Mastroianni leads MCL to win
WOONSOCKET — The Mount St. Charles/Cumberland/Lincoln School coop hockey team’s 4-2 victory over Cranston/East Greenwich co-op Sunday night at Adelard Arena wasn’t pretty, but that’s the Mounties calling card this season.
While other teams are deeper and play more free-flowing hockey, the Mounties only skate two lines, so coach Tony DiLorenzo knows they only way they’re going to be successful is by playing the type of hockey they played in the first and third periods against the Thunderbirds.
“It’s not going to be pretty for us, but we just need to get better at moving the puck,” DiLorenzo said. “Defensively, we’re going to be all right. With our goalie [Lincoln School junior Amelia Lambert] we’ll be better than we’ve been in a number of years. We need to start chipping the puck off the boards to make things easier on ourselves.”
MCL (5-1 Division I) sits in second place because of the play of a few girls from the Valley schools and Lambert, who has allowed just eight goals in the first six games. The biggest revelation for DiLorenzo has been the play of Cumberland freshman Sara DeSousa, who scored a goal Sunday to bring her total to a team-best eight.
As well as DeSousa has played this season, DiLorenzo believes she’s just scratching the surface of her talent and she’ll make an even bigger impact when she improves her on-ice chemistry with Mount junior Macee Salley.
“She’s arrogant and cocky in a good way,” DiLorenzo said of his freshman. “If she can reign in her talent and find a way to work together with Macee she’ll score a lot more goals than she’s already scored.”
The Mounties came into Sunday’s game looking to rebound from a 2-0 defeat to undefeated defending state champion East Bay co-op eight days ago. Because of Christmas and the Mount Holiday FaceOff, the Mounties didn’t have an opportunity to practice in the last week.
The time away didn’t appear to hurt the squad because they jumped all over a deep, improving Cranston/EG squad in the opening period. It took the hosts just 5:32 of the opening period to open the scoring when Cumberland senior captain Elise Curren put a shot past East Greenwich senior goalie Hannah Slaiby for a power-play goal. DeSousa scored just 42 seconds later thanks to a pass from Clipper Holly Pashnik.
Cranston/EG (0-5 Division I) answered with a Rosalini Caliri goal late in the first period. The guests nearly tied the game 2:40 into the second period when Abbi Sampson, who assisted on her team’s first goal, slammed a shot off Lambert’s crossbar from the right circle.
After the Mounties killed off a penalty, they were handed another one moments later early in the second period. While killing the second penalty, Cumberland’s Leah Gallagher found Mount’s Katielynn Mastroianni, who ripped a shot from the left circle off the underside of the crossbar for a short-handed goal.
“This is the first time most of our wings are playing all the time, so they need to learn how to chip and go,” DiLorenzo said. “Our centers, Maddie [Cataldo] and Sara, are fast. The wingers have to stop trying to beat people.”
Abbi Ainley answered with a goal at 8:09 when her aimless shot from the blue line snuck between Lambert’s pads to make it a one-goal game.
The Mounties improved their discipline and – not coincidently – they played a much better third period. Mastroianni put the game away with an unassisted goal with 6:47 left in regulation.
After a non-league game against the Eagles at Portsmouth Abbey Wednesday night, the Mounties head to URI’s Boss Arena to play struggling South County on Jan. 9. It will be the teams’ first meeting of the season.
“Right now, Barrington is tough because they had Maddie Cox, especially if you turn the puck over to them too much,” DiLorenzo said. “They’re tough to beat. La Salle has plenty of numbers and Cranston only lost to La Salle 3-0, so they’re coming along. We’re going to have to get leads and have good forechecking and backchecking if we want to win.” Cranston/East Greenwich 1 1 0-2 MSC/Cumberland/Lincoln School 2 1 1-4
First period – MCL, Elise Curren (unassisted), pp, 5:30; MCL, Sara DeSousa (Holly Pashnik), 6:10; CEG, Rosalini Caliri (Abbi Sampson, Alexia Bessette). Second period – MCL, Katielynn Mastroianni (Leah Gallagher), sh, 4:18; Abbi Ainley (unassisted), 8:09.
Third period – MCL, Mastroianni (unassisted), 8:13.
Saves – CEG, Hannah Slaiby (34 saves); MCL, Amelia Lambert (23 saves).