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BOSTON -- For four long years, the Arlington Catholic seniors have sat back and watched as St. Mary's consistently held over them. On the last day of their high school careers, those seniors and their teammates finally got one back.

Natalie Flynn, Adrieana Rossini and Allyson Cunningham each scored goals and Megan Messuri came up with 25 saves as the Cougars finally got their victory over the Spartans, winning 3-1 at TD Garden to capture the Div. 1 girls hockey state championship.

"The previous times we've played them, there was that stigma that we've never beaten them and in a state championship game, there's a little bit more on the line and that stigma kind of leaves them," AC head coach Maggie Taverna said. "I think we just came out played our game and played how we've played all year and it ended up working this time."

The Cougars (21-3-1) took the ice with a ferocity and determination that belied the early morning faceoff, while their opponents were surprisingly sluggish. Flynn, the Cougars senior captain and one of the state's premier players, got things started with just under four minutes left in the first, walking down the left wing side and switching to her backhand while cutting across for the game's first goal.

"It's a team effort the whole time but I thought if we scored first we were going to win the game," said Flynn afterward. "That's all I was trying to do, just get the puck in the net first. That's what we did and we went out and won."

AC maintained its high energy start by tacking on a pair right out of the gates in the second. Freshman Rossini, who has been a breakout star of this postseason, pounced on a loose puck during a shorthanded situation and flipped a similar backhander past Spartans goalie Lauren Skinnion at 1:49.

The Cougars won the ensuing faceoff, and Cunningham appeared to be trying to set up a play by dumping the puck in. It went on net, and Skinnion made the initial stop but the trickled through the back of her pads and in just 16 seconds later.

That goal finally seemed to wake up St. Mary's, and Brittani Lanzilli showed off her amazing skating skills on a terrific end to end rush that the sophomore finished with a high, hard wrist shot at 5:39. Lanzilli tried to break loose several more times as her teammates rallied for a few minutes, but ultimately, the Spartans were unable to sustain anything long enough to make something happen.

"I just felt like we were in quicksand for most of the game to be honest with you," St. Mary's head coach Frank Pagliuca said. "We had a little spurt in the second period but I think all credit goes to AC. They were all over us, they were all over the puck. We just didn't get it going tonight."

The other big piece in preventing a Spartan comeback was the play of netminder Messuri. A sophomore transfer from Southfield School, Messuri made several more big stops the rest of the way. The best of those came with under five minutes left to play, as Lanzilli broke in and fed Gina Beth Manganiello for a wide open look from the slot, but Messuri's glove simply flashed up out of nowhere and snagged the puck from the air.



"What I love about Megan is her confidence," Taverna said. "She's a sophomore, so she's young, but at the same time she has that mentality that she doesn't want to be scored on. When she gets scored on she gets angry and it makes her shut the door even more in a sense. Where some kids are the opposite, when they scored on they just melt, and she almost gets more fired up. Today she was unbelievable. She's been unbelievable for us all season and that one glove save she made was so good. She works hard and she hates to lose, it what it comes down to. She hates to lose."

The Cougars still had to kill two penalties over the final 3:16, but they did so without allowing a shot on either, and ultimately wrapped the program's first state championship since 2007.

"It's been unreal," Messuri said. "Its surreal right now, I don't even know how to handle it. We just used our momentum really well. Getting that goal in the first period really set us off."

Added Flynn, "It's just amazing. When I was a freshman there was ten freshmen and we said we wanted to win a state championship. That was our goal. It just happens in our last game as high school players we won it. Its just amazing."

All eyes will be on the TD Garden Sunday as championships will be decided in six divisions of MIAA hockey title games.

We'll have you covered all day long, but until then, we provide to you a breakdown of each of the game and our prediction:

GIRLS’ FINALS Division 2
No. 1 Duxbury (21-0-1) vs. No. 7 Falmouth (16-4-1), 11 a.m., TD Garden
The Breakdown: If the Dragons win this game, they make a strong argument that they were the strongest girls’ hockey team in the state, regardless of division, with the potential for an undefeated season. As any strong hockey squad goes, the Dragons are built from goal out with sophomore goaltender Rachel Myette (0.91 GAA) looks for her second state title in as many seasons as starter. Duxbury’s blue line corps is regarded as the deepest in the state, led by ESPN Boston Ms. Hockey contender Martha Findley (4-19-23). Of course, Duxbury has plenty of offensive firepower to go along with their strong defensive play with junior forwards Hannah Murphy (18-27-45) and Lily Connolly (18-20-38) as leading scorers. Falmouth has been one of the stories of the tournament, making a run behind first-year head coach Erin Blood. The Clippers have also received strong play from a young goaltender in freshman Maddie Scavotto (1.26 GAA). Falmouth is also deep and experienced on the blue line with senior captain Brenna Callahan and junior Alexx Good. The Clippers have received scoring punch from a pair of freshman forwards in Kelly Ferreira (13-9-22) and Madison Haberl (11-12-23).

The Pick: The defending Division 2 champion Dragons spent half the season as the No. 1 team in our poll. We’re not about to go against them now. Duxbury, 4-1.

Division 1 No. 3 St. Mary’s (Lynn) (21-3-1) vs. No. 4 Arlington Catholic (20-3-1), 9 a.m.
The Breakdown: If two regular season meetings between these Central Catholic powers weren’t enough, we get a rubber match for all the marbles on Sunday. The Lady Spartans came away with two wins in the teams’ regular season series, including a defining 5-2 decision by St. Mary’s on Feb. 1 after they’d been upset by crosstown rival Winthrop/Lynn. Can’t underscore the coaching in this game enough, as Frank Pagliuca has turned in perhaps his finest performance behind the bench and Maggie Taverna has vaulted the Cougars back onto the state’s biggest stage in Year One. Taverna has been helped by one of the state’s most dynamic scorers in senior Natalie Flynn (19-15-34). Adrieana Rossini (8-14-22) has also come up with some huge postseason goals. On the blue line, AC has one of the state’s best in senior Rebecca Zappala. First-year transfers Kaleigh Finigan (30-goal season) and Brittani Lanzilli (25-28-53) have not disappointed while Alison Butler (team-leading 61 points) has taken a huge step forward. The Spartans blue line is airtight with preseason All-Stater Rachel Donahoe leading the group. Lauren Skinnion (7 SO) has been strong as a first-year starter in nets.

The Pick: Third time’s a charm? Not so. Spartans are too strong. St. Mary’s, 4-2.

BOYS’ FINALS Division 3
Medway (19-6-1) vs. Hudson (21-1-1), 1:30 p.m.
The Breakdown: This marks the return of one of the state’s great public hockey programs to its biggest stage in Hudson (seriously, look it up), with the Hawks making their first state finals appearance since 1978, when they took the Div. 1 title from Burlington. The Central sectional champions are strong up front with a trio of 30-point scorers in seniors Tyler Kirby, Tim Murphy and Blake Seymour. The Mustangs are paced by one of the state’s top snipers in Jake O’Rourke (43-13-56). This matchup will also feature two of most dominant D3 goalies in the state with Hudson junior Shane Barry and Medway junior Mike Narducci facing off with sub-2.00 goals against averages.

The Pick: We’re going with the storyline and perhaps the most consistent D3 team throughout the season. Hudson, 3-2.

Division 2 Wilmington (15-4-5) vs. No. 1 Franklin (19-2-3), 3:30 p.m.
The Breakdown: This might be the most intriguing matchup of the day. Both of these teams were among four Division 2 teams on the Mass. Hockey Coaches Association’s initial Super 8 Watch list a month ago and haven’t disappointed in the tournament. Franklin was here a year ago, when they had their hearts broken by Tewksbury in an overtime stunner. Many observers, including us, had last season pegged as the Panthers’ opportunity to break a nearly three-decade long drought, but Chris Spillane has showed why he’s one of the state’s premier coaches. It also hasn’t hurt that Franklin has received tremendous senior seasons from Adam Hall (17-25-42) and Nick Bertoni (25-15-40). Sophomore netminder Mike Donadio (1.64 GAA) has been a revelation. The Wildcats offense has taken off since Cam Owens’ (14-19-33) return to the lineup, while senior captain Dalton Rolli (9-16-25) is an underrated two-way presence. Junior forward Jake Rogers (12-6-20) has come up with some timely goals in the postseason. Sophomore netminder Drew Foley (1.69 GAA) has played his best when it’s counted most, carrying a three-plus game shutout streak into the Wildcats’ North sectional final with Winthrop.

The Pick: The last time the Panthers hoisted the trophy Coach Spillane skated. Unfortunately for the hockey hotbed, this isn’t the year either. Wilmington, 2-1 (OT).



Division 1 Burlington (17-2-6) vs. Milton (19-3-3), 8:15 p.m.
The Breakdown: The Red Devils pulled off a tough feat, bouncing back from a Super 8 play-in game loss (and a very competitive one at that) to pull themselves into the D1 championship. The Middlesex League champions have plenty of speed to burn, and senior assistant captain Trevor Cimino (17-22-39) is about as good a two-way forward as you’ll find. Along with Joe Berardi (22-13-35), Brett Romkey (17-3-20) and C.J. Grinnell (6-14-20), Burlington can score in piles. We’ve also come away impressed by their defensive corps led by Steve Mattos, in addition to Cody Crocker, Adam Crowley and Brien Diffley. The Wildcats ran the Bay State League gauntlet in the South sectional tournament to get to the Garden. Paul Curran (26-33-59) is one of the best pure scorers in the state, and along with top-liners Brian Higgins (23-29-52) and Terrance Walsh (16-33-49), Milton provides matchup problems. Blue-liner John Murtagh is a rock, logging boatloads of ice time, and senior netminder Jay Hankard is peaking at the right time

The Pick: Red Devils are simply too potent, but they’re the pick mostly because of the way they’re playing defensively right now in front of Derek DeCastro. Burlington, 6-3.

Division 1A No. 5 BC High (13-6-5) vs. No. 1 Malden Catholic (19-1-4), 6 p.m.
The Breakdown: After beating another Catholic Conference rival, St. John’s Prep, to advance to the final, Eagles head coach John Flaherty said he’s had a special feeling about this group. That feeling might have developed after BC High skated to a 2-2 tie with MC on Jan. 25, a game in which the Eagles in some regards out-played the Lancers. This will be the fourth meeting between these teams, with MC taking two wins, including a 3-1 win in the Super 8’s round robin last week. The crucible for BC High is which of their defensive units shows up: The out-of-sorts group that surrendered a 7-spot earlier this season to MC, or the cohesive group that bounced Prep and its top line? Of course, that all starts with junior goaltender Peter Cronin (2.00 GAA), who has turned in another solid tournament. Brian Furey leads a much improved blue-line group. The Eagles are also disciplined in their own zone, with Matt Sullivan (12-16-28) providing as much defensively as he does offensively. Everyone knows of the Lancers top line of Brendan Collier, Ryan Fitzgerald and Mike Iovanna, but freshman center Ara Nazarian has been the breakout star of the tournament, filling the scoresheet in every game and tallying five goals. It’s not just offense with MC, however, as you’d be hard pressed to find a deeper, more dynamic top three than Casey Fitzgerald, Colin MacGillivray and Brendan White. If netminder Connor Maloney plays as he did against Central Catholic in the crossover round, that’s game, set, and match.

The Pick: Doin’ it for CS5. MC, 5-3.

STONEHAM, Mass. -- There simply is no better rivalry in Massachusetts high school girls' hockey than the one between Hingham and St. Mary's.

Winners of the last four Division 1 state championships, the two teams have faced off 11 times since the Harborwomen made the jump up to Div. 1 in 2009. Saturday evening at Stoneham Arena, they added another classic battle what is becoming a storied series.

Hingham rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the third period on goals by Sarah Schwenzfeier and Samantha Ryder, the latter coming with just three seconds remaining in regulation, but it was the Spartans who prevailed in the end as Ann Marie Manganiello scored on the final attempt of the first round of a shootout to give No. 3 St. Mary's a 4-3 victory over defending champion and 10th seed Hingham.

"Our kids have been resilient all year," Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said. "People have counted us out all year and we just keep fighting. That group has it. They bust their butt all game. It says something when you give up a goal with three seconds left and come back and play a good overtime and finish it off in the shootout. I can't be more proud of this group and what they did tonight."

Ryder, a freshman, scored the first goal of the shootout for the Harborwomen (18-7-1), but Alison Butler fired a wrist shot off goalie Taylor Walsh's glove to tie it for the Spartans (21-3-1).

Three more shooters stepped up and were denied by Walsh (23 saves) and St. Mary's netminder Lauren Skinnion (25 saves), setting the stage for Manganiello. The sophomore walked in, used a head fake to slide Walsh over, and beat her between the pads for the winner.

"Right after the goal I skated straight to my sister [Gina Beth] and I was like, 'I did it,'" Manganiello said afterward. "[Pagliuca] really helped me on the bench. He said, 'You've got this. You did this, you know this, you know what you have to do. And as I was going down, I was thinking, I've been here just as long as the seniors have, I've lost with them, I've won with them, and I wanted to win for them so that's what I tried to do."

THE COMEBACK
How this game even got to overtime is a story unto itself. The Harborwomen took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Schwenzfeier chipped the puck out to linemate Jane Freda, who picked the top corner behind Skinnion on Hingham's first shot of the game.

In the second, St. Mary's scored three straight times, getting one apiece from its top line of Brittani Lanzilli, Alison Butler and Kaleigh Finigan. Defenseman Rachel Donahoe assisted on two of the tallies.

Schwenzfeier started the Hingham comeback in the third, floating around the Spartans cage for a shot then stuffing her own rebound through at 4:45. Hingham head coach Tom Findley pulled Walsh for an extra skater with 31 seconds left in regulation and Jane Freda chased down a dump-in by Schwenzfeier, getting off a shot that rebounded right to Ryder, who buried it with 3.7 seconds showing on the clock.

"I just told them they had to put it behind them," Pagliuca when asked what he told his team heading into overtime. "I know its hard but its a zero-zero game now and next team that scores now is going to win."

Butler, a junior captain who immense in killing off a penalty with under two minutes to play, was also asked about the Spartans mindset after Ryder's goal and said, "The game's not over. We just have to keep going, keep fighting and we'll get to where we want to be."

GOALIES TOUGH IN THE EXTRA FRAME
With the excitement of the overtime and a shootout between two of the state's perennial power programs, it took a pair of standout performances by a two first-year sophomore starters between the pipes to keep things scoreless in the extra frame.

Walsh and Skinnion, both sophomores who have improved by leaps and bounds over the course of the season, stood toe to toe and took each team's best shots to force the shootout. Butler fired a one-timer from the slot which Walsh stopped and managed to hold off both Finigan and Lanzilli, who were jamming at the rebound, until the net came off its moorings behind her.

"Taylor's our MVP. Without her, we don't have a chance," praised Hingham coach Tom Findley. "The team is built from the back out. You have to have a good goalie, you have to four or five good defensemen, and if you have that you're going to be in some games and you're going to win some. I think at the end, Taylor just stepped up. I'm so proud of her."

At the other end, Hingham defenseman Alexandria Gong made a terrific end-to-end rush and got a clean shot off that Skinnion was able to handle with 3:15 left. Less than two minutes later, Schwenzfeier had a great bid after forcing a turnover at the Spartans blue line and got off a hard shot through a defender that Skinnion was able to corral.

"[Lauren was] phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal," Pagliuca said of his goalie. "Players have stepped up this year and she's right at the top. To stop Freda and Sarah [Schwenzfeier[ in the shootout, that says something right there. She was outstanding. She gave us a chance to win the shootout. I can't be more happy with her play this year."

KINGSTON, Mass. -- St. Mary's goalie Lauren Skinnion and Duxbury goalie Rachel Myette have several things in common. Chief among them are the fact that they are both sophomores, and they are both huge reasons for the respective success of their teams.

In Saturday's showdown between the two squads, both considered among the state's elite, Skinnion made 28 saves while Myette stopped 17, including two critical saves with the Green Dragons killing off a penalty in the final two minutes, as as top-ranked Duxbury and No. 3 St. Mary's skated to a 2-2 draw at The Bog.

Skinnion, in her first year as the Spartans (15-3-1) starter, was particularly brilliant in the second period. She stopped 19 of 21 shots in the frame, including a fantastic save on a breakaway bid by Duxbury's Marissa Fitcher and another on Fitcher attempting a backhander while sweeping through the Spartans crease.

"She seems to be playing better against the best competition and that's a good thing going into the tournament," praised St. Mary's coach Frank Pagliuca. "She's more relaxed. Her rebound control was phenomenal tonight. She made a lot of key saves for us, especially in the second period. Lauren really kept us in the game and gave us a chance to battle back."

Added Skinnion, "They had a lot of shots, but my D does a good job of clearing the front of the net. I was just focusing on one shot at a time and not getting overwhelmed or panicking. We count on each other to get it done."

Myette made a couple of key stops in the second as well, but saved her best for for the final two minutes of the game. With the Dragons killing a late penalty, St. Mary's forward Brittani Lanzilli found herself with a great chance trying to jam the puck through off the post that Myette was able to get to and cover.

Thirty seconds later, Myette made a stop and watched the rebound squirt out to Gina Beth Manganiello, who looked ready to tee up a possible game-winner. Myette hurried from right to left, getting to the post in the nick of time to stop Manganiello's bid and cover up the puck.

"I just felt that we could pull it off and as long as we didn't give up any passes or have any letdowns in that we could kill the penalty and try to get another goal," Myette explained. "[On the Manganiello bid] I made the initial stop and it was just sitting there and I saw her go for it so I slid over and tried my best to keep it out of the net hoping they wouldnt score."

Both goalies displayed quick glove hands in the first to keep things scoreless, but Duxbury finally broke through early in the second as Hannah Murphy fired a wrist shot from the right wing circle past Skinnion to the far side of the net.

Back to back penalties by the Spartans allowed the Dragons to cash in again as Jane Dudley tipped home a Martha Findley drive from the point or a power play goal at 11:46.

As the momentum was all going Duxbury's way, Kaleigh Finigan got St. Mary's right back in it, converting a one-timer with assists from Manganiello and Alison Butler in the final minute of the frame.

Then, in the third, Gabrielle Crugnale poucned on a Duxbury defenseman struggling to control a puck at the blue line, poked it forward, witched to her backhand and scored a beautiful goal to tie the game at 2-2.

"We stress angling and staring on the forecheck," Pagliuca said. "Gabrielle did a wonderful job of that and had the composure to go back to her backhand and Im very proud of her for finishing that opportunity. It was a great job by her to be the first one on the forecheck and to take a good angle at the puck and force the defenseman to try and play the puck. She ended up deflecting it and walked in on the goalie and made a great move for the game-tying goal."

LYNN, Mass. -- As a member of the Austin Prep girls hockey team the past two years, Kaleigh Finigan had to sit back and watch as St. Mary's wrapped up Catholic Central League championships in part at the expense of her team.

This year, the junior transfer from Medford found out what it's like to be on winning side, as well as what it feels like to be a major factor behind the Spartans success.

Finigan scored twice and added an assist as the No. 4 Lady Spartans held off No. 6 Arlington Catholic for the second time in a week to take a 4-2 decision Wednesday night at Connery Rink.

"It's very different," said a smiling Finigan on winning the league title. "It's my first time getting it. It means a lot knowing that our team can win the league and keep going on with the wins. And we'll keep going hard. We just want to keep playing better and better every game. That's our goal."

Playing better and better every game is something Finigan and her linemates, Alison Butler and Brittani Lanzilli, have certainly done. Butler added a goal and two assists in last night's victory, while Lanzilli had a goal an assist. Their may be no hotter offensive trio in the state at this stage of the season.

"We decided to leave them together for the last month or so and they're really starting - not only in the offensive zone but even in the defensive zone - they're really starting to trust each other and learn from each other," St. Mary's coach Frank Pagliuca said. "I think Brittani and Kaleigh had a transition coming in here and Alison's done a great job settling them down. As you can see, they're starting to get it. They're not hesitating anymore. They're starting to play with speed and its making a huge difference for us."

Finigan scored twice in the first period as the Spartans (13-3-0, 6-0-0 CCL) jumped out to a quick lead. Her first tally exemplified the communication and trust factor that has evolved on that first line. With Butler working her way around the back of the Cougars (15-2-1, 4-2-0) net, Finigan screamed "Middle!" and Butler hit her right on the tape for an easy one-timer.

"We finally got used to each other and know where we are and communicating more," Butler said. "I just heard her. We've done it a couple of times now this year and I know where she is when I hear her."

Finigan added her second tally on the rebound of a Butler shot right before the end of the first, and Butler took one for herself on a nice backhander from the low slot to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead with 6:24 remaining in the second.

Arlington Catholic found a spark, and Allison Stone got the Cougars right back into the game by scoring just 44 seconds later. thins got a bit sloppy after that as the two teams traded five penalties back and forth, but AC got another goal as Duggan Delano hammered home a rebound of a shot by Adrieanna Rossini (two assists) to cut the deficit to 3-2 with 1:23 left in the frame.

Lanzilli quickly pulled the momentum back to the Spartans side early in the third when she floated around the back of the AC goal and flicked a backhander through while attempting to get off the ice for a line change.

Thanks to goalie Lauren Skinnion (23 saves) and strong defensive play from standout blue liner Rachel Donahoe, the Spartans were able to hold off the Cougars and wrap up another Catholic Central crown.

"It's a great accomplishment," Pagliuca said. "Although our league's not big, we have some tough teams. It's tough to play three league games right in a row and to play (AC) twice in a week is no easy feat. I'm very proud of my kids. They've battled hard all year and they keep getting better.

"That's the thing I'm noticing - every game they're getting better," he continued. "It's not pretty every game but you can see it. You can see them making better decisions overall and you can see us playing with more confidence. It's a wide open year this year and the hot team is going to be successful. We're just trying to play our best going into the tournament."

ARLINGTON, Mass. -- It took all of 25 seconds for the St. Mary's girls' hockey team to show it was capable to answering the bell when adversity came calling. In the bigger picture, the 45 minutes the Spartans put together Wednesday night might do exactly the same.

Kaleigh Finigan had a hat trick and two assists, Alison Butler added two goals and three helpers and Lauren Skinnion stopped 24 shots to help No. 3 St. Mary's topple previously unbeaten No. 7 Arlington Catholic, 5-2, last night at Ed Burns Arena.

In the process, the Spartans (11-4-0 overall, 4-0-0 Catholic Central League) qualified for the postseason, took a one-game lead over the Cougars (14-1-1, 3-1-0) atop the league standings while picking up a much needed bounce-back victory.

"It was good to see us respond to a little bit of adversity, I was proud of them for that," Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said. "I thought the game was physical, I thought AC had some opportunities to score and Lauren came up big for us. Great win for us, a good bounce back win. Big league win as well. AC is a great team. They're going to be one of the team's fighting for it at the end."

St. Mary's jumped out fast in this one, something they haven't always been able to do on the season. Butler screamed a pass down to the low slot where Finigan was able to tip it past AC goalie Megan Messuri 4:09 into the game.

The Spartans top line of Finigan, Butler and Brittani Lanzilli (2 A) continued to pressure, and Lanzilli came up with the assist of the year, threading the puck between the skates of an AC defender to Butler, who made a nice move outside the crease to tuck it just past the right skate of Messuri with 2:27 left in the first.

Then, just 21 seconds into the second, Butler sprung Finigan and the junior fired a shot from the high slot that went off a defenseman's stick, shot over the head of Messuri and somehow ended up in the net behind her.

Skinnion made 11 of her 24 stops during the second but Arlington Catholic caught a break when Melissa Richard snuck one through right at the buzzer and Adrieana Rossini kept the momentum going with a shorthanded breakaway goal at 3:25 of the third.

As the walls seemed to be caving in, the Spartans got plays from Finigan, Skinnion and senior captain Rachel Donahoe that turned the tide back in their favor.

Finigan popped in her third goal of the night just 25 seconds after Rossini's tally to stop the bleeding, then Skinnion turned in perhaps her best save of the season as Rossini got loose again, and Donahoe came flying back into her own end to snuff out yet another breakaway bid, this time by Natalie Flynn.

"I thought Rachel Donahoe was unbelievable tonight," Pagliuca said. "She was all over the ice. She's a captain and she's really starting to step up and elevate her game. And Lauren Skinnion I thought was phenomenal."

Butler tacked on one more goal on a rebound of a Finigan shot with 3:45 remaining to close out the scoring.

While the taste of the season's first loss will be sour for the Cougars, they will have a chance to get it back when the two teams meet again next Wednesday at Connery Rink in Lynn (4:30 p.m.).

"When we play St. Mary's there's always that stigma that exists from previous years," admitted AC coach Maggie Taverna. "The kids know like last year, they creamed us 8-1, and they came in excited. Sometimes I feel like they get over-excited and they hold their sticks to tight or they dump pucks and things too quickly. St. Mary's, even though they have a short bench, they're a great team. We're excited to play them again next week. I told the kids, let it stick with you, let it sting a little bit because we have another chance."

'SPARTAN' DEFENSE
Pagliuca's praise of Donahoe was most certainly warranted. A preseason ESPNBoston All-State defenseman and one of just two seniors on the squad, Donahoe turned in a brilliant performance while being matched against the the talented Flynn. Everywhere Flynn went on the ice, Donahoe was was within arms reach. Not only did Donahoe chase Flynn down on the breakaway but she continually forced the Cougars star forward to take wide angles with the puck rather than drive to the net where she is deadly.

"She's definitely one of the players we needed to look out for on the ice," Donahoe said of Flynn. "She has a good shot, she's very good at seeing the game so whenever she's out there we had to make sure she was covered or it wasn't going to be a good deal."

"I was just saying to myself, 'Don't let her shoot and get the puck to the corner,'" the senior continued. "Mainly I was just trying to keep a body on her, keep her to the outside of the goal and not let her get any opportunities to put the puck in the back of the net."

Along with Donahoe, fellow blueliners Tatiana Doucette, Hannah Quin and Amanda Donahoe turned in strong performances. The shots on goal total for AC would have been much higher if not for this unit's relentless work in both blocking and forcing bad shots.

"Lot of blocks, they moved the puck pretty well. We got caught a couple of times flat-footed and AC has some good speedy forwards that exploited us a little but I thought D zone, we played much better. I thought we moved the puck well out of the zone. They came down hard and crashed on the walls and I thought we made a nice adjustment coming out of the zone.

GOLD STAR FOR THE GOALIE
Despite a terrific night for the St. Mary's defense, Arlington Catholic still managed several breakouts and had plenty of good scoring opportunities. If not for the play of Skinnion, AC might still be undefeated and it would be the Spartans looking for revenge in next Wednesday's rematch.

The sophomore was particularly brilliant in the final three minutes of the second period. She zipped to the far post to cover a wraparound attempt by ACs Michaela Scutti, made a great stop on Flynn (who also hit two posts) walking in from the blue line and covered the post as Katie Waitt tried to jam the rebound through.

Then in the third, with the memory of Rossini's breakaway goal still fresh in her mind, Skinnion saw the exact same play develop, adjusted, and made a spectacular stop.

"I didn't want to let in the same goal again," Skinnion admitted when asked about her thought process on the play. "The first time I didn't come back fast enough so I tried to stay back a little bit more. (Rossini) went to the left again and I thought she was probably going to try and do the same thing so I just tried to stay low and make sure I got the pad on the puck."

WINTHROP, Mass. -- Winthrop/Lynn lit the lamp three times, once in each period, earning the Lady Bulldawgs a 3-2 win over North Shore rival No. 3 St. Mary's of Lynn, Saturday evening at the Larsen Arena.

“We knew that they were going to come out ready to play, and they took advantage of their opportunities,” St. Mary's head coach Frank Pagliuca said.

Winthrop/Lynn (8-2-1) needed just 70-seconds after the opening face-off to earn the lead for good, as Mackenzie Clark, (1 G, 1 A) and Chelsea Bartlett connected with Hannah LoPresti, who crashed the net to deposit the Lady Bulldogs first score of the evening.

The Spartans (10-3) then attempted to respond, but goaltender Brittany McPherson, (27 saves) turned away four shots, which included a potential game-tying goal toward the end of the opening period by Brittani Lanzilli.

The Lady Bulldogs sought to grow their lead during the final minutes of the first frame, but didn’t tally a goal until midway through the second period when Clark rifled a shot past Spartans goaltender Lauren Skinnion (21 saves) on the team’s only power play, which gave Winthrop/Lynn a comfortable 2-0 advantage.

“Both [my goal and assist] were amazing,” said a smiling Clark. “[They were] totally unexpected, but definitely needed.”

St. Mary’s responded four minutes later when Lanzilli fired a shot between the legs of McPherson. Although, W/L answered early in the third period, as Caroline McKinnon notched a goal before St. Mary’s countered with their second strike by Kaleigh Finigan.

“I just got up, and I was like, 'I’m going to get the next save,' and thought about it really hard and focused to not let that [second goal] bother me,” said McPherson about St. Mary’s third-period goal. “I believed in my team, [and] knew they were going to back me up.”

The Lady Bulldogs assisted McPherson, especially during the final minutes of regulation when the Spartans eagerly tried to tie the game, as they deflected shots and cleared the puck twice out of the zone, which helped W/L secure their eighth win of the season.

“If they tied the game, that would be like a win for us anyway, but just to finish it off [by having] people blocking shots, doing whatever it takes," Winthrop/Lynn head coach Anthony Martucci said. "It’s all the girls, they worked hard for it, they deserved it."

“We didn’t finish our chances,” Pagliuca added. “The bottom line was we had pucks bouncing over our sticks, missing opportunities, and that happens in hockey. Hopefully we’ll learn from it and move on.”

A MARQUEE VICTORY
Winning Saturday’s contest against St. Mary’s was enormous, especially for fourth-year head coach Anthony Martucci, who described this particular victory in one word - "crazy."

However, he said this particular win will provide the necessary momentum for the Lady Bulldawgs for the remainder of the season.

“Since I’ve taken over, there’s really only been one winning girls' hockey team, and that’s been St. Mary’s, and hopefully this [particular win] let’s everybody know that there’s now [two winning squads in town],” Martucci said.

McPherson also believes this win will help her confidence as well.

“[This win] really pumps us up, and gets us going and gives us a lot of good credit, too," she said.

QUINCY, Mass. -- Kaleigh Finigan spent enough time on the wrong side of games against St. Mary's while spending the first two years of her high school hockey career playing for Austin Prep. Now, she's wearing a Spartans jersey and giving the team a dimension they have not had in years past.

Finigan's game seems modeled after the traditional power forward role most famously employed in these parts by Cam Neely in his heyday with the Bruins, and also by another Massachusetts native, Kevin Stevens, during the glory years of the Mario Lemieux-led Pittsburgh Penguins.

A junior, Finigan has fit nicely into the Spartans system and has emerged as the team's leading goal scorer, adding a hat trick in Thursday's 7-2 victory over Fontbonne to her growing resume.

"She's feeling more comfortable in the system here at St. Mary's," Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said of his first-line right winger. "I think once she moves her feet and she's engaged in the play, she's very effective for us. She's a powerful kid with a good shot."

Finigan isn't the only newcomer to the St. Mary's roster this year, as talented sophomore center Brittani Lanzilli also transferred in after being one of the top scorers in the state last season with Medford High.

While the two of them had some familiarity with one another, the Spartans system was a new world of hockey from where they came. Finigan and Lanzilli have been paired with one of Pagliuca's veterans, junior left wing Alison Butler, and while it may have taken a while for things to come together, the results during the Spartans current eight-game win streak have been stellar.

"I played with Brittani in Medford so I already knew how to play with her," Finigan said. "With Butler to, she really helps out a lot. Especially on the left wing, she can slide that pass to the backdoor. She told us what [Coach Pagliuca] expected from us and from her past years, what she thought we should do. The small tips in practice that she knew from past years, that's helped out too."

Each of the three brings a different skill set to the ice. Butler is the total package, every bit as capable of making the perfect pass as she is scoring goals while covering her responsibilities in the defensive zone. Lanzilli skates with grace and speed and has an uncanny knack for weaving her way through traffic. Finigan is not afraid to mix it up and get physical while displaying a nose for the goal.

Together, the trio has become what Pagliuca hoped they would when he first matched them together.

"Alison's been here for three years and been one of our better players for that time," Pagliuca said. "She really has a sense of calmness with her. She's talking to the two girls on the bench about, 'where you should be, lets try this.'"

"The other girls are feeling more confident," he continued. "They're less hesitant when they're out on the ice. Brittani's been coming a long way, she's improving. When she's going, she's tough to stop and I think they complement each other real well that line."

LYNN, Mass. -- Hingham girls' hockey freshman goalie Taylor Walsh has but two games under belt so far, but she's already playing like a seasoned veteran.

Walsh made 17 saves, including three big ones in the first period, while Jane Freda led the offense with two goals and an assist to help No. 2 Hingham claim a 3-1 triumph over No. 3 St. Mary's Wednesday night at Connery Rink.

In the early stages of a back and forth game with the Harborwomen (2-0) holding a 1-0 lead courtesy of Freda's first tally, Walsh stoned the Spartans' Alison Butler on a breakaway, covered a loose puck in the crease with Butler jamming away, and shot her left pad out just in time to a great bid on the far post by Gina Beth Manganiello.

Then, with 1:40 remaining and the Spartans desperately trying to make something happen facing a two-goal deficit, Walsh reacted in the nick time to cover up a perfect one-time snap shot off the stick of Brittani Lanzilli.

"I was very happy with my goalie and I thought she did great as a freshman," Hingham head coach Tom Findley said. "Then she made that great save on Lanzilli. It's nice to see. That's going to gain confidence for her as a freshman."

The Harborwomen didn't get many chances as St. Mary's sophomore netminder Lauren Skinnion turned her best performance so far with 23 stops, but they cashed in on the ones that presented themselves.

Freda's first goal came off a nice pass from Sarah Schwenzfeier that went off the side boards and found her in stride for a breakaway. Her second came just over five minutes into the third period thanks to a smart play by sophomore Tori Messina, who intentionally sent a shot from the point wide.

The puck caromed off the back boards and landed right on Freda's stick for an easy score. Schwenzfeier added the insurance goal with 2:55 left to play with assists from linemates Freda and Catherine Linehan.

Lanzilli came close to making it a one goal game as Kaleigh Finigan set up her up for a hard one-timer, but Walsh got there in time to make the stop.

"One thing about our team is, we're resilient and they are going to play the same game all three periods which is nice to see," Findley said. "It's always good to come away with the win but we want to be able to be at a high level once February and March comes."

While the Spartans are still a work in progress, they showed tremendous strides from their previous outing, a 5-0 loss against Woburn. It's likely just a matter of time before the Spartans talented forwards start turning those chances into goals, and Skinnion's promising effort will be confidence booster.

"I thought the brightest spot tonight was Lauren Skinnion, I thought she played tremendous tonight," Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said. "If she plays like that, we're going to be fine. Hingham's a great team, obviously, and they finished their chances and we didn't. It was a measuring stick for us and we know where we stand right now but we're going to be fine."

First Team
F - Sabrina Iannetti, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
The state’s most feared offensive player, Iannetti led the Spartans with 53 points, including 29 goals, during the regular season. The Lynn native was also instrumental to the Spartan’s state long 100-game unbeaten streak, which ended in an overtime loss to Hingham in the Division 1 quarterfinals.
F - Colleen Martell, Woburn
The explosive Tanners forward led the state in scoring, notching 73 points, including a 40-goal regular season. The captain helped lead Division 1 semifinalists to the Middlesex League title.

F - Kayla Smith, Woburn
Smith was also among the state’s top scoring threats, playing alongside Martell on the Tanners’ top line. The sophomore tallied 61 points (26 G, 35 A) during the regular season for the Middlesex League champs.

D - Angela Dandreo, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
The Swampscott resident played on the Spartans’ top pairing and was not only a top-notch defender, but also a scoring threat. Dandreo, a captain, finished fifth on the team in points with 27 while dishing out 22 assists.
D - Caleigh LaBossiere, Acton-Boxborough
The senior provided a boost of offense from the blue line, trailing only fellow All-State teammates Sarah McNicholas and Kati Goguen in points for the Colonials. LaBossiere tallied 11 goals and 13 assists to finish with 24 points for the regular season.
G - Sarah Foss, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
The sensational sophomore was nearly unbeatable in net for the Spartans. Foss, a North Reading resident, posted a 0.55 goals against average during the regular season while posting shutouts in 11 of her 16 starts.

“Line Change” Second Team
F - Michaela Chiuccarriello, Winchester
Chiuccarriello became the Sachems’ all-time leading scorer this season, finishing her career with 170 points (110 G, 60 A) and smashing Carly Robinson’s record of 123 points. The senior scored 37 goals for 54 points while leading Winchester to its fourth straight tournament appearance.
F - Sarah McNicholas, Acton-Boxborough
The senior led the Colonials in scoring with 32 points (12 G, 20 A), while leading the Division 1 state finalists to the MVC/DCL Large title this season.
F - Taylor Shepherd, Fontbonne Academy
The senior topped the 100-goal plateau for her career with a 32-goal season this year while leading the Ducks to yet another Division 2 title game appearance.
D - Martha Findley, Duxbury
Findley was regarded as one of the state’s premiere blue liners and was instrumental in helping freshman goaltender Rachel Myette and the Dragons to a Division 2 state title. Thanks to Findley, Duxbury surrendered only 25 goals all season and was a staggering +96 in goal differential.
D - Taylor Brown, Winthrop/Lynn
The Eastern Mass Ice Hockey League MVP helped lead the Bulldawgs to the Division 1 semifinals in front of eighth-grade goaltender Katie Burt.
G - Beth Findley, Hingham
The senior capped a stellar career at Hingham by winning the Division 1 state title, the second of her career after taking a D2 title three years ago. Findley collected 82 career wins while posting 39 shutouts in her four-year varsity career.

Best of the Rest
F Amanda Abromson, Braintree
F Alison Butler, St. Mary’s
F Christie Caliendo, Billerica
F Lily Connolly, Duxbury
F Cara Curran, Westford Academy
F Kati Goguen, Acton-Boxborough
F Erika Kelly, Watertown/Melrose
F Brittani Lanzilli, Medford
F Sara Lehman, Lexington
F Kim Lizzotte, Westford Academy
F Jessica Love, Medway/Ashland
F Ali Maloof, Norwood
F Hannah Murphy, Duxbury
F Jenny Robinson, Concord-Carlisle
F Sarah Schwenzfeier, Hingham
F Katie Walsh, Hingham
F Alex Warren-Caldwell, Arlington
D Catherine Chittick, Hingham
D Meg Collins, Fontbonne Academy
D Meghan McNabb, Lexington
G Katie Burt, Winthrop/Lynn
G Courtney Davis, Woburn
G Casey Schaejbe, Arlington

All-Freshman Team
F - Cathrine Linehan, Hingham
F – Gina Beth Manganiello, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
F – Ashley Moran, Woburn
D – Hannah Quin, St. Mary’s (Lynn)
D – Tori Messina, Hingham
G – Rachel Myette, Duxbury

Coach of the Year
Tom Findley, Hingham
In just seven years, Findley has established the Harborwomen as a state power, building the team from scratch into a Division 1 state champion. Findley claimed his second state championship (D2 champions three seasons ago) while leading Hingham to a 20-4-2 record, culminating with a 3-1 win over Acton-Boxborough in the D1 final.