Spartans rack up milestones galore
The St. Mary's girls' hockey team has 51 straight wins, two straight Division 1 state titles, and the honor of the being the first girls team to hoist an MIAA trophy on Garden ice.
With Division 1 last night - and Division 2 next Sunday - girls' teams are making their first appearances at the Garden.
"It's unbelievable. We're the first to play here and we're the first to win it," said senior captain Michelle Golden. "Now we're part of history."
"People look at girls and down rank them, so we've come a long way," said the youngest member of the team, eighth-grader Marisa Maccario.
Over the past two seasons, the Spartans have won 51 in a row and back-to-back Catholic Central Large titles. With their stamina and competitive streak, the Spartans have set records that will be difficult to break. St. Mary's scored more than 100 goals, the most in the state for the third straight year, according to coach Frank Pagliuca.
Contending in the Garden, home of the Boston Bruins, seemed fitting for such an accomplished team that won its second straight crown, a title goalie Kelsey Magrane "never thought would happen."
As St. Mary's took the ice for the first time, the fans who made the trip from the North Shore roared with support.
The first period was a well-built demonstration of the Spartans' offensive strength, led by defenseman Meaghan Spurling, with the team putting repeated shots on the Woburn goal.
"[Woburn] did really well. They made it hard to shoot and we finally picked up momentum in the second period to take her down," Magrane said of standout Woburn goalie Rebecca Papa.
The Spartans kept Woburn pinned in its zone, resulting in the game's only goal, which was scored by Maccario in the second period.
Magrane carried out an awe-dropping block 16 seconds later, to add to her impressive defensive play.
The Spartans' momentum picked up as they ended the game with daring intensity, guaranteeing them another championship title.
"It is an unbelievable accomplishment for the girls," Pagliuca said.
