Underclassmen show out in high-class girls hockey matchup between Hingham and Duxbury
HINGHAM – It was mainly the underclassmen who stepped up in a high-profile South Shore girls hockey matchup Saturday night.
Sophomores Caroline Doherty (Hingham) and Zoey Madigan (Duxbury) scored the only goals, while Harborwomen freshman goalie Isabel McGarr stepped up huge in a 1-1 tie.
It was the first half-blemish on Duxbury's record; the Dragons are now 13-0-1.
The Harborwomen (7-5-2) were the first to get a score on the board early in the first period. Doherty converted a wrister off an assist from fellow sophomore Addie Garrity.
“We knew we wanted to get that first goal, so me and my linemate Addie Garrity skated up the puck and she had a really nice pass to me,” Doherty said.
Scoring is nothing new for Doherty. She’s been finding her way around the net the entire season. Considering the opponent, this was one of her biggest goals.
“Caroline is an awesome leader on the team,” said Hingham first-year head coach Courtney Turner. “She works hard and obviously can put the puck in the net. She’s got 23 goals this season in 14 games. I think she really helped the group be serious about the game.”
Duxbury answered back in the second period on a power play. Senior captain McKenna Colella sent a pass from the top of the zone right to Madigan, who fired a quick shot to the top left of the net to even the score with 11:39 in the period.
“We work on power plays a lot in practice and I’m at a very open position where if I get the puck on my stick I shoot it and it works,” said Madigan. “It was just a really nice pass by McKenna.”
It’s not the first time Madigan has stepped up when the lights were brightest. She scored the game-winning goal against Notre Dame Academy in December. She’s a timely scorer.
“A lot was expected of Zoey and I think she wore that on her shoulders a little bit” at the start of the season, said Duxbury coach Dan Najarian. “And about six or seven games (ago) a light bulb went off and she’s been one of our best forwards.”
Defensively, Hingham put the clamps on, thanks to McGarr.
“Unbelievable,” Turner said of her goalie. “She stepped up when we needed her to. We have a really young team, but they’re very mature and don’t back down to a challenge.”
"I’m never really happy with a tie, but as the ref said walking off the ice, 'That game probably ended how it should’ve,'" said Najarian said. "Both goalies played great."
Duxbury goalie Anna McGinty was also no slouch. The junior already had seven shutouts this season going into Saturday's game. She, too, was zoned in.
“Every big game she’s there,” said Najarian. “And it can be difficult for her because she goes long stretches without seeing a lot of action. And then she has to make big saves, and she comes up time and time again.”
Meanwhile, Hingham sees the tie as a positive sign heading toward the final leg of the regular season.
“That was a really tough-fought game by our team," Turner said. "(Duxbury was) 13-0, so we see that as a win."
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Duxbury, Hingham skate to 1-1 tie in girls hockey
