WATERTOWN, Mass. — Shrewsbury was playing with fire.
The defending Division 1 champions and seventh-seeded Colonials took a second penalty in short order against No. 2 St. Mary's, last season's runner-up.
The Spartans had applied heavy pressure on the previous power play, and they continued to ramp it up with Shrewsbury shorthanded once again.
With less than four minutes remaining in regulation, Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.) made the Colonials pay again. St. Mary's freshman sensation took the puck to the right of the net, deked forehand-backhand around a defender and roofed a back-hander from close range over Marisa Montoya's shoulder and under the crossbar for her second of the night and a 2-1 lead.
From there, St. Mary's and goalie Gianna Tringale (Danvers, Mass.) went to work defensively to close it out. The Spartans kept the Colonials to the perimeter and limited their chances with the goalie pulled to complete the win, advance to the Final Four and exact some revenge against Shrewsbury.
Freitas opened the scoring midway through the second period. Shrewsbury freshman defender Paige O'Donnell coughed the puck up to Freitas, who took full advantage and picked the top right corner to make it 1-0. She had a chance to double the lead on a penalty shot moments later, but Montoya came up big with a glove save.
Shrewsbury thought they tied it up in the second, jamming away at the puck in the crease. The officials originally signaled for a goal before waving it off as the puck never crossed the line.
Early in the third, the Colonials finally found an answer. Natalie MacCausland zipped down the right wing into the offensive zone and ripped a wrist shot to the top left corner to tie it 1-1.
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With the win, the Spartans will face No. 11 Archbishop Williams in the Final Four. A second straight trip to the Garden will be on the line.
Here are seven standouts from the game.
Bella Freitas
St. Mary’s, freshman, F, right shot
Hometown: Everett, Mass.
I just can't say enough good things about Freitas. She came through in the clutch, continuing her remarkable freshman season. Her line with Keira Twomey (Melrose, Mass.) and Alyssa Norden (Peabody, Mass.) was the heartbeat of the Spartans' attack once again. Freitas was a threat each time she was on the ice. She was especially dangerous in transition throughout, creating chances off the rush. There were some moments where I would have liked to have seen her go to the net more, rather than settling for a shot from range. She made the Colonials pay for their mistakes, ripping a quick wrister over Montoya's glove off a turnover for her first. On the game-winner, she flashed nice hands and finishing ability in tight, deking to her backhand before putting a shot upstairs in a hurry. It was perfect to the top right corner.
It’s Bella Freitas again and St. Mary’s retakes the lead!
Insane backhand to the top corner on the power play, and the Spartans are up 2-1 with three minutes to go. Keira Twomey and Vanessa Hall on the assists. pic.twitter.com/CwHpNZ7u6S
— Mike Puzzanghera (@mpuzzanghera) March 7, 2024
Gianna Tringale
St. Mary’s, senior, G, catches left
Hometown: Danvers, Mass.
Even with Freitas and the top line generating chances, if it weren't for Tringale, the game could have gone completely differently for SMH. She was fantastic, especially as Shrewsbury controlled play in the second, finishing with 28 saves. The senior's rebound control was a little inconsistent, but she managed to recover and kill plays with poke checks or covers for whistles. She reacted well throughout the game, making a couple of big back-door stops in the second. Her best save of the night came on a big left-to-right push to rob Kealy Fay.
Marisa Montoya
Shrewsbury, senior, G, catches left
As good as Tringale was for the Spartans, Montoya matched her throughout the night. She was especially strong early in the first and second as St. Mary's looked to take control early. I had her for nine saves in the first period alone. She made the penalty shot save on Freitas look easy. Montoya read her the whole way and denied her with the glove. She again prevented the Spartans from doubling the lead later in the second when she stretched out her right pad to rob Norden in tight.
Natalie MacCausland
Shrewsbury, senior, F, right shot
MacCausland's line was one of the only units that consistently generated pressure for Shrewsbury. Tringale scrambled to her right to flat-out rob her on the doorstep in the second period. In the third, MacCausland came through with the equalizer. She powered through the neutral zone and gained the attacking blue line with possession. She wired a heavy wrister over Tringale's blocker to the top-left corner from the top of the right circle.
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Vanessa Hall
St. Mary’s, eighth grade, D, left shot
Hometown: Melrose, Mass.
Hall got better and more assertive offensively as the game went on. She and Regan Sullivan (Melrose, Mass.) stepped up massively on the blue line in Nichols commit Kasey Litwin's (Swampscott, Mass.) absence. She generated a strong look on a 2-on-1 early in the third. Quarterbacking the late power plays, Hall made good, quick decisions with the puck and got shots through and on net. She came up with an assist on Freitas' game-winner.
Bridget McLaughlin
Shrewsbury, senior, D, right shot
McLaughlin had a solid two-way presence on the blue line for the Colonials. Her pair with Liv Argentieri did a good job of using their sticks to keep St. Mary's to the perimeter in transition. She wasn't afraid to use her skating to her advantage and jump into the offense. Agile strides in transition allowed her to jumpstart breakouts herself and get Shrewsbury out of trouble.
Keira Twomey
St. Mary’s, freshman, F, right shot
Hometown: Melrose, Mass.
Twomey was a difference-maker with her speed on St. Mary's top line. It allowed her to effectively lead the rush and gain the attacking zone with possession for SMH. She closed on puck carriers quickly and won footraces to loose pucks on the forecheck. She was always strong on her stick along the boards, winning battles and keeping offensive sequences alive. Twomey was rewarded with the secondary assist on Freitas' goal. She had a monster shift below the goal line, eventually working back up top and finding Hall across the ice before the puck made its way to Freitas down low.
