STONEHAM – Two weeks ago, St. Mary’s and Austin Prep engaged in a thrilling girls hockey game that was scoreless until just under five minutes remaining in the contest, with the Spartans carrying that 1-0 lead to the end.The squads battled again this past Saturday evening, but it would be St. Mary’s that controlled throughout, knocking off its Catholic Central League foe, 4-1, at the Stoneham Arena. The Spartans remain unbeaten at 11-0.St. Mary’s attacked the Cougar zone literally right from the opening faceoff. Forward Erin McAndrews was stonewalled in front by goalie Meghan Grant early on, and teammate Michelle Golden’s point-blank attempt moments later was gloved by Grant.Yet it would be a mistake by the Cougars that opened up an opportunity for St. Mary’s. A penalty for having too many players on the ice was assessed against Austin Prep, and the Spartans took advantage. Forward Abby Gauthier was positioned in back of the Cougar net with the puck, and she hit teammate Christen Hart with the pass. Hart, set right in front of the goal, one-timed her shot past Grant for the game’s first score.Only 16 seconds elapsed before the lead would be doubled. The Spartans continued to show their intensity right from the faceoff, ending when Golden finished off a nifty pass from forward Courtney White, shooting the puck from the left of Grant to extend the margin to 2-0.”It was good for us to do that against a quality team,” said St. Mary’s coach Frank Pagliuca about his team getting an early lead. “We took advantage of our special teams, especially on that power play goal.”St. Mary’s goalie Kelsey Magrane was hardly tested in the first 15 minutes (the Spartans enjoyed a 27-12 overall edge in shots), as the Cougars only fired three shots on her.”They have quick forwards, and we did anything we could to keep them on the perimeter,” added Pagliuca.Gauthier, who recently became the all-time scorer in Massachusetts girls hockey history, didn’t waste any time in increasing the St. Mary’s lead when the periods changed. The team continued blitzing the Cougars end, with Grant making several stops in the first moments. However, she couldn’t stop Gauthier, who took a feed from forward Courtney Winters (who was playing at the right of the net) and stuffed the puck in the open left side of the goal that lifted the Spartans to a 3-0 lead.”Grant’s an excellent goalie, one of the best around, and she always plays us tough,” Pagliuca said. “So it was good to get something by her in the first minute.”Perhaps the best opportunity that Austin Prep had came minutes after the goal. Forward Lauren Johnson let loose with a slap that was headed to the far right corner, yet Magrane gloved the shot to keep the Cougars off the board.Grant was kept busy as well by the constant intensity of St. Mary’s as the squad continued to pepper the Cougar net with shots. She stopped Gauthier midway through the stanza, thwarting her breakaway bid with a pad save.Yet Gauthier netted her second goal of the contest late in the period. Once again, it would be White that set her up with the pass from the left of the net. Gauthier tapped the puck past Grant to extend the lead to 4-0.The Cougars broke the shutout bid early in the third, when Magrane attempted to cover up a loose puck by the goal, and she accidentally swiped it with her glove into the net. The goal, which was shorthanded, was credited to forward Kaleigh Costello.