The girls’ varsity hockey team suffered a tough loss to a talented Nobles squad on Wednesday, January 9 on their home ice in Concord, MA. Middlesex knew the Bulldogs would be a challenging opponent as indicated by their undefeated record as well as their 2012 Class A New England Championship title.

Both teams started the game with an equal amount of energy and determination. For the first 10:00 of play, neither Middlesex nor Nobles were able to generate quality scoring opportunities. Finally, with 4:26 left in the period, the Bulldogs capitalized on a loose puck off the right post to break open the scoring for the evening.  The Zebras entered the locker room down by one but ready to make the necessary adjustments to their play to start the second.

The Zebras battled hard throughout the entire second period and started to pose a greater offensive threat.  Although they had their chances, Middlesex could not find the back of the net. 7:43 into the period, the Bulldogs struck again when they picked off a pass at the blue line to increase the scoring gap by two.  Christina Cleroux ’13 was a dominate force in net for Middlesex and turned away several quality shots throughout the period.

Down by two entering the final 15:00 of play, the Zebras knew they had their work cut out for them in order to stay in the game.  Junior Brooke Gary turned in a season’s best performance and played a smart and poised game of hockey. Despite the Zebras determination, Nobles was able to put the puck away two more times before ending the scoring for the night.

Although disappointed by the loss, Middlesex will look to rebound against a strong Governor’s squad on Saturday January, 12  at 2:00pm in Concord, MA.