FOXBORO, Mass. — Another week, another high-end matchup among the NEGHL's top U19 division.
The Mass. Spitfires hosted the Mid-Fairfield CT Stars at the Foxboro Sports Center, where the Spitfires took a 2-0 win in one of the most competitive and up-tempo games I've seen so far this fall. It was also another tilt that featured more than its fair share of college commits.
Caroline Doherty (Hingham, Mass.) opened the scoring for the Spitfires just 1:31 into the game off a feed from Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.). Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) added insurance three minutes into the third.
The Stars applied heavy pressure in the second period and much of the third, but bend-don't-break defense from the Spitfires helped preserve the win. Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.) and Jackie Wright (Walpole, Mass.) combined for the shutout in net.
Let's dive into seven standouts from the game.
Lindsay Stepnowski
Mass. Spitfires/Loomis Chaffee, 1/28/08, F, left shot, 5-5
Stepnowski was everywhere for the Spitfires, driving play offensively and handling plenty of defensive responsibility. She saved a goal in the second period when she got behind Wright in a goal-mouth scramble, batted the puck out of the air and kept her body in front of it as sticks jammed away. After winning the next face-off and starting the rush with a burst of speed, she drew a slashing penalty that squelched the Stars' momentum. She further thwarted their comeback efforts with a pretty power-play goal early in the third. She led the initial rush before setting up a regroup with Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.). Stepnowski busted down the left wall and effortlessly picked the top left corner with a perfect wrist shot.
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Jackie Wright
Mass. Spitfires/St. Mark's, 2/18/07, G catches left, 5-5
NCAA: Boston University
For the most part, Wright made it look easy in net, getting the second half of the game after Lacey got the start. She was tested early with a hard wrist shot from Bella Zolezzi, but it was no problem as she snagged it with her glove. The Stars poured the pressure on in the third, but it was no matter for Wright. She made a terrific glove save on Elizabeth Snow's wide-open look in transition before making a good positional stop on a tip shortly after. Her best sequence came in the final minute of the game with several big-time saves to preserve the shutout. She made a pair of strong pad saves pushing off to her right off the left post, which bookended one where she scrambled to seal the post on a backhand in tight.
Keira Austen
Mid-Fairfield/Deerfield, 6/28/07, D, right shot, 5-3
NCAA: Brown
Austen (Darien, Conn.) was a one-person breakout at times. She did a great job of moving the puck quickly, making good, quick decisions. She evaded forechecking pressure and didn't waste time with the puck. One of her better sequences came in the third as Mid-Fairfield was looking for a quick up to catch the Spitfires in a change. Austen collected the puck behind her net and was ready for heavy forechecking pressure from Anika Singh (Lexington, Mass.). The blue-liner protected the puck and fended off Singh as she spun off her and found a quick outlet pass.
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Annie Schwarz
Mid-Fairfield/Loomis Chaffee, 2/5/08, F, left shot, 5-5
NCAA: Yale
Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.), who recently committed to Yale, played with a ton of confidence on Sunday. She was really effective leading the rush in the neutral zone and gaining the attacking blue line with transition. A lot of that is due to her smooth skating ability. She has long, efficient strides and generates solid power. She got some good chances in the second period, too. First, she drove to the net and got a decent shooting opportunity in a 2-on-1 with Hosman before sticking with the play and breaking up a zone exit with a good stick, leading to an easy regroup for the Stars. Later on the same shift, she dangled Yasmine McKenzie (Shrewsbury, Mass.) with a slick toe drag to the slot.
Renee Bishop
Mid-Fairfield/Kent, 5/25/07, F, right shot
NCAA: Cornell
Bishop showed why she figures to be such a vital piece for Kent once again this season. The forward is super crafty and seems to know where she's going next with the puck before she even gets it. She got one of the Stars' best looks of the game shortly after Doherty opened the scoring, patiently waiting for an outlet to open up for a stretch pass and easy zone entry. Coming in as the trailer, Bishop won a loose puck, dangled to the slot and forced Lacey to make a terrific save. As the game wore on, Bishop was good in cycles and working the puck around the attacking zone. She set up Zolezzi's strong look in the second with a nice drop pass down the wall in rotation. She also found Megan Hosman in the high slot with a slick no-look backhand feed from the wall.
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Caroline Doherty
Mass. Spitfires/Hingham, 8/13/06, F, right shot, 5-6
NCAA: Holy Cross
Doherty, who recently committed to Holy Cross, did what she does plenty of in the MIAA — score — as she got on the board with an early goal. She had some other strong looks later in the game, including a great chance at the left circle in the third that saw her useHosman as a screen on a drag snapshot. It was a quick, deceptive release that caught Natalie Frey Perusse off guard, even though she made the save.
Bella Mondolfi
Mass. Spitfires/Brooks, 2007, F, left shot, 5-7
NCAA: Merrimack
Mondolfi (Waltham, Mass.) did a good job of using her frame to establish body position around the net and in battles deep in the offensive zone. She also had a couple of decent scoring opportunities for the Spitfires. The best came in the first period when Lily Shaughnessy (Medfield, Mass.) found her alone in the high slot for a quality shot that Adeline Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) thwarted with a nice glove save. It was a good sequence for Mondolfi, coming off the cycle with Shaughnessy and Singh and finding soft space in middle ice.
