made the biggest difference in the games,” said Team Manager Kyle Rogers ’09. “Despite the lopsided shot tally, Andover played well for much of the game,” said Assistant Coach Chad Green. Despite excellent defensive play and strong goal-tending by Fromkin, Andover has struggled to put together a winning streak. Goals have been tough to come by recently for Andover, contributing to the disappointing losses. Andover hopes to bounce back from its losing streak when the team takes on Governor’s Academy on Friday night. Governor’s Academy’s record currently stands at 11-2. Governor’s is considered to be one of the top teams in New England and will provide a tough test for Andover.