The Fishermen goals were scored by Captains Abby Lowthers and Brooke McNiff, along with senior Jenna Connelly. Assists came from Lily Pregent, captain Ella Costa, Sydney Bouchie, and Keagan Jewell.
The team started their domination quickly, with Connelly smashing a goal past Masco’s goalie off passes from Pregent and McNiff during a power play. The first period ended with a 1-0 Gloucester lead, but they were hungry for more.
After back-to-back penalties, Gloucester had a 2-man advantage on the ice. The team worked rather slowly with their puck movement, passing it back and forth while Masco’s defenders were in a frenzy. Their slow approach worked out, however, when Costa blasted a shot full force for McNiff to slam in.
While the Cheiftans tried hard to get under Gloucester’s skin and score on consecutive penalties, Gloucester was not fazed. After killing multiple penalties, Lowthers gathered a pass from teammates Jewell and Bouchie and skated down the ice to face off with the opposing goalie. Lowthers netted one deep in the goal to finish the game with a score of 3-0.
Kaydin Cusumano was a brick wall on the goal line for the team, blocking all 16 shots and getting her sixth shutout of the season. 8th graders Elizabeth Gentile, Fiona Black, and Kaya Collins all made important plays for the Fishermen, while senior counterparts Julia Warde, Teagan Smith, and Halle Wentworth killed the Chieftain’s oppurtunities left and right.
Gloucester is currently 13-3-1 with the season close to ending. This year has been electric for the team, with the current seniors going from only winning twice in their freshman year to being ranked in the top 15 their senior year.
Pregent leads their Times Scoring Leaders pack, with a total of 26 points this season. Jewell is tied at 2nd with 22 points, while Connelly is ranked 5th with 20. Other Gloucester players on the leaderboard are Costa (7th), McNiff (13th), Ari Scola (15th), Lowthers (17th), and Halia Taylor (21st). Cusumano is the 2nd ranked goalie, behind Alyse Mutti from PLNR.
Before the game, the team’s ten seniors were honored. A big thank you to Captains Ella Costa, Brooke McNiff, and Abby Lowthers along with Jenna Connelly, Halle Wentworth, Sydney Bouchie, Julia Warde, Lily Pregent, Teagan Smith, and Ari Scola for the efforts during the past four years.
The team, with a record of 13-3-1, are ranked 11th in Division 2 and travel up to Essex Sports Center for a game against Bishop Fenwick. The game is Saturday, February 10th and at 5pm. The team only has 3 games left before they enter their long-awaited return to the tournament.
