Girls’ hockey took down the Canton Bulldogs in a 2-1 overtime victory at TD Garden to win the Division II state championship on Sunday March 20.  

In a new ranking system that gave teams an overall seed (or ranking) within their division across the state, Algonquin’s co-op team including Hudson, Marlborough, Clinton, AMSA and Nashoba was seeded #10 in 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 were many surprises across the 33-team girls’ hockey bracket that allowed both teams the opportunity to make it this far.

Coming into the game, Algonquin was seen as the underdog. Canton had made it to two recent state championships and this year, both their boys and girls teams made it to the Garden. 

“It was a really good feeling to have a bunch of people doubting you and then come out on top,” sophomore Bryn Domolky said.

The Bulldogs started the game up 1-0. Heading into the 3rd period, Canton had the edge.

“We just needed to step it up, play our game, and focus on what needed to be done, which was scoring a goal,” sophomore Mallory Farrell from Marlborough said.

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With one period left to change their fate, Algonquin decided to change their lines. They decided to put their three top point scorers on one line: Farrell (who finished the season with 50 points), sophomore Emily Johns from Clinton (finished with 38 points) and Domolky (finished with 33 points). 

With support from Farrell and Johns, Domolky was able to tie the game up in the 3rd period.

“The first two periods, I think we were really nervous playing at the Garden and wanted to stay back and defend instead of attacking the puck,” Domolky said. “But when our coach decided to change the lines, we went out on the first shift and the momentum of the game changed. We were really determined after intermission to get a goal.”

At the end of the third period, the score was tied up 1-1. Heading into overtime, the crowd was riled up, and Algonquin was feeling confident. 

“Once we got to overtime, I was honestly a bit relieved,” senior captain Taylor Hodge said. “We had already won in overtime, and with a lot more space on the ice, I was confident that our skilled and talented players would be able to use that to their advantage.”

In the end, it was Farrell who came up clutch with the game winning goal, leading Algonquin to victory.

“In that moment, we were all rushing onto the ice,” Hodge said. “It was incredible. I’m so proud of all the hard work we put into the season.”

While they will miss their seniors, the younger players on this team feel good about the future.

“I feel really confident about the future of this team,” Domolky said. “Although we’re sadly saying goodbye to a bunch of our beloved seniors this year, I think next year we’ll still have a good chance of success.”