THE WARRIORS beat Melrose 4-2 last Wednesday for their second win in three games. Wakefield will rematch Melrose this Sunday, 12 p.m. at the Stoneham Arena. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
MEDFORD — The Wakefield girls’ hockey team was locked in from start to finish at Flynn Rink last Wednesday, getting out to an early lead against rival Melrose and finishing strong for a hard-earned, 4-2 victory.
The Warriors got clear, first period goals from senior Erin Leary and sophomore Rory McNeill and two more tallies in the 2nd that appeared to belong to senior captain Gianna Scoppettuolo and senior Alexis Biscoe on unpredictable bounces that somehow crossed the goal line. The Warriors led 4-1 in the 2nd but Melrose put another on the board to make it a close one going into the 3rd.
The final period belonged to senior goalie Julia Welch and the Wakefield defense. Welch fought off a spirited Melrose attack for all of the last 15 minutes when she made 13 of her 23 saves.
Meanwhile, the defense, led by Scoppettuolo and including senior captain Maddie DeFeo, junior Maddy Taylor and freshmen Caroline Burns and Meredith Brackett, worked hard to limit chances and clear the defensive zone as much as possible.
“It was great to work the whole team into the game and see everyone work together for a team win,” said head coach Jacqui Mansfield.
ERIN LEARY (7) celebrates her first period goal with teammates during Wakefield’s 4-2 win over Melrose last Wednesday. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
Leary got Wakefield on the board just over three minutes into the game as she buried a rebound off a low shot from McNeill.
As was the case throughout, Melrose responded with plenty of energy on their home ice but Welch was up to the challenge, making three saves in a row, a couple on some point-blank chances in the crease, to maintain the lead.
Senior captain Fiona Recene and freshman Sarah Aborn, who skated well and put pressure on the Melrose defense all night, set up two good looks that resulted in quality saves from Melrose’s sophomore goalie Ruby Hansen.
Melrose broke through on a rebound goal to even it up with 9:05 left in the 1st. A penalty for each team resulted in a 4-on-4 and brief power plays for both. Melrose had an advantage for over a minute but Wakefield killed it thanks to some great skating by Recene and McNeill. A final save from Welch finished the Melrose power play and led to a rush from McNeill who beat a couple defenders and then finished on a well-placed shot, low, stick side to reclaim the lead for good.
Wakefield pushed their lead to 3-1 about two minutes into the 3rd on a wild bounce off a centering pass from Biscoe that found the back of the net.
Wakefield kept the pressure on and got another fortunate bounce just over a minute later when a dump in from Scoppettuolo ricocheted off the boards and a skater to find its way past Hansen to make it 4-1.
Once again, Melrose responded but Welch stopped play with a sweet glove save and Scoppettuolo blocked a shot and picked off a centering pass to limit chances.
Melrose stuck with it and scored with 2:09 left to make it 4-2 after two.
Wakefield had a chance to pull away in the 3rd with a couple of early power plays but couldn’t capitalize, making the rest of the period a little tense for the visitors but Welch and the defense held strong through 13 Melrose shots and plenty of chances that appeared to be surefire goals but Welch was up to the challenge.
Brackett had a nice poke check and skate out late and Taylor followed with a shot block as the Warriors defended with everything they had while Melrose pulled Hansen with two minutes left. A Welch save on a one-timer was the highlight as time finally ticked away, giving the Warriors their second win of the season and second in their last three games.
Mansfield was especially impressed with a freshman group that was getting their first experience of the rivalry with Melrose. Aborn, Brackett, Caroline Burns and Molly Burns all played well and helped set the tone in the win.
“I’m seeing consistency from my freshman group which makes me excited for our future as a program,” said Mansfield.
JULIA WELCH had 23 saves including 13 in the 3rd when she kept Melrose off the board in a 4-2 Wakefield win on Feb. 7 at Flynn Rink. (Dan Pawlowski Photo
Wakefield fell to Stoneham/Wilmington 5-1 on Saturday, dropping to 2-13-1 on the season. The Warriors were ranked No. 37 in the latest Div. 2 power rankings released yesterday. Melrose (3-10-1) was ranked No. 36, setting up some motivation for Wakefield in the rematch scheduled for Sunday, 12 p.m. at the Stoneham Arena.
The Warriors still have a chance to move up the rankings in hopes of landing in the top 32 for the state tournament. After Melrose, they have two games against Div. 1 Central Catholic (5-12, No. 38 in D1) and one more against Burlington (14-1-2, No. 3 in D2).
