METHUEN, Mass. — Lyla Chapman wasn't about to settle for another tie.
The junior defender got the puck at the point on the power play and uncorked a slap shot that changed directions before finding the back of the net with 31.5 seconds left in regulation, lifting Methuen/Tewksbury to a 2-1 win over Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover. It was a highly anticipated rematch between the Merrimack Valley/Dual County League rivals, who tied 2-2 on Dec. 21.
Breena Lawrence also scored for the No. 5 Red Rangers, while Lydia Barnes earned the win in net. Methuen/Tewksbury remains unbeaten, improving to 11-0-2 and picking up their third straight win.
Mia Kmiec scored for the Hillies as Julianna Taylor got the nod between the pipes. No. 7 HPNA drops to 8-2-4 on the season and 1-2-2 in their last five games.
Lawrence opened the scoring just 1:30 into the middle frame when she jammed in a rebound to the right of the net off Chapman's initial shot.
From there, the Hillies turned up the pressure but couldn't solve Barnes in the second frame. They finally broke through in the third when Kmiec buried a wrister from the left circle with 2:40 to go.
Let's dive into eight standouts from the top-10 girls MIAA matchup.
