DEDHAM, Mass. — Dexter Southfield saved its best for last on Wednesday.
Trailing 3-1 entering the third period after being outplayed for most of the first 40 minutes, the Shields found another gear, storming back to force overtime en route to a dramatic 4-3 win over defending Elite 8 champion Nobles.
Maggie Lovering (Scituate, Mass.) was the hero, burying the game-winner with 1:01 left in the extra frame. Boston College commit Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) got the puck at the right point, pulled to her backhand and drove into the high slot, sliding the puck into open space for Lovering, who jammed it home.
Dexter, who remains one of four undefeated teams in prep at 7-0-2, erased a 3-0 deficit in the win. It marked their first win over the Bulldogs in program history.
Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.), New Hampshire commit Elizabeth Allen (Brookline, Mass.) and Marion Legge (Scituate, Mass.) each scored for the Shields. Murphy and Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) each had two assists, and junior goalie Addie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.) earned the win in net.
Alexa Georgantas (Foxboro, Mass.) scored twice for Nobles, and Ashley Loeber (Weston, Mass.) scored as well. The Bulldogs dropped to 6-3-0.
Georgantas opened the scoring with 9:16 left in the first when Northeastern commit Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) found her in the slot for a one-timer. Georgantas doubled the lead moments later finishing a chance in tight when MacCurtain found her again, sending her in alone off the rush.
Loeber made it 3-0 with 1:40 left in the second on a shorthanded breakaway after blocking a shot at the point.
Moore got Dexter on the board with 33 seconds left in the period when Chudzinski set her up with a cross-crease pass in the slot after leading the rush. Allen cut it to 3-2 on the power play with 13:02 left in the third after she tipped in Murphy's wrist shot from the point.
Legge tied it, 3-3, with two minutes remaining in regulation. Chudzinski forced a turnover and put a shot on net, and the rebound bounced right to Legge at the left post.
There's a lot to unpack from this top-10 clash. Let's dive into six takeaways from the game.
