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Former St. Mary's of Lynn hockey goaltender Sarah Foss has committed to Northeastern, Boston Herald and ESPN Boston correspondent Bruce Lerch reported today via Twitter.

In her sophomore season with the Lady Spartans, Foss was named a ESPN Boston MIAA All-State first-teamer in 2011, posting a 0.55 goals against average. The North Reading native also turned in 11 shutouts in 16 starts during her second season before joining the Nation Sports Academy ( in Lake Placid, N.Y. last season.

"The St. Mary's family would like to congratulate Sarah on her commitment to Northeastern," Lady Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said. "She's worked really hard to achieve her goal of playing Division 1 hockey and Northeastern was one of the top teams in the nation last season. Sarah is a talented goalie and a great student. Northeastern is a perfect fit for her."

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."

The MIAA boys' and girls' tournaments have kicked off across the state, and with snow pushing back some of the competition today, we’re taking the time to dissect the brackets and weigh in with our predictions for the postseason.

BOYS' TOURNAMENTS:
SUPER 8 - DIVISION 1A:
Favorite: Malden Catholic (15-1-4).

Dark horses: St. Mary’s of Lynn (18-1-3), St. John’s Prep (13-5-2), Hingham (16-4-2), BC High (10-5-5).

Overview: Once again, this is MC’s tournament to lose. The Lancers have been No. 1 in our poll from box to wire and they’ll be playing with ailing coach Chris Serino in mind. However, St. Mary’s, Prep and BC High will be tough outs, particularly if any of the respective teams goaltenders (Bailey MacBurnie, David Letarte and Peter Cronin catch fire. The Harbormen might be our darkhorse, however. That team has been sneaking up on the competition since Day One.

The pick: Crossovers: MC, St. Mary’s, Prep, Hingham; Championship: MC over Prep.

DIVISION 1:
Favorites: North – Burlington (14-1-6), Westford Academy (13-4-4); South – Needham (14-6-1), Marshfield (18-2-2).

Dark horses: North – Woburn (12-5-4), Reading (10-4-6); South – Norwood (14-3-4).

Overview: Otherwise known as the Super 8 consolation brackets, play-in game losers Burlington and Needham return to their respective brackets with chips on their shoulders. However, the teams with most to prove might be a pair of squads who were left off the Super 8 table in both Westford Academy and defending D1 champions Marshfield. The highlight to the tournament could a potential North semifinal between the aforementioned Red Devils and Woburn, who’ve had the Tanners’ number twice this season. Also look out for another potential semifinal with a league rivalry to it with Norwood on Needham’s side of the bracket.

The pick: North final – Burlington over Andover, South final – Marshfield over Needham; Final – Burlington over Marshfield.

DIVISION 2:
Favorites: North – Lynnfield (17-3-1), Boston Latin (14-2-4); South – Franklin (16-2-3), Canton (15-2-3).

Dark horses: North – Wilmington (11-4-5), Winthrop (12-6-2), Saugus (11-6-3); South – Coyle-Cassidy (8-11-1).

Overview: We feel that the Div. 2 North boys’ hockey bracket might be the most competitive in the state, regardless of sport. Again, the Northeast Conference is well represented with both Saugus and Winthrop scoring first-round “upset” wins. The tournament will still run though No. 1 and 2 seeds Lynnfield and Boston Latin, however. The South is dominated by three Hockomock League squads (Canton, Franklin and Mansfield) who’ve seen plenty of each other throughout the season. But always look out for the battle-tested squad from Coyle, which sports a sub-.500 record, but has done so against a host of Super 8 teams.

The pick: North final – Boston Latin over Danvers; South final – Canton over Franklin; Final – Boston Latin over Canton.

DIVISION 3:
Favorites: North – Bedford (16-4-0), Lowell Catholic (13-5-2); South – Medfield (16-3-1), Pembroke (15-4-3); Central – Hudson (18-1-1); West – Longmeadow (10-6-4).

Dark horses: Marlborough (13-5-2), Shawsheen (12-5-3), Swampscott (8-8-4), Westfield (14-4-2).

Overview: The state’s biggest field of teams lies in Division 3, where some of the perennial favorites are back at it and among the top-seeded teams. Perhaps the story of the year has been Bedford, which earns the No. 1 seed in the North. The South bracket is likely to be decided in the fourth matchup of the season between South Shore rivals Pembroke and Scituate. Hudson claimed top-billing in Central, while in the West, the road still runs through power Longmeadow, but Westfield eyes a return trip to the Garden ice.

The pick: EMass final: Pembroke over Lowell Catholic; Central/WMass final – Hudson over Westfield; Final – Pembroke over Hudson.

GIRLS’ TOURNAMENTS
DIVISION 1:
Favorites: Acton-Boxborough (17-1-2), Westford Academy (16-2-2), St. Mary’s of Lynn (18-3-1), Woburn (15-3-2).

Dark horses: Arlington Catholic (16-3-1), Braintree (13-5-2), Hingham (14-6-1).

Overview: Last year’s Division 1 runners-up Acton-Boxborough emerge at the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament, riding 8th-grade goaltender Cali Loblundo and top-scorer Kati Goguen once again. Westford Academy pulled the No. 2 seed, but could have its hands full with defending champion Hingham lying in the reeds at No. 10. Of course, this was also supposed to be the year that St. Mary’s of Lynn was written off as a legitimate contender, but Frank Pagliuca has pulled off perhaps his best-ever coaching job (according to those who know) and has the Spartans primed for another run into late March.

The pick: Semifinals – Acton-Boxborough over Woburn and St. Mary’s over Hingham; Final – St. Mary’s over A-B.

DIVISION 2:
Favorites: Duxbury (18-0-1), Walpole (15-2-3), Belmont (14-4-2).

Dark horses: Canton (13-7-0), Fontbonne Academy (11-8-1), Westwood (14-5-1).

Overview: The best in the state thus far may have resided in Division 2, as defending champion Duxbury ran the table and was the state’s only unbeaten squad. Walpole has also been among the most consistent teams in the state, running over Bay State opponents with a mix of high-octane offense and steady defensive play. The story of the year — ever since their stunning December upset of Woburn — has been Belmont. The MIAA’s oldest girls’ hockey program has returned to prominence after the squad went winless just three years ago.

The pick: Semifinals – Duxbury over Belmont, Walpole over Westwood; Final – Duxbury over Walpole.

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."

Duxbury girls' hockey defenseman Martha Findley was recently awarded the Top Defenseman Award at the Hockey Night in Boston Summer Showcase.

Findley, a rising senior who also plays for the Bay State Breakers travel club, was part of a Massachusetts team comprised of private and public school players at the prestigious invitational tournament. The squad coached by St. Mary's of Lynn bench boss Frank Pagliuca took on teams from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New York and along the Atlantic Coast.

Findley helped to lead Duxbury to the MIAA Division 2 state championship at the TD Garden in March and was a second-teamer on ESPN Boston's inaugural All-State girls' hockey team.

STONEHAM, Mass. -- Six games ago, Hingham girls' hockey coach Tom Findley decided to move sophomore defenseman Jane Freda off the blue line and onto his top line to ride alongside fellow sophomore Sarah Schwenzfeier and freshman Catherine Linehan.

That move is starting to make Findley look like a genius.

In Thursday night's Division 1 quarterfinals, Freda scored the game-tying and game-winning goals to help No. 8 Hingham stun three-time defending state champion and top seed St. Mary's, 3-2 in overtime at Stoneham Arena, eliminating the Spartans (20-1-3) from the tournament and stopping their nearly four-year long unbeaten streak at 100 games.

"That was the greatest high school game I've been associated with," Tom Findley said. "That's a great program over there in St. Mary's. That feat will never be done again. Our kids were prepared. We've played so well the last six games."

Added St. Mary's coach Frank Pagliuca, "Obviously a disappointing way to go out but you can't play one period of hockey and expect to beat a great team like Hingham. We didn't show up for the first two periods and a lot of that had to do with Hingham. I thought they played a great game, they deserved the victory."

The night's other hero spent her night between the Hingham (18-4-2) pipes. Senior goalie Beth Findley, daughter of Coach Findley, made 13 of her 20 saves in the third period. None, however, were bigger than the amazing stop she made with just 55 seconds left in regulation.

St. Mary's forward Gina Beth Manganiello made a strong rush down the right wing and got off a shot as she cut toward the middle. Findley made the initial stop, but Manganiello continued around behind the net and went to jam the puck inside the far post. With her head turned to the left, Findley somehow shot her right leg across the crease just in time to make what was a game-saving stop.

"I've been working on that a lot in practice," Findley said of her big save. "Last year, one of the goals that Sabrina Iannetti scored on me was a wraparound and I really wanted that one back so I've been working really hard on that, getting over fast. I owe a lot of credit to my defenseman Catherine Chittick. She really helped me out a lot there."

That set the stage for the overtime, and it took just 45 seconds for the game to end. Freda made a play at her own blue line to disrupt a shot by St. Mary's Hannah Quin and caromed the loose puck off the boards to herself. Freda broke in on Spartans goalie Sarah Foss, and with Rachel Donohoe hustling back to prevent her from cutting across, Freda instead let the puck fly and it trickled past Foss to give the Harborwomen their first victory over St. Mary's in eight tries.

"I just saw the puck, I flipped it off the boards and I took a shot hoping to get a rebound and it went in instead," described Freda of her game-winner. "It's like a dream. I still can't wrap my head around it."

Hingham had been struggling to find its offensive identity after dropping a 4-2 decision to St. Mary's in the latter stages of the regular season. Coach Findley bumped Freda up to the first line in hopes of creating a spark.

"We needed a little more pace up there," Findley said of the change. "She had played with Sarah (Schwenzfeier) before and Cat Linehan. Two sophomores and a freshman, that's our big line. They are young but they are so disciplined and they have so much poise."

Freda also made the play that helped set up the game's first goal. Hingham opened the second period with a power play, and Freda was set up for a hard shot from inside the right faceoff circle. Foss (17 saves) made the stop, but the rebound fluttered out to her left where Schwenzfeier swooped in and buried it to give Hingham a 1-0 lead.

The Spartans showed a renewed energy in the third, and their hard work led to a pair of quick goals midway through the frame. First, it was Bridget Donovan scoring on a rebound of a shot by Iannetti to tie it with seven minutes left, then just 34 seconds later, Donovan cycled the puck over to Quin, who rifled a shot past Findley for her first career goal.

"I was very proud of my kids for coming back in the third period but again, you can't do that in a game like this against a great team like that," Pagliuca said. "You can't turn it on and off and that's been an issue all year.

Rather than wilt under the Spartans attack, however, the Harborwomen responded as Freda buried a loose puck from in front with 5:36 left in regulation to tie it.

The game would not have gone to overtime without the play of either Findley or Foss. Foss made three huge stops over the final three minutes, and caught another break when Freda lifted a shot just too high over the crossbar behind her.

And of course, Beth Findley came through with the save of the night, and maybe the most important stop in the seven year history of the Hingham girls' hockey program.

"She's my kid so I don't normally say much about her but she won us that game," praised Tom Findley. "That last save was unbelievable. I don't know how she got over there that quick but she did. She made the save and that's why she's an elite goalie."

HINGHAM, Mass. -- The top-ranked St. Mary’s of Lynn girls’ hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to 91 games against Hingham Saturday afternoon at Pilgrim Skating Arena, but Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca wasn’t exactly happy.

Although St. Mary’s took a 4-2 win over the sixth-ranked Harborwomen on the strength of a pair of goals from both Sabrina Iannetti and Alison Butler and yet another outstanding goaltending performance from Sarah Foss, he wasn’t thrilled with his team’s effort.

“We didn’t play well,” Pagliuca said, “but once again, Sarah Foss saved our butts. Hingham played a great game and they out-played nearly the entire game.”

The Spartans (11-0-3) were outshot in each period and by final tally, 35-22. They were first on the board, however, with a short-handed goal by Iannetti six minutes into the first. While hemmed in their end on the penalty kill, Iannetti anticipated a point-to-point pass reaching out her stick to gather the puck. Streaking up the open sheet of ice in front of her, the senior captain finished on the backhand for a 1-0 St. Mary’s lead.

“You can’t give a team like Hingham a lot of time and space on the power play, they have good players who are going to take advantage,” Pagliuca said. “We told our forward to pressure the points a little bit and she anticipated the pass. It was a great read on her part, good anticipation and a good finish as well.”

Hingham (11-4-1) notched the neutralizer little more than four minutes later on a blast from the point by Catherine Chittick. The defenseman’s slapper was set up on a face-off win in the Spartan zone with assists from Shauna Sullivan and Catherine Linehan.

St. Mary’s retook the lead 1:28 into the second period when Iannetti knocked home her second of the game off a rebound.

Butler, a sophomore, controlled the third period when she scored each of her goals. She scored on a rebound of an Iannetti shot with 7:58 remaining and an additional assist from Bridget Donovan. Butler found the back of the net again with 5:03 on a feed from Iannetti on a 2-on-1 opportunity; she took care of the rest with a pretty back-hander through the 5-hole.

Linehan closed out scoring with 2:21 remaining with assists by Sullivan and Katie Walsh.

But it was Foss’s play that shone brightest once again.

“She was phenomenal and another key for them is that they limit you to one shot,” said Harborwomen head coach Tom Findley whose team had played less than 24 hours earlier in a 1-1 tie against Canton. “Their defensive corps does a good job of clearing out rebounds even if you’re able to get a shot on.”

LYNN, Mass. -- Carrying an 80-plus game unbeaten streak, No. 1 St. Mary’s of Lynn girls’ hockey knows they have a target on them at all times. And the Spartans didn’t expect anything less with No. 2 Woburn coming to town for Saturday night’s non-league contest at Connery Rink.

St. Mary’s trailed for most of the game after the Tanners’ Ashley Moran scored with 19 seconds remaining in the first period. While it looked as though Saturday might be the night that the Spartans’ prolific streak finally came to end, Sabrina Iannetti tied it with 3:08 left in the third on a power play goal.

The teams ended in a 1-1 tie and St. Mary’s streak hit 90 games.

One thing’s for certain, No. 90 didn’t come easy.

“We were dealt with some adversity tonight, but we didn’t panic,” St. Mary’s head coach Frank Pagliuca said. “We kept going. That was great test for us in the middle of the year, but all of them are.”

Although the Spartans (10-0-3) were down 1-0 after the first, they out-shot Woburn 9-4. However, Tanners freshman goaltender Courtney Davis once again proved she’s up for the test of a big game. After dispatching No. 3 Lexington in a 4-0 shutout last week, Davis was on task again, turning aside 17 Spartan shots.

“She played great and she’s only a freshman,” Woburn head coach Bob MacCurtain said. “She battled hard and I think she likes playing in these big games.”

The Tanners (10-1-1) got another boost from another freshman in Moran, who paced them to a 1-0 lead. Her tally was the result of some strong net front presence and was assisted by yet another freshman, Emily Lissner.

Perhaps more impressively, Moran’s goal ended a 21-plus period shutout streak pitched by the Spartans and netminder Sarah Foss. The last goal St. Mary’s allowed came in their 2-2 tie against Notre Dame of Hingham on Jan. 6.

“We knew we were going to have our hands full, they’re one of the best teams around,” Pagliuca said. “They have a great coach, they’re disciplined, they’re organized and they have some players.”

Neither team could get on the board in the second, though Lissner had a tremendous chance to put Woburn up 2-0 with a slick move in front of Foss (15 saves). After shedding a defender with a deke to the right, Lissner was in alone on Foss. She pulled another deke to the backhand but simply ran out room and was unable to sneak the puck inside the nearside post.

St. Mary’s attack intensified in the third. The Spartans were able to draw the penalty which led to the game-tying goal with a sustained presence in the Woburn end. Iannetti finally found the back of the net with 3:08 to play on a blast from the point set up by Gina Beth Manganiello and Marisa Maccario.

“Our power play’s been much better the last couple of games,” Pagliuca said. “We made some adjustments and we’re trying to make more opportunities. That was a big goal there.”

Lexington High girls' soccer head coach Frank Pagliuca confirmed Friday morning that star midfielder Nandi Mehta has committed to Northwestern. The junior will join the Wildcats' 2012 recruiting class.

"Nandi is a tremendous soccer player that makes her teammates better," Pagliuca wrote in an e-mail to ESPN Boston. "She has a tremendous soccer IQ and possesses all of the necessary qualities to succeed at the collegiate level."

QUINCY, Mass. -- Last year, Fontbonne Academy sniper Taylor Shepherd stole a rare point from St. Mary’s of Lynn with a last-second goal.

As the fifth-ranked Ducks welcomed back the reigning Division 1 girls’ hockey state champions Thursday at Shea Memorial Rink, there would be no such comeback. The top-ranked Spartans’ cagy defense shut down Shepherd and the Fontbonne attack while sophomore goaltender Sarah Foss made 20 saves to shut out the Ducks, 2-0.

St. Mary’s undefeated streak stretched to 87 games with the win.

“We’re really pride ourselves in the D-zone,” Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said. “We’re really taking pride in getting the puck out and making good decisions. Like I said, we didn’t do a good job in the first period, but as the game went on, we were making better decisions as we were breaking up the ice.”

Pagliuca’s squad got off to a slow start and were out-shot (8-4) and out-chanced in the first period.

However, St. Mary’s (8-0-2) had a penchant for closing periods strong, scoring each of their goals in the final minute of the first and second periods, respectively.

Sabrina Iannetti knocked home a backhander on a cross-ice feed from Marisa Maccario on a 2-on-1 chance with 40 seconds remaining in the first. Defenseman Angela Dandreo also picked up an assist on the play.

The Spartans struck for their second goal with nine seconds remaining in the second. Sophomore winger Alison Butler took a feed from Maccario at the top of the left side face-off circle and unleashed a slapper past Fontbonne goalie Samantha Curley (18 saves) stick side.

While St. Mary’s finished periods strong, Pagliuca saw room for improvement.

“We can’t come out flat against teams like that. We were fortunate enough to be up 1-0 [after the first].”

The Spartans’ bench boss did have high praise for his defensive corps, led by Dandreo, a senior captain. St. Mary’s bottled up the Ducks (7-1-2) through the neutral zone, playing a trap system with three skaters back at all times.

“Obviously, Taylor Shepherd is one of the best players in the state, so you have to account for her every time she’s on the ice,” Pagliuca said about game-planning for Fontbonne. “We gave her one opportunity on the breakaway, but I thought overall we did a nice job limiting her shots. We kept her to perimeter for the most part.”

That aforementioned opportunity came in the third period when Shepherd steamed in on Foss on a breakaway. After a sly fake to the forehand, Shepherd went stick side and Foss stopped the shot with a deft blocker save.

“I thought back to last year and I said, ‘I’m not letting this in,’” Foss said. “I stepped out and made sure not to make any moves before she shot the puck.”

While Fontbonne didn’t lack for opportunities, head coach Bob Huxley said it simply came down to a lack of execution.

“If you don’t score any goals, I don’t care whether you’re playing mites, high school, college or pros, zero goals equals zero wins,” Huxley said. “We’re going to need to emphasize shooting and rebounds a little bit more.”