Girls' Hockey Advances with 5-0 Win

You know you’re good when a 5-0 win just isn’t good enough.

“This time of year, you got to play better,” Woburn coach Bob MacCurtain said. “We just didn’t make plays, but we’ll take it, we’ll take it.”

The second-seeded girls’ hockey team defeated No. 15 Westford Academy 5-0 Saturday at in the first round of the Division 1 state tournament.

The Tanners (19-1-1) advance to potentially face the only team that’s beaten them all season, No. 7 Lexington, in the quarterfinals. Lexington still had to get by No. 10 Watertown/Melrose in their first round matchup late Saturday night.

Against Westford, Woburn got out to an early 2-0 lead, as sophomore defenseman Kylee Maher scored on a wrist shot about two minutes in and first-line center Colleen Martell slipped one past Westford’s Jenny Grischuk (14 saves) midway through the first period.

However, in the second, Woburn committed four minor penalties, and it was actually Westford that put more shots on goal, 5-4.

Westford’s first line of center Cara Curran and wingers Kim Lizotte and Stephanie Arno applied most of the pressure, but Woburn’s freshman netminder, Courtney Davis, proved up to the task.

Davis had 16 saves in the game, including one with a defenseman’s stick after dropping her own late in the third.

“We leaned on Courtney quite a bit tonight,” MacCurtain said.

The Tanners revved up their game again in the third, with sophomore defenseman Cassandra Connolly, sophomore forward Kayla Smith and Martell, a senior, all converting scoring chances.

Smith's assist on Connolly’s goal was her 100th career point. She had an assist on every goal in the game, besides her own.

Martell had two assists to go along with her two goals, while linemate Siobhan Duran also had two, defenseman Hannah Magee one.

Westford coach Todd Fletcher thought his team played well despite the score.

“We weathered the storm in the first and again in the second,” he said. “We just fell a little short in the third.”

Westford’s heading in the right direction, according to Fletcher, who’s in his second season at the helm. After finishing 1-19 two seasons ago, Westford (13-6-3) beat No. 18 Cambridge/Somerville 4-0 in the preliminary round of the tournament this season and only loses two seniors to graduation.

As for Woburn, with a showdown with Middlesex League foe Lexington likely, MacCurtain said his team needs to play better and forget about the past.

“I don’t think our first two games with Lexington have anything to do with this one,” he said.

The Tanners lost to Lexington 3-1 in their second game of the season, before winning the rematch 4-0.