HINGHAM — The Hingham Showcase has become a litmus test for playoff-bound hockey programs, a final gauntlet before the chase for state titles.
Given the events of Tuesday, it appears Abbie Poole and her teammates have already started preparation. The junior broke a scoreless affair with a goal in the second period, as Malden Catholic knocked off Duxbury in a 3-2 thriller at Pilgrim Arena.
“I thought we played great from the goal line out,” said Malden Catholic coach Alexa Hingston. “Defensively, offensively. Duxbury is a great team, very well-coached. They didn’t give up. It came down to the wire, and I thought we responded really well.”
The Lancers (14-2-3) came to play early, dominating the tempo. However, they struggled to put the puck past Duxbury goalkeeper Carina Perry. The scoring drought would hold well into the second period, as the Dragons (14-5-2) embarked on a power play. As soon as it concluded, however, Poole took off on a tangent following a faceoff victory. The puck slid over to Ava Baker, who spotted the left winger darting up the rink in transition.
“We had a faceoff, and I stretched,” Poole said. “Ava Baker read it, and saucered it right down. I just cut in, and saw an open spot.”
Poole collected the pass in the slot uncontested, then fired a rocket into the twine to put Malden Catholic ahead, 1-0, with 1:30 left in the stanza.
After a defensive war to start, the final period opened with complete chaos as the two schools combined for three tallies in the span of 3:31. Megan Carney got things started for the Dragons, as she buried a loose puck amidst a pileup in front of the Lancers’ net to cut it to 2-1.
Just 20 seconds later, Malden Catholic sophomore Avery White potted a goal to push things back to 3-1.
Yet, Duxbury refused to relent, tacking on another goal with 11:19 remaining to make it 3-2.
“They had so much energy coming back,” said Poole. “We knew we needed to be on them, have enough energy (ourselves) to come right back (and answer).”
While the Dragons ramped up the pressure late, Malden Catholic was still able to slam the door on any hopes of a comeback. The Lancers now await their seeding for the Div. 1 tournament later this week, looking to build upon a 2024 campaign in which they reached the state semifinals.
“We just look to win one game (at a time),” Hingston said. “I don’t look past one game. We just look to bring our best effort.”