'We played tremendous hockey': NDA girls hockey falls in thriller to Shrewsbury in Final 4

Kevin Perrington-Turner, The Patriot Ledger
·2 min read

FRAMINGHAM – The Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) girls hockey team was on the wrong end of a Division 1 Final Four thriller on Saturday against Shrewsbury, 4-3.

Loring Arena in Framingham was loud from the first to the last second of the state semifinal. The game started in pristine fashion for the Cougars, as NDA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period only to fall behind 4-2 in the third period. The Cougars showed grit in trimming the deficit to 4-3 in the third period, but failed to find an equalizer.

“I’m so proud of them. I told them, ‘Nobody should be upset, we played tremendous hockey,'” NDA coach John Findley said. “We went down 4-2 and I told them, ‘Girls, you've got 8 minutes left, just do what you can.' We scored a goal.”

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Goals from Lauren White and Caroline Hartnett had NDA ahead earlier. However, Shrewsbury bounced back with four consecutive goals.

The Cougars pounced back in the third period. White put a quick wrister past the Shrewsbury goalie to trim the deficit to 4-3 with 5:20 left in the game. White finished with two goals.

Notre Dame Academy's Lauren White takes a shot on the net of Newton North goalie Maya Tuozzolo during a game versus Newton North on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
Notre Dame Academy's Lauren White takes a shot on the net of Newton North goalie Maya Tuozzolo during a game versus Newton North on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

“She is the best, her and her sister Sarah White, and 11 (Avery Engel) have been great all year,” Findley said. “They work so hard and they just didn’t want to lose.”

NDA’s Emily Coughlin, Lucy DelGello, Sarah White, and Ashley Maguire each had one assist. Goalie Ava Larkin stood tall in net.

“The first goal went off our girl's skate to make it 3-2,” said Findley. “Then a funky rebound went off one of our girl's chest and laid there for the girl to have an open net. It is what it is, Ava played great.”

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The second period is when Shrewsbury shifted its energy. NDA only put four shots on net in the period. Shrewsbury goal scorers Mia Ryder, Sadie Cusson, Rachel Bunsick, and Lauren Albertson all came up big in the last two periods. Shrewsbury advances to play in the Division 1 state final at the TD Garden.

Notre Dame Academy's Sarah White, left, and Duxbury's Caylee Higgins, left, battle for the puck during the Tenney Cup Hockey Tournament at The Bog in Kingston, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022.
Notre Dame Academy's Sarah White, left, and Duxbury's Caylee Higgins, left, battle for the puck during the Tenney Cup Hockey Tournament at The Bog in Kingston, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022.

“The way they came back and the grit they showed to go down 2-0 against a strong team,” said Shrewsbury coach Frank Panarelli. “We knew our first period wasn’t our best period, but we weathered the storm when they scored two goals against us.”

For Shrewsbury, “every line scored tonight,” according to Panarelli. He credited the win to a complete team effort, especially the unsung heroes.

“This is the first team I really don’t have a true superstar,” said Panarelli. “Sadie Cusson scored a goal tonight and that was like her second goal of the year.”

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Shrewsbury High girls hockey defeats Notre Dame Academy in semifinals