Reading standout has five goals and two assists in 7-4 contest
ANNABELLA FORZIATI, a freshman (#7), scored a goal and had two assists while teammate Olivia Cameron (#18) added a goal as well. (Donna Larsson Photo)
Published in the December 19, 2016 edition.
By DAN MARGARITA
STONEHAM — The Wakefield Memorial High girls’ hockey team took on the its first Middlesex League opponent on Saturday. But despite a fast start, the Warriors fell 7-4 to Reading at the Stoneham Arena.
“Every year they have a really good team and this year they have a really good team as well, so we knew it was a challenge coming in,” noted Wakefield’s first year coach Jason Lawrence.
Wakefield drew first scoring blood with a goal from Olivia Cameron. The home team followed up with a goal from Annabella Forziati to make it 2-0.
Then Reading’s high-powered scorer Michaela Boyle began to assert herself offensively. Coach Lawrence knew from the get-go that there wouldn’t be a lot of ways to slow her down.
“Not too much. We just try to worry about ourselves and play our game. Obviously, you have to know when she’s on the ice. She’s a great player; an outstanding player. She’s a ‘game-changer’ player and she’s that good. You try to do what you can but at the end of the day, with a player like that, she’s tough to corral,” he conceded.
Boyle has committed to Clarkson which is a Div. 1 school and she is a player for the Boston Shamrocks, a U-19 squad in the Junior Women’s Hockey League.
Boyle scored a pair of goals to tie the game and then Kat Paradis scored to give Reading a 3-2 lead at the end of the first period.
Wakefield tied the game early in the second period when Courtney Hill scored from the point off a face-off in the circle on a power play.
However, Paradis came back with another goal a couple of minutes later to give Reading 4-3 lead.
Wakefield continued to claw back, though. A goal from Brooke Lilley tied things at 4-4. That would be all of the Wakefield scoring, however.
Boyle wasn’t done scoring, though. Her third goal of the game gave Reading a 5-4 lead where it stood at the end of the second period.
Despite the high-powered offense, the score could have been higher if not for some fine defense and good goaltending from Megan Horrigan. The defenseman turned goalie stopped an amazing 23 shots on goal.
“I thought she played outstanding tonight. She’s really stepped up as a leader, as someone to fill that role. Even in the first game she played well and tonight I thought she played really well,” praised Lawrence.
The third period featured two more goals from Boyle to make it 7-4, where it would stand. After Boyle’s last goal Lawrence called time out to speak to his troops.
“(We) Tried to catch our breath a little bit and (they were) told, ‘we’ve just got to out there and work the opponent. Just keep doing what we were doing.’ We played a really solid first two periods and we just kind of got down behind the eight ball. But I thought the girls played well,” said Lawrence.
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At the Stoneham Arena
Reading………….3 2 2 — 7
WAKEFIELD……2 2 0 — 4
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First Period — Wak, Cameron (Kaddaras, Forziati) 2:41. Wak, Forziati (Fennelly) 3:13. Rea, Boyle (Fennelly) 6:42. Wak, Boyle (Collins, Cutone) 11:00. Rea, Paradis (Boyle) 11:31.
Second Period — Wak, Hill (S.Melanson, Forziati) 3:44. Rea, Paradis (Boyle) 5:54. Wak, Lilley (H.Melanson, Hill) 12:55 (pp). Rea, Boyle (Paradis) 14:42.
Second Period — Rea, Boyle (Bowen, Tango) 3:28. Rea, Boyle (Bowen, Cain) 8:41.
