Westford Academy Girls’ Hockey fell short to Acton-Boxborough (AB), losing their preseason scrimmage 7-5 on Sunday, Dec. 8 at home.
The girls showed a lot of determination, continuing to fight despite being down for the majority of the game. WA’s sophomores dominated throughout the game with all 5 of the team’s goals being scored by players in the sophomore class. Kiley Carmichael scored twice, and Elsa Bergland scored once along with Elsa Bergland, Emily Boneck all put the puck in the net against AB.
Right out of the gate, WA showed their high energy and desire to win by scoring the first goal of the game within the opening 60 seconds.
AB put effort into tying the game, taking multiple shots on goal. However, WA goalie junior Kiera Tucker protected the net, preventing AB from scoring.
“Something our team did well defensively during the game was being aggressive,” sophomore Lexi McDonough said.
With only a few minutes remaining in the first period, AB managed to score three goals. WA’s defense began to slow down as the minutes counted down, however Silva hustled down the ice scoring WA’s second goal, bringing the Ghosts back into the lead. Following Silva’s goal, AB dominated the final minutes of the first period scoring back to back goals ending the period with the Ghosts trailing 3-2.
WA was unable to stop AB’s offense at the beginning of the second period, resulting in their lead extending to 4-2.
With 28 minutes remaining in the second period, WA’s offense worked together, pushing the puck towards AB’s net resulting in a strong shot at goal. This goal closed the gap between the teams, bringing the score to 4-3.
Despite WA’s strong efforts to come back after halftime, AB’s quickness and heads-up possessions scored them two more goals, extending their lead 6-3.
Even though the Ghosts trailed by three goals, the team still attempted to crawl back. Berglund was a participant in WA’s efforts, and scored their fourth goal of the game.
In the closing minutes of the game AB and WA exchanged one more goal each. The game ended with AB victorious over the Ghosts, winning 7-5.
WA Girls’ Hockey’s first regular season game will be played on Saturday, December 14 at the Nashoba Valley Olympia rink against Boston Latin at 3 pm.
“A goal that the team has for Saturday is to improve on the weaknesses that were shown in the scrimmages this past weekend and play to our fullest potential,” Carmichael said.
