HINGHAM – Two goals from junior Katie Teague helped push Hingham to a 3-0 girl’s hockey victory over Canton on Monday.
Teague moved up in the line chart after first-line center Addy Garrity was out of the lineup. This resulted in some shuffling of lines and head coach Courtney Turner said it was a good opportunity to test the team’s depth.
“We were missing a key forward today that was out sick so we needed others in the lineup to step up,” Turner said. “I think they did and it’s good to know that entering the tournament they can fill those roles.”
The Harborwomen entered the ice on a mission, peppering seven shots on Bulldogs goalie Keagan Gray within the first five minutes. A minor penalty delayed the offensive onslaught but senior captain Caroline Doherty found twine midway through the period after winning a battle in the corner and deking Gray with a toe drag.
That was the extent of the scoring in the opening period, with Hingham outshooting Canton 15-1. The Bulldogs shot came on a breakaway for Shannon Lane but Harborwomen goalie Izzy McGarr was ready for the challenge.
“She always plays poised and extremely confident,” Turner said of McGarr. “She puts in a lot of work in her own time in the offseason and is ready for every game no matter what. When she’s in the net you know she is ready to go.”
The Bulldogs came out much stronger in the second period, firing seven total shots on McGarr. The Harborwomen mustered 12 shots on goal but the Canton defense limited the amount of quality opportunities and Gray made the necessary saves.
“We were just working on stepping up at the blue line,” Junior defender C.C. Flynn said. “That’s what really helped us in the second half to secure the shutout.
Hingham came out firing once again in the third period, but Gray continued to hold off scoring. That held until Teague was able to tip a shot attempt from Flynn past Gray, giving Hingham a 2-0 lead.
“Our goal was to keep it simple going into the third,” Teague said. “I saw C.C. had the puck and I knew to head to the net and get the tip.”
“The D talk a lot about getting strong, low shots on net,” Flynn said. “That’s what we struggled with in the first two period. That goal got us going and got the energy up for our team.”
Minutes later, Doherty drew multiple defenders with her to the corner before dealing the puck to Teague. Then, Teague faked a wide shot and snuck it five-hold to give the Harborwomen a three-goal lead.
“I wasn’t really thinking about what shot to take, I just knew our team really needed to just get it to the net,” Teague said. “I just went for the legs and it went in.”
The Harborwomen improved to 16-0-1 and Teague noted the accomplishment of doing this as a team-oriented public school as something they take pride in.
“None of us are individuals, we are always thinking about doing it for the team,” Teague said. “With all of the Catholic Schools around, it makes doing it for a public school special. That really motivates us.