MARLBORO, Mass. — The Patriots' turnover struggles may have dominated the headlines on Sunday afternoon, but at the New England Sports Center, it was all about Georgia Murray.
With three minutes to go in the second period and the Massachusetts Spitfires 16Us tied with Assabet Valley, Murray (North Attleboro, Mass.) flipped the game on its head.
The Bishop Feehan junior got her stick on a centering pass high in the defensive zone and won a race for the loose puck going the other way. She closed in on the goal and buried a short-side wrist shot to give the Spitfires a lead.
A few moments later, Murray was back at it, turning defense into offense again. She stole the puck high in the defensive zone and chipped it into space for St. Mark's Samantha Ruzzo, who scored on the ensuing breakaway to extend the lead with 30 seconds left in the period.
Ruzzo (North Smithfield, R.I.) cashed in on the empty net to seal a 4-1 win for the Spitfires over Assabet in an exciting NEGHL clash.
Let's dive into six standouts from the game.
Georgia Murray
Mass. Spitfires/Bishop Feehan, Class of 2027, F, right shot
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
Murray was as opportunistic as they come, making key defensive plays and turning them into offense at the other end. Her goal was a hell of an effort to break up the play out high before winning the race and scoring. Her assist to Ruzzo was just as good, making the steal and laying the puck perfectly into space as the Spitfires caught Assabet up ice. The Spitfires couldn't have drawn it up any better. Before her goal, Murray had another golden opportunity after getting the play going the other way in the neutral zone for a 2-on-1. She looked off the pass and got a quality shot.
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Elizabeth Averill
Assabet/Phillips Andover, 10/28/2010, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
Averill used her size and skill to her advantage, playing with confidence, especially early on. It showed on her goal to open the scoring midway through the first. She got the puck coming out of the corner with a head of steam before cutting across the high slot and burying a heavy wrist shot from the right circle for a pretty goal.
Clara Ryan
Mass. Spitfires/Milton Academy, Class of 2028, D, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Ryan was a strong presence in all three zones throughout the game. She was strong on her feet and with her upper body, doing a good job of protecting pucks and shielding from defensive pressure when carrying the puck in the neutral and offensive zones. Ryan got two strong chances on her backhand in the slot during the first after jumping into open space from the point, following good forechecking pressure by Sophie Procaccini (Walpole, Mass.). In the third, Ryan did a good job of stepping up in the neutral zone, forcing a turnover and springing the Spitfires on a 2-on-0.
Calleigh Campanelli
Mass. Spitfires/Mount St. Charles, 2009, D, left shot
Hometown: Woonsocket, R.I.
Campanelli came through early in the second, turning the tide in the Spitfires' favor when she tied it, 1-1, five minutes into the frame. She helped force a turnover at the defensive blue line before jumping into the rush the other way and burying a wrister. Defensively, she did a good job of finding quick outlets and knowing when to use her legs to skate the puck out of danger herself.
Samantha Ruzzo
Mass. Spitfires/St. Mark's, Class of 2028, F, right shot
Hometown: North Smithfield, R.I.
Ruzzo pushed the pace and generated pressure for the Spitfires, and she got rewarded with a pair of goals. She read the play perfectly when Murray forced the turnover out high late in the second, making a beeline for open ice in the neutral zone. On the breakaway, she scored with a quick short-side shot. Ruzzo came through again with less than a minute to go in regulation when she stole the puck near the defensive blue line, swiping it the length of the rink and into the empty net to put the game away.
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Caroline Harrington
Assabet/Cushing, 07/2009, D, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Minturn, Colo.
Harrington made good reads, anticipated well and got into lanes throughout the game. Early in the first, she stepped up at the offensive blue line, easily intercepting a reckless stretch pass and getting a shot on net to keep the pressure up for Assabet. In the third, Harrington had a great gap defending the rush and easily broke up a seam pass at center ice. She jumped into the play the other way and got a chance in the slot out of it.
