In an exhilarating overtime battle in Chelmsford, the Methuen/Tewksbury girls hockey team secured a spot in the Division 1 state championship game with a 2-1 victory over St. Mary’s (Lynn).
Blais Delivers Game-Winning Goal
Eighth-grade forward Annalise Blais emerged as the hero early in overtime. On a power play during a two-on-one break, she fired a shot from the left face-off dot to clinch the win. “In my head, I was saying at that moment that I am going to score this goal, and I didn’t care who was going to try and stop me,” Blais said. “I wanted to win for the seniors so badly. They set a great standard of leadership and are very encouraging when needed.”
Thrilling First Period and Late Tie
The action ignited just 26 seconds in when St. Mary’s freshman defenseman Kaylee Dinkel intercepted a pass and unleashed a shot that deflected off a defender’s skate into the net, giving the Spartans an early 1-0 lead.
Scoring stalled until the third period, where Methuen/Tewksbury freshman defenseman Lauren Ryan jammed a rebound past the goaltender with just over eight minutes remaining, knotting the score at 1-1.
Goaltending Shines in Defensive Battle
Methuen/Tewksbury, holding a 22-0-2 record, controlled possession and camped out in St. Mary’s zone (20-4-2), generating multiple power-play chances. Spartans sophomore goaltender Avery Sico shone with 16 saves in the loss.
Red Rangers senior goaltender Lydia Barnes faced less pressure, stopping nine shots, including several critical stops.
Coach Praises Team Effort
“The girls worked really hard today. They played to the last whistle and were rewarded for it,” Red Rangers head coach Ryan Sheehy stated. “Our forechecking is our bread and butter, and we did a really good job in that today. We changed our power play up in the locker room and made some good adjustments. That game-winning goal, that’s her shot. For an eighth grader, she’s just incredible.”
Methuen/Tewksbury now eyes its second state title (last in 2019) against Archbishop Williams, who chase their program’s first championship.
