Stoneham Falls to Notre Dame Academy, Ousted from State Tournament

The girls' hockey team’s season came to an abrupt halt on Monday night, as they fell victim to Notre Dame Academy 6-4 in the opening round of the State tournament at .

The Spartans ended their season with a 10-7-2 overall record. The players were distraught after the playoff loss because their season was over, but it didn't take away from the accomplishments they achieved during the season.

Setting the Bar High

Jessica Anthony, a senior right defenseman, recalled the Spartans' second game against Wakefield when the team guaranteed them at least a tie to win the Middlesex League Small Division title.

“Winning the league is something that no other Stoneham girls' hockey team has done before us and it was going to be a huge accomplishment,” Anthony said. “It was also the team goal that we set before the season even started.”

The lady Spartans knew they needed to come out flying versus Wakefield to accomplish their dream of winning the division title.

“When the buzzer went off at the end of the third period and I looked up at the clock to see Home-Six and Away-Zero, knowing that we just did what most people thought was impossible, is incredible,” Anthony said. “The chemistry and the heart that went into that game made it so memorable because it wasn’t a game played as individuals, but it was a game that we all played together.”

The Ride Comes to an End

If Anthony could change one aspect of the season, it would be the way the season ended. Although it ended in a loss, she feels it ended far too soon.

“Going into the first-round game we felt good about ourselves especially knowing that we were going to play on our home ice, we felt as if we had the upper hand,” Anthony said. “We fought as hard as we could and gave everything we had until the buzzer went off at the end of the third period. Being a senior, you dread that last shift on the ice.”

Anthony said her most memorable moment during the season occured during the team’s fifth game against Burlington.

“I was having a tough start to the season and was losing my head which lead to penalties and personally I thought I wasn’t playing to the full potential I could be playing at,” Anthony said. “I felt as if I played my best game of my career and I had also scored my first goal of the season. Alycia (Whooley) was cycling the puck down low and saw me open in the slow where she hit me with a solid pass, I took a slapshot from the point and the next thing I knew it was in the back of the net and everyone was cheering.

“After winning that game 6-3, I felt as if that was the point at which my season took a turn for the better.”

Making Strides Against a Rival

Danielle Phalon, a captain of the lady Spartans, also remembered that for most of the game they took sole possession of the divison after beating Wakefield 6-0 on Feb. 18.

“We had previously tied them 5-5 and we came out flying and got on top quick and never backed down,” Phalon said. “To look up at the scoreboard at the end of the game and see 6-0 was amazing. We had not only crushed them but we also took away their sole possession of the title.”

Teammates, Friends, Sisters

While the team spent many hours on the ice, Phalon said she will miss the times spent with the team off the ice and the locker room experiences.

“I will forever remember all the time that we spent together between pasta parties before every game, the trips to Fuddruckers (in Reading) or the locker room dance parties,” Phalon said. “Nothing can ever erase the times that we spent together and the bond that we built. I not only gained 20 more friends, but 20 more sisters.”

Phalon had many memorable individual moments during the years wearing a Spartan jersey.

“Scoring my one hundredth point in my junior year and scoring my one hundredth goal this season,” Phalon said. “I also for the first time broke 50 points in a season. I have recognized my teammates for my accomplishments because without them, none of it would have been possible.”