GROTON, Mass. — Against her former team, Charlotte Matusovich brought her best.
After jamming in a power-play rebound to tie it for Groton with 2:32 to go in regulation, the sophomore forward was the hero again on the power play in overtime, lifting the No. 10 Zebras to a 2-1 win over North Yarmouth Academy.
Matusovich (New Gloucester, Maine) buried another rebound at the right post off Tatum Friedholm's shot from the point.
Friedholm (Sudbury, Mass.) also had the initial shot ahead of Matusovich's equalizer in regulation. Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.) made 19 saves to earn the win in net for Groton (9-3-0). The Zebras are currently No. 11 in the JSPR.
Eve-Marie Leclerc made 35 saves for NYA (8-8-1). Lilli Kerluke (Scarborough, Maine) opened the scoring four minutes into the first, breaking loose and beating Wilson five-hole on a 2-on-0 with Cappy Daniel (Yarmouth, Maine).
Let's dive into 11 standouts before getting into a few takeaways from the game.
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Tatum Friedholm
Groton, 08/2009, D, left shot, 5-10
Hometown: Sudbury, Mass.
Save for a five-minute major, Friedholm was fantastic. She was aggressive in the neutral zone and at the offensive blue line, stepping up and keeping offensive sequences alive. She also had some strong second efforts down low in the defensive zone, including one in the first as she managed to still get an outlet pass to Angie Che (Sudbury, Mass.) as she fell in a battle. Friedholm pushed for offense late, getting shots through from the point on both of Matusovich's goals. The whole rink could hear her calling for the puck out high ahead of the overtime winner. She also had a Grade-A look late in regulation, one-timing a loose puck in the high slot.
Charlotte Matusovich
Groton, 05/2009, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: New Gloucester, Maine
Matusovich came through when the Zebras needed her most, cashing in on two rebounds on the power play. Groton had her as the "bumper" in the middle of the top unit late, but she didn't stay stationary in the slot. Matusovich anticipated plays to the net and found open space at the right post on both goals. She hung in there in a battle on the first one, digging away before jamming it home. On the second, she stuck with it after a broken play down low, working the puck back out high and parking herself at the right post. She was in a perfect spot for Friedholm's rebound.
Caroline Matusovich
Groton, 05/2009, D, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: New Gloucester, Maine
Charlotte wasn't the only Matusovich that showed out against her former team, as her twin sister, Caroline, did as well on Groton's blue line. Caroline got it done at 5-on-5, on the power play and on the penalty kill. She had several strong keep-ins at the point, including a nice stutter step on one to step past the defender. She also came up with some key defensive plays in the second. The '09 broke up Sadie Morgan's drive to the net with a quick stick check, and she closed the gap for a huge shot block in the slot after Groton turned it over.
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Eve-Marie Leclerc
North Yarmouth Academy, 2008, G, catches left
Hometown: Donnacona, QC
As good as Wilson was in the third, Leclerc was every bit as strong throughout the game for NYA. The uncommitted senior is big and takes up a lot of the net. She took good angles and stood tall as Groton racked up zone time at various points. She had some huge stops on Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.), including in the second, as Scalese walked a defender to get in alone. Some of Leclerc's best saves came as the Panthers were holding on for OT, coming off her line to smother Friedholm's one-timer as well as a bid for Charlotte Matusovich on a rush with Che.
Nora Wilson
Groton, 2009, G, catches left, 5-9
Hometown: Weybridge, Vt.
Wilson might've gotten caught cheating for a pass on Kerluke's opening goal, but after that, she was terrific, especially in the third period. The uncommitted junior made several key stops, including when she stoned a shorthanded breakaway early in the third. She also had Katie Berard's (West Gardiner, Maine) and Sadie Morgan's numbers, denying some quality looks for each on a late penalty kill. She reacted quickly to a redirect in the slot, kicking her toe out at the last second to deny it. Wilson also bailed Groton out when she reacted to get her pad on Rease Weaver's heavy wrister in the slot after the Zebras coughed it up.
Lilli Kerluke
North Yarmouth Academy, 04/2010, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Scarborough, Maine
Kerluke was opportunistic, and she won battles in the defensive zone throughout the game. The freshman scored a beauty for the game's opening goal. She chipped the puck around Jame Noonan (East Bridgewater, Mass.) at the point and was off to the races with Daniel. Kerluke drove hard to the net and jammed it through Wilson for the score.
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Sadie Morgan
North Yarmouth Academy, Class of 2026, D, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Lewiston, Maine
NCAA: Utica
Morgan made a big impact on the back end. She was confident with the puck in transition, taking advantage of skating lanes up ice. Morgan's strength shone in front of the net, where she established body position and did a good job of clearing traffic for Leclerc. It also helped her maintain possession in 1-on-1s. Morgan had several strong shots on the power play in the third, sifting shots through from distance and getting hard one-timers.
Ava Barbour
Groton, 2011, F, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Barbour is always thinking offense, and it's easy to see the potential that has Groton excited for her future. She drove play on her line with Zoe Smith (Bolton, Mass.) and Charlotte Matusovich, and their trio got rewarded with more ice as the game wore on. Barbour has good hands and vision, which helped her set up several Grade-A looks for the Zebras. She found Noonan flying down a seam on the power play in the first before finding Matusovich backdoor after powering past a defender in the second.
Katie Berard
North Yarmouth Academy, 2008, F, left shot
Hometown: West Gardiner, Maine
Berard found a groove early in the third period, generating a handful of high-danger chances with some good hands. She dangled between the dots on the power play for a good shot on net, which Wilson saved. Berard also got a terrific tip as she battled in front of the net, and Wilson made a strong positional stop.
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Cappy Daniel
North Yarmouth Academy, 7/23/2012, F, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: Yarmouth, Maine
I would have had no idea that Daniel is an eighth-grader (yes, a '12!). She was strong on the first line, and she made life difficult for Groton out of the zone. Her speed helped her get into lanes and break up exits. She stole from Barbour as the latter tried to toe drag exiting the zone, working the puck free and sending it back in. Daniel also impacted special teams. She made a key steal and clear on a late kill in the first before getting a good shot off a turnover at the other end.
Tina Scalese
Groton, 1/17/2008, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: West Boylston, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Scalese drew the trip that put Groton on the power play in OT. She was also the Zebras' best penalty-killer throughout the game. She was tremendous on the five-minute major, a kill that helped flip more of the momentum for Groton after it didn't look to be their night to that point in the game. Scalese was confident with the puck and didn't rush, fending off pressure and killing plenty of time in the neutral zone. She also drew interference 21 seconds into the third, ending the final minute-plus of Friedholm's major. Her biggest play came in the third, when she stepped into the crease with Wilson down and out and made the save.
Leftover thoughts...
- Give a lot of credit to some of Groton's depth up front, like Smith and Che. The two made hustle plays throughout the game. Smith was hard to knock off pucks, creating space for herself down low, and Che provided a spark on every shift. It finally translated into chances for her and her linemates down the stretch.
- It wasn't surprising to see NYA give Groton such a fight. The Panthers play the right way. Groton carried most of the play, but it didn't translate into a ton of quality chances until the end of the second and in the third period. NYA did a good job of keeping pucks to the outside and breaking up plays to the net. They're also opportunistic, too, evidenced by Kerluke's goal. But others, like Weaver and Cody Strawbridge (Freeport, Maine), took advantage of miscues. Strawbridge's speed was a factor in the attacking zone.
- Groton's three senior defenders do a great job of setting the tone on the blue line. Oona Kathan (Arlington, Mass.) and Sydney Nelson (Lowell, Mass.) were as steady as they come throughout the game. Kathan made plays in all three zones, while Nelson had a couple of good reads in the neutral zone. Noonan got burned on Kerluke's goal and had a tough turnover in the second, but the Stonehill commit bounced back and made strong plays at points throughout the game. She used her speed to her advantage and made life tough for NYA at the offensive blue line.
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