Girls’ hockey prepares for close state championship battle at TD Garden
Junior Olivia Bower warms up with a wrist shot on the goalie. Girls’ hockey won their game against Matignon on March 3.
March 18, 2022
Girls’ hockey will take on the Canton Bulldogs at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at TD Garden in the Division 2 state championship game.
In a new ranking system that gave teams an overall seed, or ranking, within their division across the state, Algonquin’s co-op team was seeded #10 on the playoff bracket, while Canton was seeded #9. While many other state championships in other sports and/or divisions consist of higher-seeded teams, there have been many surprises across the 33-team girls’ hockey bracket that have allowed both teams the opportunity to make it this far.
While Canton has taken down #1 Duxbury and #4 Natick after an impressive 18-2-1 regular season, the Titans have had the opportunity to match up with lower-seeded teams due to surprises in the early rounds. However, Algonquin’s path to the championship was no piece of cake.
“You could say we got lucky with our seeding, but even though the teams we played were ranked lower, they were very evenly-matched games where we had to go into overtime,” senior captain Taylor Hodge said. You could say we got lucky with our seeding, but even though the teams we played were ranked lower, they were very evenly-matched games where we had to go into overtime. — Taylor Hodge, senior
The Titans had a strong regular season of their own, finishing 14-3-2. Hodge credits some of the team’s success to senior goaltender Lana Pacific and a strong foursome of defenders.
“[Lana] has improved so much; I didn’t even think she could improve more than she did last season, but she’s really stepped it up this year, especially during playoffs,” Hodge said.
A trio of young players have made a substantial impact on the scoreboard. Marlborough High sophomore Mallory Farrell leads all of Central Mass with 48 points (32 goals and 16 assists). Clinton High freshman Emily Johns has scored 37 points (26 goals and 11 assists) and sophomore Bryn Domolky has racked up 32 (15 goals and 17 assists).
“They have been key players this season, especially in the final minutes of games,” Hodge said.
While the players on this co-op team come from many different schools, Hodge says they have bonded like any other Algonquin team.
“Playing for a co-op is very unique,” Hodge said. “One would think there would be cliques on the team, but we all work so well together, and it’s all really one big family. I’m very blessed to have the co-op because I get to meet so many people that I wouldn’t have met before.”
This weekend the team will be united around a common goal: bring home the state title. Tickets to the game can be purchased here.
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