ST. ALBANS – The top-ranked BFA-St. Albans Comets opened up their playoff schedule on Saturday, March 7, at the Collins-Perley Sports Complex, hosting the Rice Green Knights for the Division 1 girls’ hockey quarterfinal. The Comets would rally from an early deficit to defeat the Green Knights by a convincing 7-1 score in a great all-around team effort.
The Comets came out firing from all angles at the Green Knights’ net, but Molly McGibney stonewalled every effort, turning away 15 BFA shots in the opening period. As time was winding down in the period, Rice’s Sarah Rob would get the puck in close to the Comets’ goal and push the first marker of the game through the pads of Dahlia Steele for the 1-0 lead. The Green Knights took the lead to the locker room in spite of being outshot 15-4.
The Comets continued their assault on the Rice net and finally broke through with a monster opening to the second period. Just 1:09 into the period, Reina Spaulding scored the Comets’ first goal. Bella Stuart fired a puck from near the blue line that was tipped by Marah McGinn. Spaulding would take the redirection to the glove side of McGibney for the tying goal.
Greg Bessette
What’s next?
The Comets host the combined Champlain Valley Union/Mount Mansfield Union Cougarhawks on Wednesday, March 11.
Stuart would net a goal of her own shortly after. At 2:34 of the period, Stuart skated up the right side of the ice and fired a low shot from just above the right circle that found its way into the back of the net for what would prove to be the game-winning goal. Less than two minutes later, Marley Johnson added to the Comets’ lead, taking a faceoff win from Gabby Fraties, and unleashing a shot that went through a crowd in front of the net and into the cage for the 3-1 lead.
At 5:43 of the period, the Comets’ rally would be complete, as they displayed some stellar puck movement. Stuart would pass the puck to Braelyn Fitzgerald, who made a nifty, quick touch to a streaking Marion Pearson-Stanley. Pearson-Stanley was off to the races and finished the play with a shot into the top right corner of the net for the 4-1 lead. The Comets held strong for the remainder of the period with good defensive play and several solid stops by Steele in net, heading to the locker room with the 3-goal lead.
Greg Bessette
Kali Cushing would push the Comets’ lead to 5-1 at 2:17 of the third period, taking a pass in the right circle and firing a perfect shot into the back of the net. Less than three minutes later, Lilly Ferraro increased the lead to 6-1, as she picked up a second chance rebound on a shot from Rylee LaRocque and ripped the puck high to the glove side of McGibney. Spaulding would finish off the scoring for the Comets less than two minutes later with her second goal, taking a pass from Aiyana Lamos, and powering it through a crowded front of the net for the 7-1 advantage. That score would be the final, and the Comets would advance to the semi-finals of the Vermont Principals’ Association Girls Ice Hockey State Championships.
Reina Spaulding led the Comets’ offense with 2 goals, as Bella Stuart, Marley Johnson, Marion Pearson-Stanley, Kali Cushing, and Lilly Ferraro each scored a goal. Marah McGinn and Aiyana Lamos were each credited with 2 assists. Makayla Couture, Gabby Fraties, Braelyn Fitzgerald, Stuart, Spaulding, and Rylee LaRocque each had 1 assist. Dahlia Steele stopped 13 shots in net.
The Green Knights’ goal was scored by Sarah Rob and assisted by Annabelle Rumsey. Molly McGibney was outstanding in net for Rice with 32 saves.
Marah McGinn spoke about the team rally after the game: “Going into the second period, we knew that we had to fix what was going wrong. We knew that we had to flush it, and had a conversation between periods about not being selfish. We had to fix our mistakes and keep firing at the net, and we finally found it.”
Greg Bessette
McGinn added, “In the first, we were just shooting to shoot, but we started to shoot with a purpose in the second and third periods, and our momentum carried us.”
Bella Stuart talked about the feeling of scoring the go-ahead goal early in the second: “I was feeling great. I was just glad to put one in, which got the girls really hyped up, and it just started our momentum and got us going.”
On the defensive play and goalie play, McGinn said, “It just rounds out our team, because we’re really strong offensively, but a team that can go back and play defense, and come back from a one-goal deficit–those are teams that are going to go far. Overall, it’s a good trait we have, and hopefully it can lead us back to the Gut.”
Stuart added, “I think we’re doing great with a lot of things right now. Our attitudes have been very good. We’re working hard every shift, and I think the selflessness helps us.”
Comets’ assistant coach Jeff Rouleau was very pleased with the play after trailing early, saying, “The pucks were just not going in the net in the first period. Hats off to their goalie. She played an amazing game. It was a matter of just sticking to the plan, continuing to work hard, and getting pucks and bodies to the net. It started to pay off in the second period.”
On the team defense, Rouleau said, “We did a really nice job of forcing them wide when they did get opportunities, and our back-checking was solid as well.”
When asked about continuing through the playoffs, Rouleau said, “All we can control is what’s in front of us, and the plan is to keep doing what we’ve been doing all season long, which is to give it our best effort each and every day. If things don’t go our way, we gave it our best effort is the message. We’re really proud of the effort they’ve given all season long, and the way they’ve carried themselves as individuals on the ice, off the ice, in the community, and at school. It’s a group to be incredibly proud of.”
The Comets will host a semi-final game on Wednesday, March 11.