ANDOVER, Mass. — Phillips Andover came back from a 2-0 hole early in the first period to take down Deerfield, 3-2, at home on Saturday.
Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.), Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) and Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) each scored for the Big Blue. Avery Rodeheffer (New Haven, Conn.) took the win in net.
Gia Thompson and Sophie Frost scored for Deerfield.
Thompson opened the scoring on a shorthanded 2-on-1 with Annie Dinges (Woodstock, Conn.). Rodeheffer aggressively stuffed Thompson at the top of the crease, but the puck fluttered into the air. Andover's Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.) tried to bat it out of the air, but it tumbled into the open net for an unlucky own-goal.
Frost doubled the lead moments later on the power play. Deerfield found her wide open at the bottom of the right circle after some quick puck, and she wasted no time, ripping a quick, hard snap shot into the top left corner and under the bar.
Andover got to its game before the end of the first, though. McInerney cut it to 2-1 on a late power play with a redirection in the slot off a smooth, methodical passing sequence by the Big Blue.
They cranked the pressure up in the second, too. Caroline Averill nearly tied it early on. She made a slick toe-drag around a defender in the left circle before firing a low-glove shot. Deerfeld's Campbell Krotee (Darien, Conn.) barely got a piece of it.
But Averill broke through moments later with a top-left corner snipe from the right dot to tie it, 2-2. At the end of a long shift, she created the chance herself, rushing the puck up ice 1-on-1 while the Big Blue got a change.
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Powers scored the go-ahead goal toward the end of the period as a late power play for Andover died down. The Big Green got a piece of a cross-ice pass to Powers at the left post. But she managed to reach for it and poke the puck across the line before Krotee could recover.
Deerfield tried to mount a push in the third period, but Rodeheffer and Andover's defense stood tall for the win.
Here are eight takeaways from the game.
1. I'll gladly take a meeting between these two teams again come playoff time. This was definitely one of the best — if not the best — games I've seen this season. It had it all: a lightning-fast pace, plenty of physicality and a ton of emotion. It felt like a tournament game. With both teams ranked inside my top five as of this week, it made for a great measuring stick game. Deerfield lived up to the hype that it's earned over the last few weeks, despite the loss. They were all over the Big Blue in the first period.
2. Speaking of hype, I was really looking forward to having a look at Andover, now that Caroline Averill, Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) and Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.) are back in the fold. It was my first time getting to see the three of them in action, and it's easy to see why they're all so highly-touted. I'll start with Boyle, who's committed to Yale. The biggest thing that stands out is her smarts both offensively and defensively. She routinely made good, simple decisions. The junior is a terrific puck-mover on the breakout, whether skating it out herself or just making a good first pass. She and Caroline Averill nearly combined a couple of times on the power play in the second period. Boyle sent in low, tip-able shots right onto Averill's tape in open space either in the slot or to the side of the net.
3. Caroline Averill may just be one of the best skaters in the NEPSAC. She's strong on her edges and has a smooth stride. She's a cerebral player who sees the ice exceptionally well, too, and the game seemed to slow down whenever she had the puck. There were times where the sophomore took tours of the offensive zone, waiting for better passing or shooting lanes to open up, and they typically led to better looks for herself and teammates. Between her vision and her hands on some toe drags and dangles through defenders, it's no wonder she's one of the best playmakers among 2007's. Her shot on her second-period goal was an effortless, accurate release, too.
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4. Meanwhile, Maggie Averill is a very exciting prospect to keep an eye on going forward. The 5-foot-11 freshman is a dynamic offensive presence on Andover's blue line. She's constantly looking to push the pace offensively, whether with an aggressive stretch pass or by jumping into the play. She has a terrific release from the point, too. She gets a lot on wrist shots, even with a quick release, and has a powerful one-timer. It's impressive how much she loads her stick when shooting. Her pair with fellow freshman Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) was good at pinching at the offensive blue line and keeping the pressure up. Defensively, I thought Averill did a great job of effectively using her reach to kill plays, especially in transition.
5. Dinges, the NEPSAC's leader in goals (19), is explosive. The Harvard commit didn't find the goal column in this one, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of chances. She nearly opened the scoring when she slipped in behind the defense for a breakaway in the first, but Rodeheffer made the save. She nearly made it 3-1 in the second, too, before Averill's goal. Dinges broke into the zone with speed before shielding the puck, powering around the defender toward the crease and trying to reach around Rodeheffer. It would have been a highlight reel goal. She was constantly looking to push the pace and create chances with her speed.
6. Rodeheffer was much better against Deerfield than the last time I saw her, a 3-1 loss to St. Paul's. There wasn't much she could do on the first goal, a result of some misfortune, nor the second, a perfect shot. But whether it be the two previously mentioned saves on Dinges or her strong play during the Big Green's late push, she was one of Andover's best on Saturday. She kept a calm demeanor in the crease, even under pockets of heavy pressure, and she was quick to cover loose pucks to kill net-front scrambles. She's got a big frame and doesn't give shooters a ton of open space to look at.
7. Everything Deerfield does is fast. It was evident early as the Big Green turned things into a track meet. The first period felt like a whirlwind at break-neck speed. They were most effective when they were maintaining a high pace in transition, putting Andover on its heels. The same goes for the Big Green's power play when it was snapping the puck quickly around the offensive zone. They proved it on Frost's goal, getting the Andover penalty kill out of sorts and running around with quick puck movement. It opened up Frost for a great look and a goal at the right circle.
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8. The Big Green had a strong start, but I think Andover's depth wore them down as the game went on. It was best on display after Caroline Averill's goal. The Big Blue hemmed Deerfield in for consecutive extended shifts before eventually taking the lead. Beyond the Averills and Boyle, Andover came at the Big Green in waves, be it Powers and others like Shea Freda (Lexington, Mass.), Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) and Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.). They helped string together dominant shifts for the Big Blue to keep building momentum ahead of Powers' game-winner.
