Wildcats Miss Tournament After Tough Season

For the girls hockey team, the 2010-11 season has certainly been a long and arduous one. After suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat at the hands of top-ranked Norwood, the Wildcats suffered a tough 5-0 loss to Dedham on Wednesday night

Currently, the Wildcats stand at 3-11-4 overall and will close out the season next week in a home and home series against Norte Dame of Hingham.

The Wildcats, a perennial power in the Bay State Conference have endured some hard times while fielding a relatively young and inexperienced scoring attack.

“It’s been tough for us all season long,’’ said coach Maggie Radley. “This is the first time that we’re not going to the tournament in I don’t know how long. We’ve made the tournament every year for as long as I can remember, and it’s going to be tough for us not to be there this season.”

Despite the Wildcats’ tough campaign, Radley has praised her team for their relentless efforts on and off the ice.

“The girls have worked so hard on and off the ice, and I really feel for them,’’ said Radley. “We’ve come so close in a lot of games, and I think we’ve lost something like seven of them by one goal.”

In Monday’s 3-2 defeat to Norwood, the Wildcats trailed 3-0 in the first period before battling back to close within one on a late goal by Jen Berry. Midway through the second, the Wildcats closed the gap within one on a strike by Liz Johnson.

Throughout the third period, both teams traded quality opportunities, but the Wildcats failed to capitalize. With the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker, the Wildcats generated several chances but couldn’t convert en route to the loss.

In the loss, goaltender and senior co-captain Emma Drew fared solid, stopping 36 shots, but was removed late in the game after tearing a ligament in her ankle.

“She wanted to stay in, but it was just impossible for her to do so,’’ said Radley. “Emma has been the backbone of our team all season and she’s kept us in every game this season.”

Also faring well in the loss were Erin Higgins, Monica Riordan and Emily McLellan, who saw some quality shifts on offense.

“Norwood’s a great team, but in the end we just came up a little bit short,’’ said Radley. “It’s been that kind of year for us, but the girls are trying.”

With Drew injured, the Wildcats were forced to turn to eighth grader Sarah Parks, who recorded 35 saves in a 5-0 loss to Dedham.

“The game was a lot closer than the score indicated,’’ said Radley. “We had some chances, but we haven’t been able to generate enough offense. It’s been the problem we’ve had all season long.”

In the loss to Dedham, Riordan, Higgins and McLellan all fared impressive, generating multiple scoring chances throughout the game.

“Dedham is a tournament bound team, and they were able to jump out in front early,’’ said Radley. “We’ve been having trouble from playing from behind all year long.”

The Wildcats will close out the season on Tuesday and Thursday against Norte Dame of Hingham in a pair of non-conference matches.