CANTON – Some might say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but the Archbishop Williams girls hockey team would beg to differ after by far its biggest win of the year Saturday night at Canton Sportsplex.
Maggie Lynch made up for an uncharacteristic miss on a breakaway in overtime by netting the game-winner on a rare second opportunity, pairing with Grace Mottau’s game-tying tally with just 23 seconds left in regulation to power the No. 6 Bishops (10-0-1) to a sensational, 3-2 comeback win over previously undefeated St. Mary’s of Lynn (13-1) in Catholic Central League action.
It was the perfect set of offensive execution amid an effort that relied heavily on goalie Evelyn Lacey (23 saves) and the defense to stave off the Spartans, providing the crowded barn with an expected thriller between the two respective top-ranked teams in the MIAA’s latest Div. 1 and Div. 2 power rankings.
This kind of game is also part of what enticed Lynch to transfer to an already loaded Archies team from Quincy/North Quincy this offseason to begin with.
“We’re (No. 1) in D2, they’re (No. 1) in D1, we just come to battle, just get it done,” Lynch said. “Just the energy itself on that game. Everyone’s into it. The fans, the team – it’s just a great atmosphere, a great experience. It’s awesome.”
“That’s what girls hockey is all about,” added head coach Doug Nolan, with a notable rasp after the strenuous comeback. “It’s gotten a lot better over the last five or six years here … and obviously coming back and winning in overtime is definitely exciting for our girls, exciting for our program.”
Down 2-1 after freshman Abbie Poole put St. Mary’s ahead midway through the third period, Archbishop Williams didn’t panic as the final two minutes waned down. A bevy of dangerous 6-on-5 bids were cleared by the Spartans, but the puck kept returning to the offensive zone with numerous icing calls. Finally, Mottau followed the puck to a crowded dirty area from the faceoff, and she finished a rebound past Ang Catino (20 saves) amid an otherwise stellar effort in net.
That stellar effort showed on Lynch’s first breakaway in overtime, coming up with the save just moments after Lacey produced a save opposite her on a Spartans odd-man rush. But after Lynch made an excellent move past the last defender on a second breakaway just a minute later, the senior couldn’t be stopped for the winner.
“I think Maggie was playing games with us, she wanted to keep us on the edge of our seats there,” Nolan said. “Maggie Lynch, she wants that moment. She’s definitely a prime-time player.”
For as much talk as there is surrounding the Bishops among the top of the list of Div. 2 state title contenders, the emotion behind this win was a bit pointed at those who labeled the rival Spartans as the sure-fire top team in the state. They went into the matchup carrying a different label in mind.
St. Mary’s, which hadn’t allowed more than two goals to any opponent all year, got off to a slow start by allowing Archies sophomore Caroline Batchelder to score off a defender’s back on a shot from the point. It came out guns blazing in the second period to rattle off 15 shots on net, wiping away the deficit as its own 200-point scorer – Jenna Chaplain – tipped in a Maggie Pierce shot for the 1-1 tie on the power play. But for the most part, the Spartans needed to work extremely hard for any advantage.
Eventually, the Archies just showed how much more they wanted it.
“We’ve been trying to prove ourselves all year,” Nolan said. “We love all the polls, we love being sixth and fifth and seventh, and it just motivates these girls because they know they’re one. So we’ll keep working, we’ll keep being motivated, we’ll keep ripping up the polls.
“Last year, we were afraid of them. We would talk about St. Mary’s and we would kind of put our shoulders back and our body language was a little scared. But now, I think we have a good group of seniors. We believe in ourselves, we believe in our program and I think we’re here to stay.”
