LYNN – You couldn’t fault the St. Mary’s girls hockey squad for coming out with a littkle more intensity against Austin Prep Saturday.Not only are both teams foes in the Catholic Conference Large, but it was the Cougars that knocked the Spartans out of last season’s Division 1 tourney.St. Mary’s got its chance at payback, as forward Michelle Golden netted the game’s only score with just under five minutes remaining in the contest, as the Spartans blanked their guests, 1-0, at Connery Rink.Forward Bridget Mini had just been thwarted at the doorstep by Cougars goalie Meghan Grant, and the following facoff was held to the goalie’s right. The puck was sent back to defenseman Christen Hart at the point, and fired her shot into a screen in front of Grant. Golden, standing to the left side of the goalie, tipped the puck into the net to end the scoreless tie.”I told the kids that we had to put traffic in front of Grant,” said St. Mary’s coach Frank Pagliuca, whose squad enjoyed a huge 49-18 advantage in shots.”We did that, and the end result was Michelle redirecting the shot by Christen. A few of the kids used last year’s loss (in the tourney) to help motivate them for this one, but it’s a different year with different players, and a different type of game.”The Spartans continued to intensify their play the rest of the way, but Grant turned aside pinpoint shots by forwards Erin McAndrews and Michelle Macchione to keep the margin at one. Austin Prep had no opportunity to pull Grant for an extra attacker down the stretch, and St. Mary’s improved its record to 6-0.Both teams came right out with all the intensity of an affair in the tourney. It would be the Cougars (3-2) that showed that early intensity, breaking into the St. Mary’s zone right from the opening faceoff, and getting shots on goalie Kelsey Magrane. She stopped center Katherine Dagle just seconds into the contest from pointblank range. The Cougars continued to draw the heat on Magrane, but she shunned all of Austin Prep’s chances.Winger Danielle DelDotto and teammate Taylor Brown had solid chances moments later, as DelDotto’s wrist shot was turned aside by Magrane. Brown picked up the loose rebound, yet Magrane robbed the forward with a very big stop.”They pushed us around early on, and that was something we needed,” admitted Pagliuca. “We took some early penalties, worked them off, and settled down. They also kept us outside early, and Kelsey made some great saves, including on that three-on-one (in the second period).”The Spartans picked up the pace midway through the period, with forward Abby Gauthier getting a good opportunity with a wrist shot from Grant’s right. She would be denied, as would also be Hart moments later, with a blast from a faceoff to Grant’s left.St. Mary’s best chance to take the lead came with less than ten seconds left in the stanza, when Gauthier drilled a shot off the far post.The Cougars came perilously close to snapping the shuout in the middle period. Spartans defenseman Alex Smith had just had her wrist shot gloved by Grant, when Austin Prep came skating down the ice. DelDotto unleashed a slapper from Magrane’s right, and the puck rang off the far left post.Grant, one of the best goalies in the state, continued to hold the Spartans at bay moments later when St. Mary’s was on the powerplay. She stonewalled McAndrews early on, then got in the way of a Courtney Winters shot soon after.Magrane’s play also got stronger as the game went on. Late in the period, the Cougars attacked on the aforementioned three-on-one, with DelDotto skating into the Spartans zone down the right side. Though blanketed by a defenseman, she swooped towards the net and slid the puck over to an unguarded Allison Roy. Magrane slid over with the puck, and made the stop to keep the game scoreless.The Cougars were assessed a penalty at the end of the period, which meant that St. Mary’s would enter the final stanza with a man advantage. Only 21 seconds into the powerplay, the Coug