In one of the most exciting games of the season to date, the girls’ varsity ice hockey team picked up their third victory in a row on Friday, January 20 against Cushing Academy. In front of a fan packed arena, Middlesex battled their way to a 2-0 win which improves the Zebras to 10-2-0 on the year.
The first period saw opportunities for both teams to score but Cushing’s goaltender and Middlesex’s Christina ’14 proved to be impenetrable in the net. The puck spent a significant amount of time in the neutral zone, as the Penguins and Zebras played an evenly matched 15:00 of hockey.
As the second period began, it was apparent that both Middlesex and Cushing were ready to pick up right where they left off; the pace of the game only continued to gain speed. A pair of penalties against Cushing 5:00 in, gave Middlesex the window of opportunity to put the puck in the net with the five on three power play advantage. The forward line of Cici ’14, Maddie ’14 and Jordan ‘ 12 moved the puck seamlessly in the offensive zone and patiently waited for the opportunity to strike. At 9:36 Jordan received a pass from Brooke ’14 just inside the blue line and fired a slap shot into the upper-right corner of the net to break open the scoring for the afternoon. The goal added an even greater element of excitement in the air as the Zebras continued to apply the pressure for the remaining minutes of the period.
With 15:00 left in the game, Middlesex took to the ice with the resolve to win. The Penguins were clearly up for the challenge and were relentless in their attempts to get the puck past Christina ’14. Sarah ’14, Eliza ’12, Leah ’15 and Ashley ‘ 13 killed off a penalty halfway through the period which could have resulted in an opportunity for Cushing to tie the game. Arushi ‘ 14 moved back to the defensive line to help the Zebras hold onto the one goal lead, while Eleanor ’13 and Isabel ’13 continued to battled for the 50-50 pucks in the corners.
As the final minutes on the clock ticked down, Middlesex suffered yet another penalty. With a minute left in the game, Cushing pulled their goaltender to give the Penguins the six on four advantage. Although significantly outnumbered, the Zebras played smart defensive hockey and were able to keep the puck out of their net. With .5 seconds left in the game, Jordan ’12 received a pass from Eliza ’12 to score on the empty net. The entire team rushed to the ice to congratulate Christina ’14 on an incredible shut out.
After semester break, the Zebras will travel to Newton, MA on Wednesday January 25 to take on Southfield at 4:30pm.
