PEABODY — When it comes to cross-city rivalries, the one between the Peabody/Lynnfield and Bishop Fenwick girls hockey teams always seems to go right down to the wire. It’s a game that, year in and year out, both teams have circled on their calendars before the season has even begun.
Saturday’s game at McVann-O’Keefe Rink, won by Peabody 2-1, came as advertised. The Tanners survived a wild final two minutes after Fenwick pulled goalie Cailyn Wesley (24 saves) and threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Tanners, but could not break through with the tying goal. Fenwick’s final push came after a scrum in front of Peabody goalie Abby Buckley, who covered up to force a faceoff with 14 seconds to go. With seconds to go, Fenwick’s 34th shot of the game (off the stick of Amanda Blanchette) was turned away by Buckley to preserve the win for the Tanners.
“We knew at the end there that they were going to just load the front of the net after pulling their goalie,” said Peabody coach Michelle Roach. “We knew we had to pick up bodies and push people out the way and let Abby see the shots coming. This game was about our defense, they set the tone for the game and they and Abby did what they needed to do to get the win.”
Despite coming up on the short end of the score, Fenwick coach Doug Anderson was pleased with the Crusaders’ performance.
“It was a really good girls high school game and I was really pleased with our effort,” said Anderson. “We had some terrific chances in the third period and we worked on some situational play with the goalie out. We were just a little off on the execution with the goalie out, but she (Buckley) had to make some real good saves at the end to keep us from tying it up.
“It’s encouraging as we really didn’t play well last week. We play them again on President’s Day and hopefully will get a better results. This was a great atmosphere for the girls and we just came up one short.”
Both teams came into the game with a lot at stake. The Crusaders (5-5-2) were looking to stay in the tournament hunt; a loss would drop them below .500 for the first time all season. The Tanners (8-5-2), on the other hand were looking to pick up their second straight win and reduce their magic number to one.
Both teams were playing for a higher cause, however, as the first annual “Faceoff against Mental Illness” game was dedicated to the memory of James Luti, a former Stoneham High hockey player, who died at the age of 16 last year. Luti’s shirt was hung in his honor behind the Peabody bench.
The game was scoreless through the first period, but the action heated up in the second.
Peabody struck first at the 8:28 mark on a goal by senior captain Cassie Mirasolo. Sophomore sister Sammi Mirasolo rushed the puck into the offensive zone and go off a shot. The puck popped loose, where Cassie was in the right place at the right time and poked it home, giving Peabody a 1-0 lead. Sammi Mirasolo and freshman Paige Thibedeau picked up assists.
The Crusaders’ Allie Giguere knotted the score a little more than six minutes later after a Buckley save on a shot by Olivia LaJacono forced a faceoff in the offensive zone. Banchette won the draw and played it back to Giguere on the right point, who fired a seeing-eye shot that snuck through past a screened Buckley, who never saw it coming. The time of the goal was 2:14.
“There was a screen in front so I don’t think she ever saw it,” said Roach. “Her leg came out and I thought she was going to get a piece of it, but we have to be better at moving people out of the way in front.”
Peabody needed less than a minute to regain the lead. The Crusaders were called for icing, giving the Tanners a faceoff in the offensive zone. After junior Jess Robert won the draw, freshman Jen Flynn beat Wesley at the 1:34 mark to put the Tanners on top, 2-1. Senior captain Sarah Buckley was credited with an assist.
“That’s been our thing all year, its all about the response,” said Roach. “When something happens like them getting that goal, we needed to respond right away and get it back and we did.
Both teams were dodging bullets in the third period. Peabody had a chance to extend the lead when it went on a power play at the 7:10 mark, but the Crusaders killed off the penalty to keep it a one-goal game.
With under two and half minutes to go, Blanchette broke in behind the defense only to be denied on the breakaway by Buckley in perhaps the biggest save of the game.
“That breakaway at the end of the game was a huge save,” said Roach. “I can’t save enough about Abby, that’s what she does for us and that save kept them out of the game.”
Roach said Flynn and Thibedeau had a great games and credited the defensive rotation of senior captains Norton and Kaydee Purcell, sophomore Carolyn Garofoli and freshman Reilly Ganter as key to the game.
“Jen and Paige are really coming into their own,” said Roach. “Jen had a fantastic game. She was winning those one-on-one battles, and Paige just always seems to find the puck and had some great plays off the wall and always seems to find the lane to Sammi or Cassie. Tonight, though, it was all about the “D”. They really were the key.”
Anderson singled out the efforts of Blanchette, Alison Countie and Jull Matucci.
“Amanda is terrific on faceoffs and a lot of what do is set up around her on the faceoffs obviously, she’s like Bergeron in a way,” he said. “Alison Countie is probably our strongest defensive defenseman, but I thought Jill Matucci had a terrific game. She was flying tonight.”