Mounties Takes Series Opener from St. Mary Academy-Bay View, 2-0

Annie Procaccini made 27 saves for second-seeded Bay View, but Lauren Deguire scored once during the first period and Samantha Smith added an empty-net goal to down the Bengals, 2-0, and move No. 1 MSC to within one win of a second consecutive postseason championship.

Senior captain BriAnna Narodowy provided assists to Deguire and Smith, and freshman net-minder Sarah Erban turned aside 20 shots for the Mounties.

“This was the game in which we became a legitimate defensive team. We hadn’t been pressed quite like this too many times this year,” said Stephen Shea, head coach of the Mounties.

MSC established its one-goal advantage with a first-period play that began in the neutral zone, where Deguire found the puck after stepping out of the penalty box. She was forced to sit for interference at 8:04, but after the Mounties successfully killed off the Bengals’ power play, the junior defender stepped out of the box and joined a rush up ice with Narodowy.

The elder blue-liner moved with the puck toward Procaccini from the right wing, then passed across the slot to Deguire. A quick chip past the senior goaltender’s glove-hand gave the Mounties a lead 10:14 into the game.

“It was a beautiful play,” Shea said. “Bri Narodowy made a fabulous, unselfish pass and [Deguire] popped it in.”

MSC carried its 1-0 lead into the second period, but the Mounties struggled to double the margin, despite several good opportunities.

“Our second period was, by far, our best period, because we generated a lot of offense,” Shea said.

Procaccini stymied MSC with 10 second-period stops, but Erban denied Bay View’s leading scorers, Alexandra Briody and Bethany Fogerty, prior to intermission to maintain the Mounties’ one-goal margin.

“They definitely outplayed us in the second period, said Karen Emma, head coach of the Bengals.

“We have four junior defensemen, and they stand up and they really are the leaders on the team, and our goaltenders will always keep us in the games and that’s our goal.”

MSC outscored its opponents, 86-13, during the regular season. However, the Bengals have not trailed the Mounties by more than two goals this year.

“We’ve tried all year to keep every game to a one or two-goal game so that we have the opportunity to win,” Emma said.

Bay View lost to MSC, 2-0, December 11 and, 3-2, February 4. Wednesday, the Bengals attempted to rally during the third period, but they could not find the back of the net.

“We controlled the puck at the end of the game and had our opportunities, but we’ve got to put the puck away,” Emma said.

The Bengals were eventually subdued by Smith’s goal at 14:45 of the third period.

“Every time we play Mount, they’re an unbelievable opponent,” said Karen Emma, head coach of the Bengals.

“It’s a great friendship/rivalry. We’ve been back here a lot of times together. I thought we played very well [tonight].”

This is the third consecutive postseason featuring a meeting of the Bengals and Mounties at Schneider Arena. They are the only two teams to capture Rhode Island’s ultimate prize, and they also went head-to-head for the trophy from 2005-2007.

Bay View took out the co-operative unit from the Lincoln School and Providence Country Day to win its second overall championship in 2008, and the Bengals beat the Mounties in 2009 to capture another crown.

But MSC came back to take its fifth title in 2010, and the Mounties will return to the ice at Providence College Thursday in pursuit of a sixth prize.