Austin Prep nets clutch win
Top Braintree in final minutes
WOBURN — Trailing Braintree entering the third period on Monday night, it appeared the Austin Prep girls hockey team’s quest for another shot at the Division 1 crown was slipping away. Two masterful goals and a slew of clutch saves later, the Cougars are headed back to the TD Garden.
Sophomore Sabrina Axelrod tipped home a shot from senior captain Frankie Frelick for the go-ahead goal with 1:42 to play and sophomore goalie Lauryn Hanafin made four stops with the Wamps pressing for the equalizer with the extra skater to close out a pulse-pounding 2-1 win in the state semifinals at O’Brien Rink in Woburn.
“There are no words to describe it,” said Frelick, who was an eight-grader on Austin Prep’s last state championship team in 2016, “I am so proud of this team. We put it all out on the ice, I didn’t doubt for a moment that we weren’t going to pull it off.”
Austin Prep (21-1-2), which lost to Methuen/Tewksbury in last year’s final, will get another bite at the apple on Sunday against Woburn.
“Just extremely proud of our kids, obviously battling through going into the third period down a goal,” said Austin Prep coach Stephanie Wood. “We have been waiting a full year to get back to this position and we just said, you know what, this is going to be your last game — whatever it takes to win.”
Braintree goalie Ellie Foley had just turned away an Eryn Taber redirect of a Frelick offering moments earlier to keep it tied, but this time she was helpless as Axelrod camped in front and got a stick on a second Frelick blast from the right point for the game-winner.
The Wamps (20-3-1) called timeout after the goal and got off a number of good bids with an empty net in the final 1:42, including a rocket from Fiona Hume that slipped through Hanafin’s pads but trickled wide with 35 seconds to play. Hanafin finished with 12 of her 27 saves in the frenetic third period.
“She was unbelievable,” said Wood of Hanafin. “As new person on the team, we have been very lucky every year with the program we have had a really strong, exceptional goalie and she has taken on that role this year and I think she is one of the top goalies in the state.”
Ally DeCoste had the lone score entering the third, beating Hanafin high to the glove side on a slapper with teams 4-on-4 late in the first period. The Cougars answered with 10:10 remaining when Isabel Hulse finished a bullet pass through the crease from Monique Lyons at the right post.