Girls Hockey Takes Down Beverly-Danvers in Playoffs

If it weren't for the MIAA tournament's rules, the evenly-matched Beverly-Danvers and girls' hockey teams would have been destined for a tie in their Wednesday preliminary round match-up at Talbot Rink in Gloucester.

But since once of the teams would need to move on, a shootout was necessary to break a 3-3 deadlock after a scoreless overtime period.

Shrewsbury's Lauren Ineson was the only player from either team to put it in the net in the shootout, beating Beverly-Danvers goalie Jenna LoVasco and sending her team into the next round.

"The girls played well, they dug deep," Beverly-Danvers Head Coach Fiona Rice said. "We played a 12-minute overtime period and that's a lot of extra hockey."

Rice said nerves may have played a role in the Panthers' inability to finish during the shootout, although Shrewsbury goalie Steph Folsom had something to do with that as well. 

Allyson Spencer of Danvers tallied two goals, including one with 55 seconds left in the third period to tie the score and send the game into overtime.

The Panthers had trailed 3-1 with under four minutes in the game, when Caitlin McBride of Danvers knocked one home to bring her team within striking distance.

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