Recap

MOA vs. Walpole Recap – 12/26/19

The MOA Warriors girl’s hockey team bounced back into the win column today, beating non-league opponent Walpole High School by a score of 7-5.  

The Warriors wasted no time in opening what would prove to be a high scoring game.  MOA’s Ella Waryas struck in the first minute of the game, taking a pass from Reese Pereira and tucking a short side opportunity behind Rebel netminder Maddie Clark after slipping behind the Rebel defense.  Then, as sign of how this game was going to go, Walpole’s Liz DeSimone tied the game at one each a mere four minutes later on a breakaway. MOA’s junior captain Emma Pereira scored two goals in just over ninety seconds.  E. Pereira’s first came with assists by Alex Ledin and Kylie O’Keefe. E. Pereira’s second of the period was a dart, fired from the high slot. MOA’s Liz Healy and Emma Garland combined to get the puck up high to the wide-open Pereira, who took one stride and ripped the puck over the goaltender’s glove.  The first period ended with MOA up three goals to one.  

MOA again struck first in the second period.  At the 12:54 mark, Emma Garland and Liz Healy again combined, with the beneficiary being Tess Luciano who found herself with the puck on her stick and unattended in front of the Walpole crease.  Luciano beat Clark low on a ‘bang-bang’ passing play. Walpole would soon prove that the Warriors could not get comfortable. Walpole scored the next two goals. Walpole’s Kerrin McMillan scored her first of three goals one and half minutes after Luciano’s tally.  Walpole’s Jenna Malone scored with 6:31 left to play in the second, keeping the game close at 4-3 in favor of the Warriors. Two minutes later, the Warriors went to the power play when Walpole’s Emma McInerny was called for a hook. The Warrior’s power play unit used only three ticks of the clock to record another goal.  A clean face off win by Reese Pereira put the puck directly on the stick of Alex Ledin. It took one second for Ledin to settle the puck at the top of the face off circle, one second to wind up, and one second for her slapshot to find the back of the net. The MOA offense struck again with 13 seconds to play in the second, again off the face off.  A clean win by Sam Ledin went to her sister Alex, who, instead of shooting, tapped back to Melissa Shanteler at the blue line. Shanteler’s shot beat the screened Walpole goalie low to the far side. What looked to be a cushion rapidly disappeared when Walpole scored with one second left in the second. Widdop made the first stop on a try by Walpole’s Andrea Wilson.  The rebound popped loose for Kerrin McMillan who potted her second just before time expired. McMillan’s second goal sent the team to the break with the score 6-4 in favor of the Warriors.

The Rebels came out for the third and showed the visiting Warriors that they weren’t going to lay down.  Walpole only needed seconds after the period-opening face off to break in on MOA’s Jess Widdop with McMillan scoring her third goal of the contest from Catie Martin and Kylie Hamilton.  The Warriors rode the one goal advantage through most of the third period until Alex Ledin recorded her second goal of the game. MOA’s Meghan O’Hara fired a high wrist shot from the point.  The puck bounced out of Clark’s catching glove and up over her head, bouncing behind the netminder. A. Ledin then jumped on the bouncing puck, slamming it home and restoring the two goal lead with six minutes to play.  Ledin’s goal would prove to be the final goal scored in a seesaw game, with MOA earning two points with the 7-5 victory and bringing their record to three wins and one loss on the young season. The Warriors travel to Hopedale for on December 29/30 for a two day tournament.

Ella Waryas, Tess Luciano, Melissa Shanteler-1 goal each

Emma Pereira, Alex Ledin-2 goals each

Emma Garland, Sam Ledin, Reese Pereira-2 assists each

Coach Roy Bain