An evenly matched first period between the Rocket and Marauder girls eventually gave way to a second where Dedham began to turn up the pressure, and finally a third where the Marauders put the game out of Needham’s reach. The Bay State Conference match up ended in a loss of 4-1 for the Rockets at the Babson Skating Center Monday morning.
“I think we lost focus,” Needham coach Allisyn Furano said. “Going down one-nothing was difficult and we have such a difficult time scoring that it’s tough to come back. We had one nice finish, but we didn’t take advantage of the scoring opportunities that we had.”
The puck alternated between the two ends of the ice in the first 15 minutes of the game, but Needham did an effective job of limiting the Marauder’s opportunities. Goalie Melody Chaplin was only called on four times to make a save, and half of those came when the penalty box was holding one of her teammates.
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Dedham came out swinging in the second, but the game remained scoreless for most of the period. With three minutes remaining, the girls faced off at in the Needham zone, and Dedham’s Meaghan Dwan was able to get the puck over to Colleen Downing at the right wing. Downing took a shot on net, but it bounced off a Needham player’s chest pad before reaching the crease.
The rebound landed at Downing’s feet, and she took it two steps to the left to get around the screen. This time she picked off the corner of the net high on the stick side and gave Dedham a 1-0 lead.
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After the ice was resurfaced the Marauders blew the game wide open. Chaplain made three of her 15 saves in the period, but she allowed just as many to go between the pipes.
“It took them a little while to wake up,” Dedham coach Joe Huff said of his players, “but it was nice to see them come out in the third and play like we know they can.”
A mere 30 seconds after the face off the puck floated across center ice directly towards Downing, who was coming off the bench. She picked up the puck and brought it down the ice before sniping an insurance goal.
No sooner had the announcer finished calling out the circumstances of Downing’s second than an unassisted Emily McKenna found the back of the net as well. McKenna’s shot gave Dedham a 3-nil lead over their hosts.
Six minutes into the third Downing battled for the puck at Dedham’s blue line. When she was finally able to push it out towards center ice she skated around her opponent and took control of the puck again. From the red line on it was just her and the goalie, so being shorthanded didn’t hamper her chances. Downing completed the hat trick and her team was winning by four.
“It was amazing,” Downing said of her second hat trick in as many weeks. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
She may not have been expecting, but Huff knew she had it in her.
“She’s a great player,” said Huff. “She was driven in the third just to do whatever she had to do to get the job done.”
Dedham’s Emily Mosca enjoyed a shut out for most of the game, and earned it by making 23 stops in the crease. Halfway through the final period Needham’s Johanna Slicken took a pass from Taylor Thomas and brought it past the right hashmarks. When she reached the bottom of the circle she kicked it back out to Abby Burns, who was positioned directly in front of the net.
Burns was able to get it over the goal line and put the Rockets on the board. The late surge was not enough, however, and Needham fell 4-1.
“Dedham is a good club, they are going to the state tournament, and they deserve it,” said Furano.
