HINGHAM – It’s not always how you start that matters, but how you finish.
St. Mary’s (Lynn) was a prime example of that on Wednesday in the Hingham Girls Hockey Showcase as it erased a slow start via a three-goal final frame, propelling the Spartans towards a 4-2 victory against Arlington at the Pilgrim Arena.
“We weren’t looking to go to the net and attack,” said head coach Frank Pagliuca of his lockeroom talk after a scoreless second period controlled by the speed of Arlington and contained by the goalkeeping of junior Lauren Vacarro.
“We were waiting too long. I told them if we got a lane, we have to be aggressive because Arlington is a good skating team and they close in really quick.”
St Mary’s (15-3-1) took the information from their coach and applied it in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
All it took was 35 second in the third period as junior Codi Butt one-timed a pass by sophomore Zoe Solomons to snag a 2-1 advantage. Four minutes later, the Spartans widened the lead when freshman Makayla McGrath recovered a shot off the pads of the Arlington (9-6-3) keeper, before trickling the return through the five-hole to become the third non-senior to score for the youthful Spartans.
“Getting them to play consistent is the key. We had a lull the past couple of games but today I saw that consistency get back. It’s about confidence with this bunch. I think that helps their game a lot because there is skill there, they just gotta play consistent,” Pagliuca said about his young roster with more middle schoolers than seniors.
Despite the two-goal deficit, Arlington kept coming until the final horn in regulation, but were continually held off by Vacarro between the pipes and the solid defense in front. With 28 seconds left, the Spartans closed it out for good when Butt notched her second tally of the game on the empty-netter.
“There were games this year where we have been in that same situation. It’s a credit to them to learn from past mistakes, settle down, manage the puck and make good decisions, and the result was positive so it’s good to see that,” Pagliuca said about fashion his team closed the contest.
St. Mary’s (L) 4, Arlington 2
St. Mary’s (15-3-1) - 1 0 3 4
Arlington (9-6-3) - 1 0 1 2
1st Period
SM – Aylah Cioffi (6:21), ast by Rose Callahan
AR – Julia Finney (10:48), ast by Olivia Benoit
3rd Period
SM – Codi Butt (00:35), ast by Zoe Solomons
SM – Makayla McGrath (4:06), ast by Kate Grey
AR - Shea O’Day (8:53), unassisted
SM – Butt (14:32), ast by Kelsey Sullivan
SAVES
SM – Lauren Vacarro (21)
AR - Jordan Toomey (19)
