Christina Cleroux ’14 was an indomitable force between the pipes for Middlsex on Friday, January 18 as the girls’ varsity ice hockey team skated their way to a 1-0 overtime victory against Cushing Academy.  

The Penguins hosted the Zebras on a cold winter afternoon in Ashburnham, MA. As soon as the puck dropped, both teams set to work to take control of the game.  Cushing outshot Middlesex 9-7 in the first period but Christina Cleroux ’14 along with the defensive unit of Jeanie Dwinell ’13, Ashley Arnold ’13, Leah Olson ’15 and Brooke Gary ’14 were flawless in their defensive efforts.  By the end of the first 15:00 of play, it was obvious to both teams that the contest was going to be a nail bitter to the end.

The second period played out much like the first with Cushing outshooting Middlesex 12-7. The Zebras continued to apply the pressure to the Penguin’s goaltender but could not break through her seemingly impenetrable pads. Entering the locker room tied at 0-0 at the end of the second, the visiting team knew they could not give an inch to their opponents.

With 15:00 left in regulation, both Middlesex and Cushing took advantage of every minute.  Each team found themselves in man down situations but could not put anything on the score board. Cleroux turned away 11 shots and had her best period of hockey on the season. As the time ticked away on the clock, the Zebras started to mentally prepare themselves for over time.

 In the 5:00 sudden death overtime it was Middlesex who took control. They outshot their opponents 3-2 and fought ferociously to keep the puck out of their defensive end. With 4:36 left to play, a penalty was called on Cushing. For the next several seconds,  the Zebras tried to take advantage of the player up advantage but the Penguins had a different plan as they sent the puck deep into Middlesex’s defensive end with 12 seconds remaining in the game. Eleanor Knutzen ’13 stepped up to take the faceoff while Ashley Arnold and Brooke Gary waited to pounce on anything that crossed  Cleroux’s path.  After settling the puck, Knutzen found linemate Maddie Winslow ’14  in the neutral zone who raced down the ice on a breakaway.  Unaware of how much time was left on the clock, Winslow lofted the puck over the right shoulder of the Penguin’s goaltender in the high slot to take home the Zebras sixth win of the season.

The team will return to action on Friday, January 25 when they host the Holderness School. The puck drops at 4:30pm.