BOSTON — The MIAA championships always mark one of the most exciting days on the local sports calendar.
There’s so much pride on the line. Family, friends and classmates are living and dying with every shot. Marathon overtimes are to be expected.
This year did not disappoint.
No. 6 Methuen/Tewksbury took home the Division 1 girls crown for the first time since 2019 with a shutout of No. 5 Archbishop Williams, capping an emotional season.
Meanwhile, No. 2 Milton earned redemption in Division 2 with a 2-1 win over No. 5 King Philip, avenging last season's championship loss for their first title.
Earlier this week, we broke down 10 unforgettable moments from the boys championships. Now, let's dive into seven moments we'll remember from the girls championships.
1. Methuen/Tewksbury's emotional celebration
The Red Rangers played with heavy hearts all season after former coach Dave O'Hearn passed away in July after battling pancreatic cancer. In his memory, Methuen/Tewksbury marched to an undefeated 23-0-2 season. In the championship, they played to the tight-checking, defensive identity O'Hearn had ingrained in them.
When senior captain Ella Duffy out-hustled everyone to a loose puck and put the game away with an empty-netter in the final minute, the celebration was on. It was also an emotional release for the Red Rangers and Duffy, who said she was already crying when the puck went in.
There were smiles, hugs and tears all around in the postgame celebration on the ice. Speaking to the media afterward, Duffy and fellow captains Lydia Barnes and Sammy Ryan, as well as interim coach Ryan Sheehy, fought back emotions as they recalled the win and O'Hearn's impact.
This one just meant more.
‘FOR DAVE’: Methuen/Tewksbury honors late coach with MIAA title
2. Sabrina Stone's opening goal for Milton
With King Philip on the power play midway through the second period, I couldn't help but wonder when a bounce would go the Warriors' way.
It's often how these types of championship games go.
The Warriors were getting standout goaltending from Kiki Lynch. The next piece of the puzzle would be a back-breaking goal for Milton. Then, frustration would set in offensively for the high-flying Wildcats.
We watched it happen last year as Medfield stifled Milton to upset them for the title.
Instead, the opposite happened this time around. Milton got the bounce.
Sophomore goalie Caera Hart made a save in tight, and the puck skipped into the slot, where Mia Cataruzolo chipped it around the defender at the point. Cataruzolo and senior star Sabrina Stone were off to the races on essentially a 2-on-0. Stone got Cataruzolo's pass in the slot and made no mistake on a glove-side finish.
You could sense the sigh of relief as Milton finally broke through. They added another, thanks to Maeve Lovett, two minutes later and never looked back.
3. Kiki Lynch's standout day
For a while, it looked as if Lynch might just steal the game for King Philip as she made save after save after save against the potent Milton attack.
Save for a highlight-reel goal on a jailbreak rush and a redirect in front of her net, she might have. That's how good she was for KP, which was also on a magical run in honor of their late coach Ken Assad, who died unexpectedly in December.
Lynch finished the day with 36 saves. It took two perfect plays for Milton to beat her.
She was busy from the jump, making 18 saves in the first period. After the Warriors got on the board in the third, Lynch made another spectacular stop on the Wildcats' most dangerous skater, Stone, in the slot to preserve the one-goal deficit and keep KP in it. She did all she could.
STANDOUTS: 12 players who shone on the biggest stage in the MIAA girls championships
4. Sammy Ryan's opening goal for Methuen/Tewksbury
Neither Methuen/Tewksbury nor Archbishop Williams had blinked with less than five minutes to go in the second.
Archies started hot in the first, but M/T got going late in the period. The Bishops were generating some chances off the rush, while Methuen/Tewksbury's forecheck was making life hard at the other end. The stalemate was on.
But the Red Rangers' forecheck paid dividends as Ryan gloved down a clearing attempt in the high slot before taking it to the slot. She shoveled a backhand on goal and caught a break. Archies goalie Maggie Shea missed as she went to swipe the puck out of danger, and it skittered through her and into the net.
The Red Rangers landed the critical first blow in a tight game, and you couldn't help but feel for Shea after an unlucky break.
5. Ella Morgan giving King Philip life
Down, 2-0, as the third period wore on, the Warriors were in need of a goal, and Morgan delivered.
The puck slipped past the defender at the point, and Morgan bolted the other way. She gained separation for a clear breakaway and made no mistake as she beat Caera Hart over the glove.
It was a hell of an effort and finish, and it sparked a late push for the Warriors.
6. Milton's textbook defensive stand puts the game away
Up by just a goal and with King Philip mounting a late push on a power play, Milton had to bear down with 4:44 to go in regulation. It was a golden opportunity for the Warriors to tie it.
Instead, the Wildcats went to work on defense. Freshman defender Elise Hinckle made a handful of strong defensive plays in the corner, poke-checking the puck from KP's Steph Leblanc, winning a battle and clearing it the other way. At the point, in the neutral zone and on the forecheck, Cataruzolo, Lovett and Nayeli Thayer had active sticks, clogged lanes and disrupted plays. It was a textbook penalty kill.
Before the kill, Mairin Hart made it look easy defending a counter rush. In the wake of the kill, Hinckle made another great play to thwart Molly Morgan in the slot after she dangled in off the rush. It was a massive defensive play to prevent a Grade-A opportunity with under two minutes to go.
You can't draw it up much better than that to protect a lead late.
CHAMPIONS: Methuen/Tewksbury shuts out Archbishop Williams in D1 | Milton outlasts King Philip in D2
7. Another shutout for Lydia Barnes
Barnes, one of the best goalies in the state over the past two seasons, proved why on the biggest stage.
She was poised and made it look easy against high-danger looks, making key stops in the slot against some of Archies most dangerous skaters, whether it was McKenzie Lima-Tower, Emily Fleming or Izzy O'Brien.
Barnes turned them all aside and finished with an 18-save shutout.
It was a fitting way for the UMass Boston commit to end her career with the Red Rangers.
She eclipsed 1,000 career saves in the first period and finished the season with a sub-0.50 goals-against average and 12 shutouts, leading a team that allowed just 12 goals all season.
BRACKETS:Â Girls Division 1Â |Â Girls Division 2Â |Â Boys Division 1Â |Â Boys Division 2Â |Â Boys Division 3Â |Â Boys Division 4
