WA Girls’ Ice Hockey defeated Waltham High School 2-1 at the Nashoba Valley Olympia Rink on Saturday, Dec. 11 to start their season with a record of 1-0. 

From the opening puck drop, WA, led by senior captain Faith MacDonald, initiated the majority of offensive opportunities in the early stages of the first period. However, Waltham countered with multiple shots on goal, but all of them were saved by Lexi McDonough, an eighth grader starting as goalie for the Ghosts.

After a save from McDonough with 9:45 remaining in the first period, WA gained momentum as they skated down the ice. Off of a great pass, sophomore Kailey Hannon took a hard wrist shot which deflected off of the goal post, preventing WA from taking a 1-0 lead.

The two teams continued to go back and forth throughout the first period, highlighted by strong defensive stops from junior assistant captain Emily Lux, and offensive pushes by the fast skating of MacDonald.

Late in the first period, MacDonald made a fast push down the ice, giving WA its best offensive opportunity of the opening period. MacDonald dropped off a beautiful wrap-around pass to eighth grader Zoë Smith, who smoothly put it in the back of the net, handing WA a 1-0 lead with 1:38 remaining in the first period. WA shut down any offensive opportunities Waltham had for the rest of the first frame, holding onto a 1-0 lead after the opening period.

Waltham came out of the gates hot in the second period, as #9 scored the equalizer on a wrist shot from a few feet in front of the net just one minute into the period. In response, WA amped up their defensive intensity, keeping Waltham from having any more shots on goal in the early stages of the second period.

Midway through the second frame, in response to an offensive attack by Waltham, McDonough rattled off a series of four straight saves to keep WA and Waltham locked in a tight 1-1 tie. With three minutes remaining in the period, WA and Waltham both picked up penalties within a minute of each other, leading to the two teams playing four-on-four. However, neither team scored during this time frame, keeping the score tied at one goal apiece at the end of the second period.

At the start of the third period, senior captain Hannah Kennedy and Lux made several key defensive stops to avoid Waltham from taking a 2-1 lead. This strong defense was rewarded by WA going on a power play with 9:54 left in the third period after #10 on Waltham was sent to the penalty box.

On the power play, Hannon took matters into her own hands, as she skated through the entire Waltham defense and lit the lamp on a long wrist shot, giving WA a 2-1 lead.

Looking to stop Waltham from tying the game at all costs, WA locked in defensively. McDonough continued to be a difference-maker as she made several straight saves, one of which stopped a Waltham breakaway with 6:15 remaining in the game.

WA maintained their high defensive intensity throughout the final minutes of the game, and with a huge steal by Kennedy with 35 seconds left to stop a Waltham three-on-two breakaway, WA sealed their 2-1 victory.

Overall, Lux was impressed with WA’s strong defensive performance, and was pleased to start the season in the win column.

“This win is a great start to the beginning of our season. It is going to help set the tone for the rest of our season,” Lux said. “Everyone gave it their all, and it paid off.”

WA looks to start their season 2-0 against Methuen at 3:00 on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Nashoba Valley Olympia Rink.