Shepherd guides Fontbonne to title

Relying on a defensive blueprint that yielded success all season long, Fontbonne Academy walked away from TD Banknorth Garden as the Division 2 state champions after a 3-0 victory over Whitman-Hanson/Pembroke yesterday.

The young Ducks were led by sophomore Taylor Shepherd, who scored every goal in the game to pick up her second hat trick of the tournament, and senior goalie Kristen Conners, who recorded her fourth tournament shutout. The duo, along with a powerful defense led by sophomore Meaghan Collins, squashed numerous W-H/Pembroke threats by killing 10 penalties.

"This whole team works well together," said Fontbonne coach Bob Huxley, who is in his second year leading the Ducks. "Our defense was just incredible today."

The Ducks (18-4-2) built a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to Shepherd, who scored twice in the first eight minutes. After two shots from juniors Bridget O'Brien (three assists) and Kaighla Ridge bounced off the post, Shepherd swept in and flipped the puck past goalie Kelly Travers 4:06 into the game.

Nearly four minutes later, with Fontbonne down a skater, Shepherd skated untouched from one side of the rink to the other and slammed a goal into the back of the net.

Shepherd capped her afternoon with another coast-to-coast goal midway through the third period to put the game away.

"It's amazing," she said. "I'm still kind of in shock."

Shepherd said the team wanted to win the game for Conners, who was playing her last high school game. But the goalie played as if she could win the game by herself. The senior picked up 18 saves and made numerous acrobatic and hard-nosed stops to stifle the Panthers. Her finest moment may have occurred with just under three minutes left in the first period, when, after being bowled over in front of the net, she grabbed a hard shot while on her back.

"I had confidence today, and they were only able to get a few shots on net," Conners said.

She, as well as Shepherd and Huxley, credited the win to the collective defensive effort.

"We play strong all around, and I don't mean to be cocky when I say that," Shepherd said. "But to have confidence with every girl out there is a strength."

Fontbonne's penalty-killing prowess overshadowed an impressive defensive stop by the Panthers (18-3-3) with eight minutes to play in the first. With two players in the penalty box, Kristina Kennedy, Alexandra Davis, and Tricia Stacy held tough despite being pinned in front of their goal. The trio helped Travers stop four shots, keeping the Ducks' lead at 1-0.

Now Fontbonne, which brings back most of its young team next season, can celebrate a state title.

"We've never gone this far before," Conners said. "It's unreal."