OT Loss Crushes Lady Mustang's Title Hopes

Heartbreaking is the only word to describe the conclusion to this year’s Norwood girls hockey season, for the girls who from the start had their sights set on playing in the Garden for the Division 2 state title.

Despite two proven scoring lines with three senior captains, it wasn’t to be.

The Mustangs dropped a 3-2 overtime loss to Milton’s Fontbonne Academy, in the semi-finals of the MIAA hockey tournament Saturday afternoon.

Fontbonne’s Taylor Sheppard put in a loose puck in front of Norwood’s goalie Christina Frasca to end the Mustangs title hopes, with 2:31 left in overtime.

“It just didn’t go the way we wanted, tip your hat to Fontbonne,” Norwood head coach Bill O’Donnell said afterward.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period when defenseman Katie O’Brien snapped a wrist shot from the point that senior captain Ali Maloof corralled and stuffed home with only 58.3 seconds left in the opening period.

After a scoreless second period, where both teams had power play opportunities but could not score due mainly to the excellent goaltending by both sides, the Mustangs and Maloof found the net at the start of the third.

Maloof skated through the Ducks defense and was able to snap off a wrist shot from the right circle to put the Mustangs up 2-0, with only 48 seconds elapsed from the third.

Maloof, after scoring, crashed brutally into the boards behind the net and lay motionless for several minutes as Norwood’s trainer immediately attended to her on the ice.

The crowd was stunned and the silence was felt throughout both sides of the Foxboro Sports Center, until Maloof gathered herself and got back on her feet. She skated off to a thunderous ovation and returned to the ice shortly thereafter.

Less than a minute later, Fontbonne got on the board with a shot from the slot, to cut the lead to 2-1.

Maloof made her way through the defense again on a breakaway but this time was denied with 8:03 left by Fontbonne’s Lan Crofton, who was stellar between the pipes.

Fontbonne tied it up with another loose puck in front that Erin McLoughlin cleaned up on with 6:28 left, that shifted the momentum back to the side of the Ducks.

“I have to give props to our seniors this year, we couldn’t have done it without them,” commented Norwood freshman center Emily Kelly who will be counted on heavily next year to help Norwood defend their Herget League title.

“And the kind of season we had is a reflection on each kid in there,” said O’Donnell, “It was a special team to coach, and it was a special year.”

Kelly almost put the Mustangs in next Sunday’s final at the Garden, but the Ducks’ Crofton snagged her backhand with 3:45 left in OT that had a glimpse of hitting the back of the net.

“We had a couple of chances as they did also, it just came down to them putting the puck in the net,” added O’Donnell.

“Hopefully we get further next year,” commented Kelly.