Woburn blanks Boston Latin in Div. 1 semis
Moves on to third state final in four years
WOBURN — Even with senior Jackie Lees being stretchered off early in the third period, Woburn stood its ground against a tough Boston Latin squad.
With two goals from freshman Angelina DiGirolamo, fourth-seeded
Woburn blanked No. 8 Boston Latin, 2-0, at O’Brien Rink Monday night in the Division 1 semifinals. It is the third state final appearance in four seasons for the Tanners.
“Once (something like) that happens, the momentum stops,” said Tanners coach Steve Kennedy. “Both teams have to reset and you never know where the emotions are going to be. Our kids exhibited some really significant mental toughness today to rally themselves back and finish the game out. That’s a team that really loves each other in there. I don’t think we could have gotten this far without that team chemistry.”
DiGirolamo got Woburn (19-2-2) up late in the first as a short wrister went into the net with 1:08 left in the first. She added a shorthanded tally midway through the second to build a 2-0 advantage for the Tanners.
“For (DiGirolamo), it’s almost like the more space out on the ice, the better,” Kennedy said. “She’s not afraid to be aggressive. … When the opportunity is there (to score), she knows how to cease it as well. That’s what she was able to do tonight.”
In net, senior Amanda Essigmann also came up huge as she notched 15 of her 20 saves over the final two periods in the shutout for Woburn. Woburn outshot Boston Latin (16-4-4), 20-19, overall.
“It was terrific and (Essigmann) has been for all four years that she has been here,” said Kennedy. “These seniors have taken it all the way through now.”
The Tanners will play Sunday against Austin Prep for the Division 1 state title at TD Garden.