WA Girls’ Hockey lost in the semi-finals of the MIAA playoffs against Arlington Catholic on Sunday, March 13th, with a score of 4-1. The team finished their season with a record of 13-6-5.

The team shocked everyone making an appearance against the number one seed in the semi-finals. The first period was overloaded with battles in the neutral zone and along the boards. Senior captain Alayna Serpa carried the team with her strong forecheck and puck movement through the neutral zone. Unfortunately, this was not enough to stop AC.

Arlington Catholic soon found the back of the net twice in the first period and sent WA into the locker room looking for answers, trailing 2-0.

WA started the second period off spending the majority of their time in their offensive zone. The team ended up generating a few great plays by juniors Cat Mahana and Colleen Ellis, but none of these chances resulted in a goal.

Defensemen Ali Benedict and Kelly DeMarco held their ground for much of the period, remaining strong on the backcheck and challenging AC along the boards.

However, AC scored once again late in the second period giving them a 3-0 lead over WA. As the girls headed into the locker room before the final 15 minutes of the game, they knew they had to come back out strong and cut down the AC lead.

The team applied steady pressure on AC for much of the third period, resulting in several icings by AC. WA struggled to find their momentum and get shots on net. However, that did not stop sophomore Hannah Keefe, who scored late in the third to put WA on the board, with a score of 3-1.

WA pulled their goalie in the final two minutes in an attempt to perform yet another miracle. Unfortunately, WA still could not maintain possession and gave up an empty netter ending the game with a final score of 4-1.

WA was certainly one of the the underdogs of the MIAA playoffs, after winning their previous two games in double over-time thrillers. The team left O’Brien Rink with heavy hearts, but high spirit in hope for the next season.