HINGHAM — Sophomore Hannah Lasch registered a pair of goals, while senior Shea Richardson sniped the go-ahead tally with 8:42 remaining, as top-ranked Hingham avoided an upset bid with a 4-2 victory over No. 16 Shrewsbury in the Div. 1 girls hockey tournament.

For many of Hingham’s leaders, it was a rematch of the 2023 Div. 1 quarterfinal, when the Harborwomen lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Colonials in double overtime. Shrewsbury would go on to capture the state championship.

To the surprise of few at Pilgrim Arena Saturday, Hingham (21-1-1) came out flying, as Lasch buried a power-play tally off of a rebound to give her team a 1-0 advantage just 1:25 into play.

Despite struggling to gain any offensive tempo whatsoever in the early stages, Shrewsbury (12-8-2) proved to be opportunistic, however. The Colonials struck for a pair of goals in rapid succession off two brief possessions, as Blaire Fay and Mariam Rabuck each found twine in a 1:16 span to make it 2-1 with 8:39 to go in the opening frame.

Suddenly, old demons began to creep into minds along the Hingham bench.

“I think we had that in the back of our heads,” said Hingham coach Courtney Turner. “Maybe it kind of ate at us in the first period. But we came back and were ready to play. The grittiness and the toughness, to come back, down 2-1, tied and then go up? It just shows the heart we have in the locker room.”

With 3:50 to play in the second, it became apparent this was no ordinary game. Shrewsbury goaltender Adrianna Boucher made a controversial diving stop along the goal line to preserve the one-goal edge. The fans voiced their displeasure, roaring in disapproval.

Then just 1:32 afterward, Katie Teague turned spirits around quickly, finishing the equalizer as Hingham tied things at 2-all entering the final stanza.

“We’ve been down before,” said Lasch. “It only brings us more energy, more of (a feeling to) want it. You have to want it the whole time, and the energy on the bench only got better throughout the game.”

As the final minutes began to bleed off the clock, the levee finally collapsed for Shrewsbury, as Richardson fired home a rocket through traffic to put Hingham ahead for good at 3-2. Lasch would add her second just 12 seconds later off the ensuing faceoff, ensuring the historic season would continue.

Boucher starred in net for Shrewsbury with a whopping 43 saves. Colonials captain Lauren Albertson finished with a pair of assists.

“In the past two years, we’ve been kind of a younger team entering it,” said Turner. “Some of those girls have had the experience, and I think (it’s about) resetting after this game. Focusing on the things we can control, and how we can get better every single game. Maybe look at a couple of plays where it didn’t go our way, but I think keep shooting.”