Sometimes, a win just means more.
The Nauset girls hockey team beat Bishop Feehan 1-0 at Charles Moore Arena, improving to 8-1 on the season, and winning their seventh consecutive game.
A 1-0 score line doesn’t suggest an action packed game, but that’s exactly what transpired. The Warriors emerged victorious after a game that featured 17 penalties, just a single goal, and plenty of fast paced hockey.
It was a win that past versions of this team may not have secured, and also a win that shows just how far this group has come over the last few seasons. After the game, head coach Zach Wells gave credit to his team’s experience, for helping them grind the win out.
“The girls have really bought into the systems that we’re doing and it goes a long way,” he said. “You saw it today, the girls really dug in, and they’re mentally tough.”
Young but experienced
This season’s Warriors team is a bit of an anomaly. They’re simultaneously young, but experienced. The Warriors have three seniors who are the captains, goalie Olivia Avellar, defenders Sienna Reeves, and Isabella Roberts, and two juniors Sophia Boucher and Carly Brand.
Beyond those five, the rest of the team are sophomores and below, which usually translates to inexperienced, but that’s where this group sets itself apart.
The experience shows in a win like Saturday night. An unassisted goal late in the first period from sophomore Julia Kipperman gave Nauset the lead that it then preserved over the next two periods.
Thankfully, the Warriors have elite this season defensively. Anchoring it all is Avellar in goal. She just recorded her fourth consecutive shutout, and after the game she was always confident in the defense in front of her.
“I didn’t see too many great scoring opportunities where I was really worried about anyone out front alone, or unmarked, and that’s kudos to the d (defenders) for covering.” she said.
Aggressive defense at Nauset
Wells has supreme confidence in his goalie and it’s easy to see why. She has that same confidence in herself, and so far this year she’s only seen the puck get by her 11 times all season. Having such a strong shot stopper in net allows for the Warriors to play an aggressive brand of defense.
“Obviously we have Olivia in net, who I trust to get the job done if there’s perimeter shots, so our real message is to keep girls wide, and play pucks when we have the opportunities,” Wells said.
Penalties stacking up
As the penalties started to stack for both sides in the third period, the…
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