The girls’ varsity hockey team made the long trip to Andover, NH on Wednesday afternoon to take on the 2012 Class B New England Champions, Proctor Academy.  After a scoreless first period, the Zebras rallied in the second and third en route to a 3-0 victory over the Hornets.

Although Middlesex outshot Proctor 13-8 in the first period, they were stymied by the outstanding goaltending efforts of the Hornet’s Kelsey Crawford.  Much of the play was spent in the neutral zone, as both teams struggled to take definitive control of the game. Middlesex entered the locker room determined to start working together as a more cohesive unit.

When the Zebras stepped on the ice to start the second period, one could immediately sense a change in the atmosphere.  The defensive unit of Leah Olson ’15, Brooke Gary ’14, Ashley Arnold ’13 and Jeanie Dwinell ’13 were solid on the offensive blue line and continuously challenged  Crawford with shots on net.  Five minutes into the period,   Sarah Tabeek ’14 broke open the scoring for the afternoon off of a pass from line-mate Isabel Kreitler ’13 to take the 1-0 lead. For the remaining minutes of the period, the Zebras continued to apply the pressure but were unable to put any more goals away.

Middlesex began the third period with the same fire and resolve as they had had in the second.  The forwards and defense valiantly fought their way through two Middlesex penalties which at one point left them with a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 45 seconds.  About halfway through the period, Sarah Tabeek tipped in her second goal of the game off of a shot from Leah Olson to give Middlesex the security they so desperately needed. Christina Cleroux ’14 continued to be a dominate force in the net and covered every loose puck that crossed her path.  Forwards Eleanor Knutzen ’13, Maddie Winslow ’14, Cici Fratassio ’14, Isabel Kreitler, Sarah Tabeek, Arushi Ray ’14 and Hailey Porter ’14 were forces to be reckoned with and played a great game of two way hockey.  In the final minutes of play, Brooke Gary made a brilliant pass to Cici Frattasio from the blue line who quickly tucked the puck back door to cap off the scoring for the night.

Christina Cleroux recorded her second shutout of the season and turned away 19 shots.

Middlesex will face their first league opponent on Friday, December 7 when they travel to Weston, MA  for a 5:00 game against Rivers.