The Vineyard girls hockey team lost Monday, Feb. 5, to Bishop Stang, with a final score of 2-5. Bishop Stang was up by two in the first two minutes of the game, with scores by Janie Silvia and Raquel Reis, but the Vineyard goaltender Maria Frangos, filling in for injured Amelia Simmons, blocked the next two attempts.
The first period ended with Bishop Stang up by two, and the Vineyard girls started off the second period strong but without scoring.
Stang’s strong stickwork resulted in two more goals in the second period. The first was made by Catie Bruneau, with a nifty shot over Frangos’ shoulder, and the second by Abby Arguin, who slammed a rebound into the net.
Stang sophomore Meghan Sonia shined in the third period, scoring twice in three minutes. Stang scored again and the Vineyarders were now down by five.
In the last six minutes of the game, the Vineyard launched a comeback.
Meghan Sonia scored from the right side assisted by Ruby Reimann. After the faceoff at center ice, the Vineyarders went in for another kill, Sonia again raced down the ice dodging a Stang defenseman who had fallen over, and shot into a nearly wide-open goal. The girls won the third period, but the game still ended with a Vineyard loss by three points.
Though the Vineyard team is weak this year, Vineyard head coach John Fiorito said the girls are using each game as an opportunity to improve, and success “is not reflected in wins and losses.” According to Fiorito, there are a lot of new players. Sophomore Amelia Simmons, a Vineyard goalie out with an injury, is being replaced by Maria Frangos, a freshman whose career is only two months old.
Many returning players like Meghan Sonia, Lauren Boyd, and Hailey Meader have not lost confidence in their team. “Every day’s a new day,” Coach Fiorito said.
Bishop Stang is a co-op team, comprised of players from five schools — Bishop Stang, Somerset Berkley, Dartmouth, Case, and New Bedford. This factor has been their advantage for the past few years, and they have since made their breakthrough in the league. The Vineyard team “dominated” Bishop Stang in the past, according to Coach Fiorito, but since many teams have co-opted, the Vineyarders have taken a hit.
The girls take on Bourne at home on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 1 pm.
