Rich Righi posted on March 01, 2015 at 10:05 AM
The Lady Islanders 12U team played in the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Women's Hockey Association (MAWHA) League championship tournament on Saturday 2/28.
The 12u team finished first in the MAWHA regular season by boasting an impressive 11-0-1 record with 68 goals scored and only 9 goals against. Finishing in the top seed pitted the girls against a tough Chester County squad that has come on very strong in the second half of the season.
The morning opener started out with the Isles applying pressure in the the cougar zone but a few quick breakouts by Chester tested the Lady Islanders net minder Olivia DeGuire who came up big in the early go. Then at 12:19 the Cougars were called for a hook setting up a power play opportunity for our girls. The Isles put on an impressive display of puck movement and after a few saves by the cougar goalie, Katelynne Righi banged in the rebound putting the 12u's on the board at the 11:15 mark of the first frame. Righi would add another in the closing minute of the 1st on a slap shot from the point ending the period with a 2-0 lead. Our girls would dominate play for the remainder of the game and added some insurance with Callie McLaughlin going coast to coast at 5:46 in the second and banging in her second less then a minute later. Chester managed to sneak one by on a power play in the third but it was too little too late as the girls moved on to the finals taking the semis 4-1.
The finals shaped up as expected with the tough Brewster Lady Bulldogs taking their semi final game setting up another Brewster-Long Island showdown….. And the game did not disappoint.
Both teams battled hard in end to end physical play with some big saves on both sides and the end of the first finished 0-0.
But the Lady Islanders would come out strong in the second and Marina Alvarez would put up the girls first tally with a wrist shot from the blue line at 11:34. Brewster would come back 5 minutes later to tie the game with 6:21 on the clock. Sammy Deiches notched her first of the day 3 minutes later and Caleigh Elwood would add the eventual game winner with 44 seconds left in the second. The third period proved to be a nail biter as the lady Bulldogs scored early testing the Isles defense for the entire period. a few posts on each side and Brewster pulling the goalie in the ending minute would finally end the game with a 3-2 Lady Islanders victory and a MAWHA Banner to hang in the rink!!!
Congrats to the 12U Team!!! Go Lady Islanders!!!
