The Boston Americans celebrate their 16U Mass. state title. (Brian Kelly/NEHJ)
MARLBORO, Mass. — The Boston Americans needed all the time they could get.
Trailing 3-2 in the closing seconds with Lovell Academy trying to bleed out the clock in the corner, Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) delivered.
McCool dug the puck free from the scrum in the left corner and took it to the net, and her centering pass deflected five-hole on Peyton Scott to tie it with 7.2 seconds to go in regulation.
The Americans survived overtime to force a shootout, where Maddy Call (Dedham, Mass.) and Marie Lee (Andover, Mass.) were the heroes. Call scored the shootout’s lone goal in the top of the sixth round before Lee shut the door for the 4-3 win and the Massachusetts 16U Tier 1 state title, ending Lovell Academy’s bid at a repeat.
Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) and Mia MacDonald also scored for the Americans, who automatically advance to USA Hockey Nationals, which will be in Amherst, N.Y., from March 24-29.
Aubryn Monter, Remi Karsh and Annabelle Lovell (Hingham, Mass.) each scored for Lovell Academy.
Karsh opened the scoring midway through the first with a top-shelf wrister from the left circle off the rush.
Monter doubled the lead with 1:40 to go in the third on a counter rush, putting a heavy shot on net that trickled in after Lee got a piece.
Ames got the Americans on the board with a shorthanded goal with five minutes to go in the second, intercepting a stretch pass and scoring as she got in alone.
MacDonald tied it at two apiece less than three minutes into the third, leading the rush into the offensive zone and going bar-down to the top-left corner.
Lovell restored the Lions’ lead with four minutes to go on a power play when her seeing-eye wrist shot found a way through Lee.
Let’s dive into nine standouts from the game.