Broncos rout Sentinels in tune-up for Friday’s playoff opener

BURRILLVILLE — There was nothing for the Burrillville/Ponaganset/Bay View coop hockey team to play for Monday afternoon against winless Smithfield/Coventry/Rogers at Levy Rink.

But with the Broncos holding a commanding eight-goal lead early in the third period, the home side had a clear mission before the final buzzer sounded – get Burrillville freshman forward and consummate teammate Ali Stockwell a goal in just her second game.

Stockwell, who positioned herself in the weak-side circle for most of the third period, had a few opportunities to score against goalie Kylie Whelan, but she failed to finish on a couple of one-timers. Stockwell did pick up an assist in the first period of what turned out to be a 9-1 Division I victory.

“I wanted to see Ali score, we all wanted to see that,” BPBV coach Cortney Lacey said. “I just didn’t want to see the girls play down a level. I think a couple of times that happened, but for the most part they did everything I asked them to do. In the third period, we wanted to get over the red line and play dump-and-chase hockey. It was hard for them, but they didn’t stop skating.”

BPBV (9-5 Division I) knew going into Monday’s game they would be the No. 4 seed in the Division I playoffs after Mount St. Charles/ Cumberland/ Lincoln School shut out South County Sunday afternoon. The Broncos, who split their meetings with the Mounties, lost the tiebreaker because of goals allowed.

Now, Lacey will spend the next three days getting her squad ready for a bestof-three quarterfinal series with fifth-seeded Cranston/ East Greenwich co-op. The Thunderbirds will certainly have more depth than the Broncos, but BPBV won both meetings, 7-3 and 8-2. Abbi Sampson leads CEG with 14 goals and 23 points, while goalie Marisa Sialby has allowed 4.18 goals per game.

“Our main focus is Cranston now,” Lacey said. “Cranston is not a team that’s just going to roll over and give up, they are well coached and they’re going to fight. Sampson is one of the top players in the state, she can put the puck in the net. We have to know where she is on the ice, but we

know they can play. They absolutely can play.”

SCR (0-14 Division I) received a second-period unassisted goalie from Jianna Truppi, but that was the only highlight for the Sentinels.

Burrillville forward Avery Moriarty finished the evening with a hat trick, while Burrillville’s Madison McCutcheon (two goals and two assists), Ponaganset’s Isabella Besser (four assists) and Bay View’s Lizzy Ng (two goals and two assists) and Diana Poland (four assists) each had four points.

The Broncos, who came into the game having lost close decisions to the top two teams in the division – La Salle and Barrington – grabbed the lead for good just 4 minutes, 25 seconds into the opening period when Ng and Poland set up McCutcheon for a goal. The same trio combined on the game-winning goal when McCutcheon laid the puck off to Ng for a goal from the blue line.

BPBV scored three goals in a 54-second span at the end of the period to grab a five-goal lead. Ponaganset freshman Kristen Briggs, Moriarty and McCutchon all netted goals. Burrillville’s Alex Etheridge and

Stockwell picked up assists on the final goal.

Truppi took advantage of a turnover to score a breakaway goal against Emily Etheridge 1:25 into the second period, but Moriarty bracketed a Besser goal to send the Broncos into the break up by seven.

“We definitely have been playing better as the season went on and I believe we are playing our best hockey right now,” Lacey said. “They’ve learned they can play with anybody. They do get a little tired, but they never quit. They know they can play with anybody, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”

Ng made sure the final 12:34 would be running time when she took a pass from fellow Bengal Emma Simas and ripped a shot from the blue line past Whelan. The Broncos tried hard to get Stockwell a goal through out the period, but Whelan saved two of the freshman’s close-range shots. Smithfield/Coventry/Rogers 0 1 0 - 1 Burrillville/Ponaganset/BV 5 3 1 - 9 First period – BPBV, Maddie McCutcheon (Lizzy Ng, Diana Poland), pp, 4:25; Ng (McCutcheon, 8:45; Poland), BPBV, BPBV, Kristen Briggs (Isabella Besser, Ng, 13:46; BPBV, Avery Moriarty (Poland, Besser), 14:05; BPBV, McCutcheon (Alix Etheridge, Ali Stockwell), 14:30. Second period – SCR, Jianna Truppi (unassisted), 1:25; BPBV, Moriarity (Besser, Briggs), 6:52; BPBV, Besser (Poland), 7:19; BPBV, Moriarity (Besser, Briggs), 9:55 Third period – BPBV, Ng (Emma Simas), 2:26.