The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) girls hockey team came up a goal short in its bid to win the 17th annual Nan Rheault Invitational hockey tournament when they lost 4-3 in the championship game at Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena on Sunday.
Kaitlyn Kelley of the Bourne-Mashpee-Wareham-Old Rochester Regional (BMWORR) co-op team broke a 3-3 tie with 2:46 left in the second period, and the Ladies of the Canal held on for the win.
The contest played out as two distinctly different games. The first and third periods were scoreless, played with solid defense and aggressive forechecking by both teams. The second period was a wide-open free-for-all, with sloppy defense and seven goals scored.
Meghan Sonia opened the scoring 2:52 into the second period by stuffing in her own rebound at the left post. Sally Caron initiated the play by keeping the puck inside the blueline and earned an assist.
Hailey Meader put M.V. up 2-0, 68 seconds later, after gathering the puck at the blue line, skating into the left circle, and whistling a wrister on goal. BMWORR netminder Sophie Schiappa got a piece of the puck, but the shot had enough mustard to squeeze inside the left post. Meghan Sonia picked up an assist.
The Ladies of the Canal needed only 32 seconds to cut the Vineyard lead in half. Kaitlyn Kelley notched her first goal of the game by jamming the puck through a maze of players in front of the crease. Chelsea Peterson got the assist.
After six minutes of scoreless play, the teams combined for four goals in 90 seconds.
BMWORR tied the game at 2-2 with 4:18 left in the period. Carly LaCasse fired the puck at Vineyard goalie Julia Bettencourt, who made the initial save, but Maddie Guinen pounced on the rebound and lifted a backhander into the top right corner of the net.
M.V. took a cross-checking penalty after the tying goal; it cost them just 32 ticks into the ensuing power play. Amanda Orciuch put the visitors in the lead by tucking in another rebound at the right post.
The Vineyarders fought back on the next shift. With Meghan Sonia screening netminder Sophie Schiappa, Hailey Meader skated to the right circle and sent a perfect feed across the crease to Julia Levesque, who calmly tapped the puck into the net to tie the game at 3-3.
Martha’s Vineyard and BMWORR are familiar foes. The two teams play in South Division of the Southeastern Mass. Girls Hockey League (SEMGHL). They met earlier this season on Dec. 19 at the M.V. Ice Arena, with BMWORR winning 1-0. BMWORR entered the tournament as a replacement for Stoughton High School, and ended up winning the trophy.
The MVRHS girls currently stand at 2-6-1 on the season. Three of the six losses have been by one goal.
In the consolation game of the tournament, Scituate High School and the co-op team of Dover-Sherborn/Hopkinton skated to a 3-3 tie.
MVRHS opened tourney with shutout win
The Vineyarders got off to a perfect start in the 17th annual Nan Rheault by shutting out archrival Scituate 1-0 in their opening game Friday night.
Hailey Meader scored the game winner 34 seconds into the third period. The Vineyard sophomore skated in alone from the blue line and wristed the puck past goalie Audrey Marhoffer, low to the glove side.
The Vineyarders turned in their finest defensive performance of the season. M.V. blocked 20 shots, forechecked relentlessly, and consistently kept loose pucks away from goalie Julia Bettencourt, who stopped nine shots in the game.
“All we talked about is that everything needs to start in our defensive zone,” Coach John Fiorito said. “We blocked shots. It was ridiculous … Kylie [Hatt] and Lauren [Boyd] blocked shots. Lacey Dinning blocked shots. Sally [Caron] and Meghan Sonia blocked shots. It was unbelievable.”
Offensively, the Vineyarders exhibited a new willingness to shoot the puck, and peppered the Scituate goal with 20 shots. M.V. outshot the Sailors in the decisive third period, 9-1. Scituate freshman Audrey Marhoffer was superb in goal, and kept the Sailors in the game.
“We want Kylie Hatt to shoot and Lauren Boyd to shoot,” Coach Fiorito said. “We want them to create some shots from the point, and they have. Hailey [Meader] deserved her goal. She’s worked so hard as a sophomore.”
The Vineyard girls have a diverse collection of athletes, many with backgrounds in other sports. On Friday night against Scituate, they all looked like hockey players.
“We have figure skaters, we have basketball players … Kylie Hatt and Lauren Boyd are unbelievable defensemen, and they’re playing with Lacey Dinning, who literally picked up hockey in her junior year in high school,” Coach Fiorito said. “Lacey played out of her head today, and we feel confident with her out on the ice. Sally Caron is another figure skater, playing with Lauren Boyd, and those kids worked their butts off.”