March 10, 2024 – Story and photos by Joshua Ross
The Harborwomen’s season came to end on Wednesday night in Watertown when they fell to the fourth seed Malden Catholic team 4-1. Hingham came into the game on a nine game win streak, including two shutout wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs against Shawsheen Valley (5-0) and North Andover (3-0).
Despite scoring the first goal of the game in the first period, they couldn’t find the back of the net the rest of the game. Malden Catholic ended the first with a 2-1 lead and never gave it up.
It was a disappointing loss given the success and expectations this team had all season.
“We just didn’t execute our plan,” said second year head coach Courtney Turner. “We didn’t get enough pucks to the net. Bounces just didn’t go our way. The other team got two quick goals and we had a tough time bouncing back. We came out in the third ready to go, but Malden Catholic did a nice job getting the puck deep and eating the clock and I’m sure that was part of their game plan.”
It’s always difficult to look ahead just as one season ends to the potential of next and Turner wants her team to focus on getting closure of this year before looking to next.
“The focus right now is supporting each other,” Turner explained. “It is a tough loss when you care so much, but again last year, same thing, we lost in double overtime in the Elite 8 and I think the girls in the room want to get further and they are going to do what they have to do to get there.”
All but three of the them will be back next. Turner’s very young team was led by three amazing young women who had and will have a vital role in the success of this team.
“It is difficult to put into words the impact these three had on a very young team,” described Turner. “They will leave a lasting impression on this program with the amazing culture they helped foster. I have had the pleasure of coaching Sara (Menesale), Isabel (McCabe) and Reese (Pompeo) for two years now and I could not ask for more from them. Their leadership and maturity is something we will truly miss next year. They have helped create a new identity and culture for the Harborwomen built on hard work, commitment, teamwork and most importantly friendships.”
While it’s a tough pill to swallow now, the direction of the this program continues to rise each year. The new talent continues to get better and better, which is a big testament to the youth Hingham Girls Hockey program in town. A program that Assistant Coach Bruce Haas has been working to built for years with his Learn to Play program. This year’s group of freshman players was more impactful than any in the program’s history and gives us glimpse of what this team can become in the pretty near future.