Westford Academy Girls’ Hockey fell short 2-0 against the Methuen-Tewksbury Red Rangers in their season opener on Saturday, Dec. 13.
The starting lineup for the game consisted of junior captain Kiley Carmichael at center forward, junior Jacqueline Chace at left forward, sophomore Katie Sewell at right forward, junior Emily Boneck at right defense, freshman Nandhini Tamizharasan at left defense, and senior Keira Tucker as goalie.
The Ghosts lost the face-off, but they quickly regained possession and made a goal attempt. Methuen-Tewksbury responded with sustained offensive pressure, but Tucker stayed strong in goal.
Although WA’s defense remained strong, the team struggled to connect passes and generate consistent offensive chances. Specifically, breakouts and transitions proved difficult, limiting the number of shots the Ghosts were able to take.
“What we could do better is drive to the net and get more shots on the net to create scoring chances,” Tucker said.
Methuen-Tewksbury had a breakaway early in the first period, and the Ghosts could not get back on defense quickly enough, leaving sophomore Adrianna Butland in a 1-on-1. The Red Rangers scored despite strong efforts from Westford to stop them.
Just after moving into the next half, Methuen-Tewksbury connected passes on Westford’s side and scored five minutes into the second period. The Ghosts continued to face challenges relating to completing passes and creating offensive momentum.
“Better passing is one issue we struggle with the most,” Tucker said. “The more we can catch passes, the more offense we can create. It will lead to better breakouts and transitions throughout all 3 zones.
During the second period of the game, multiple Westford and Methuen-Tewksbury players were sent to the penalty box for roughing. This aggressiveness and fast pace continued, and both teams battled hard throughout the end of the period.
According to Tucker, even though the team lost, one strength that they had was being able to communicate well, on and off the ice. As the season progresses, her goal is for the team to grow closer and develop a strong sense of community.
“For the first game of our season, I was proud of how the team played,” Tucker said.
The girls’ hockey team’s next game is at Nashoba Valley Olympia, their home rink, against Waltham High School on Thursday, Dec. 18. at 5:45 p.m.
