January 21, 2025 – Story and photos by Joshua Ross
Sometimes games don’t live up to the hype and sometimes they exceed expectations.
Yesterday’s match up with the top two teams in the state wasthe later as the top ranked Hingham Harborwomen took on the second ranked Notre Dame Academy Cougars in their second match-up of the season.
The Harborwomen beat the Cougars on New Year’s Day in the Tenney Cup Tournament in Kingston leading to the much anticipated rematch yesterday for the Annual Hingham Cup game at Pilgrim Ice Arena.
Hingham, who was undefeated going into the game, and NDA with a record of 6-1-1 are more than familiar with each, which was clearly evident by the intensity and physicality of the game.
Hingham didn’t waste much time with senior captain Addy Garrity opening the scoring 2:30 minutes into the game with a shot over junior goaltender Erin Kral’s left shoulder. The defense on both side clamped down after the initial score despite the Harborwomen outshooting HDA 18-4 in the first period.
The Cougar’s tied it up early in the second from a Sarah White top-shelf shot of her own over the shoulder of junior Izzy McGarr. 15 seconds later, sophomore Shea Richardson gave Hingham the lead again, one they wouldn’t give back up.
Senior captain Caroline Doherty extended the lead to 3-1 later in the period and sophomore Hannah Lasch iced it with 2 second left in the second period with a shot almost parallel with the net. The Cougars got one back in third but Hingham was too much and captured their first Hingham Cup in four years.
“I think NDA is obviously a really good team,” said Coach Courtney Turner after the game. “They’ve been to the finals last year and every time we play them it’s gonna be a great game, so honestly, we just look forward to it and just look at it as an opportunity to get better and just showcase our talent.”
Talent is something the Harborwomen do not lack. All over the ice and at all age groups, Turner’s group has been putting it on display all year. They have outscored their opponents 58-17 and are now 12-0 on the season, beating both NDA and Malden Catholic (ranked 3rd) twice so far this season.
They’ve won both in blowouts and close games, with five of their wins being by one goal. While most teams focus on Caroline Doherty, who recently became Hingham’s All-time goal scorer and crossed the 200 point mark, they do so at there own peril. As seen with yesterday’s game, multiple players can score for the Harborwomen.
“I think it’s just the response by everyone on the ice and taking a deep breath and realizing people are gonna score goals and you just have to stay focused on your mission,” Turner says about her team’s ability to respond in tough situations. “I think Shea (Richardson) went out there and just saw the lane and just took it and to answer back right after their goal is exactly what we want.”
It’s not all about the offense either. Their defense is at the top of their game as well. Anchored by junior captain CC Flynn, the three year starter leads a relatively young group who hold their own against the top offenses in the state. Along with Richardson, freshmen Sam McCabe and Maya Hobson have seamlessly jumped right in to varsity competition.
The Harborwomen are well positioned in net with two very good goaltenders. Junior Izzy McGarr was solid between the pipes yesterday, while sophomore Izzi Puleo has performed equally as well throughout the year.
“Izzy kept a good mindset the whole entire game,” says Doherty. “She’s always giving us a chance, lifting us up on the ice, in the locker room. It’s huge to have l a good goalie in net and I think she played amazing tonight.”
The annual meeting between these teams usually lives up to the billing. This year’s game seemed a bit more charged with Hingham taking the first round a few weeks ago. Not that either team minded or were surprised by the extra physicality on the ice.
“They’re a physical teams” Doherty explained. “So I think when you know they’re gonna be a physical team, you kind of have to give it back to them. So we kind of just showed them if they’re gonna hit us, we kind of have to hit them back.”
While the Cougars did edge out the Harborwomen in penalties 7-6, both team did maintain composer, even as things got a little chippy.
“You have to come from a smart mindset,” said Lasch. “We knew they were gonna be physical and we had to be physical back, but we had to do it a smart way. Because getting a dumb penalty could cost the game and we did not want that to happen.”
Only time will tell if these two teams meet for a third time in the playoffs next month. There is still a few weeks left in the regular season to focus on but something tells us that either team wouldn’t mind a round three as inferred from Doherty’s comments.
“It’s always fun playing against NDA just because they are a really good team, so I think getting the win is just huge for us.”
GAME PHOTOS
