Garden party for St. Mary's
Backed by a backdoor goal by eighth-grader Marisa Maccario, a strong effort from goalie Kelsey Magrane, and an offense that controlled the puck, St. Mary's capped another undefeated season by shutting out Woburn, 1-0, yesterday in the Division 1 state final.
St. Mary's, winner of 51 straight games and two straight Division 1 state titles, became the first girls' hockey team to win an MIAA game at TD Banknorth Garden, entertaining a spunky crowd tournament officials estimated at 2,300.
"I'm so proud of these girls," said St. Mary's coach Frank Pagliuca. "They battled an excellent team tonight.
"It's a surreal experience right now."
After a scoreless first period, the Spartans got on the board on an alert play by Maccario.
Maccario swept the puck past Woburn goalie Rebecca Papa at 6:02 of the second period while the Tanners' goalkeeper was attempting to recover after diving to stop a shot. Courtney Winters and Meaghan Spurling, who were battling for the puck in front of the net, were credited with assists.
"I got a pass near the corner from Courtney, and I just put it in. Most of my goals this year have been backdoor like that," said Maccario.
Pagliuca wasn't surprised that Maccario scored the winning goal.
"You know, she didn't play like an eighth-grader," he said.
"For me, it's weird, but exciting," Maccario said. "Very exciting."
Maccario's goal was the only blemish for Papa (22 saves), who performed superbly. With most of the action occurring in Woburn territory, she was frequently under pressure.
Papa made three sprawling saves within a two-minute span in the first period to keep the potent Spartans offense from getting off to a fast start. With four minutes remaining in the first, Papa blocked a hard shot by Winters. Forty seconds later, she dived to her right to keep Michelle Macchione from scoring. Then, with just less than two minutes remaining in the period, Papa fell on the puck after a scrum in front of the net to prevent a score.
Her finest moment may have occurred in the third period. With 7:34 left, Papa sprawled to her left and caught a hard shot to keep St. Mary's from getting an insurance goal.
Not to be outdone, Magrane made a diving play to protect the Spartans' lead in the second period, leaving her feet to snare a hard shot by Colleen Callahan.
After two titles and two seasons without a loss, one might wonder if St. Mary's takes winning for granted.
Not so, said Winters.
"It's honestly a step up from last year," she said. "This is amazing. There's really nothing like it." 