The girls’ varsity ice hockey team started the 2012-2013 season with a resounding 8-0 victory over Kents Hill on Friday, November 30 in Concord, MA.  The team came out of the gates ready to play from moment the first whistle blew and continuously improved as the minutes ticked away on the clock.
 
Although the Zebras out-shot the Huskies seven to three in the first period, they only capitalized on one of their efforts. With 8:13 left on the clock, junior Cici Frattasio found line-mate Eleanor Knutzen  ‘13 in the neutral zone who then executed a beautiful cross ice pass to junior Arushi Ray who fired the puck over the left shoulder of the Kents Hill goaltender.  The remaining minutes of play were spent in the Zebras' offensive zone but the Huskies kept the scoring opportunities at bay.

The first three minutes of the second period belonged to Kents Hill. They continuously pressured the defense and caught the Zebras off guard with their new found fire and determination.  Middlesex quickly regrouped however and made a rush down into their offensive zone to tally their second goal of the evening when Cici Frattasio tucked the puck away off of a feed from senior captain Ashley Arnold and Arushi Ray.  2:05 later, sophomore defensemen Leah Olson fired the puck from the blue line off of a pass from Frattasio to bring the score to 3-0. Ashley Arnold closed out the period with her second point of the game as a result of the passing efforts of fellow senior captain Isabel Kreitler and Sarah Tabeek ’14.
 
The Zebras continue to work hard throughout the entire third period. Senior Eleanor Knutzen tallied an impressive three goals (with assists from Brook Gary ’14, Ray and Frattasio) while Hailey Porter ’14 picked up a loose puck in front of the net to close out the scoring for the evening.  

Christina Cleroux ’14 backstopped the defense with six saves on the night and freshman Katie Lovell  (making  her debut in net  )finished the game with two saves.   

 Middlesex will hit the road next week when they travel to Andover, NH on Wednesday, December 5 to take on the 2012 Class B New England Champions Proctor Academy at 4:00pm.