ARLINGTON — Off to its best Middlesex League start in program history, the Arlington girls’ hockey team cushioned its position with a 2-0 shutout victory over rival Winchester Wednesday afternoon at Ed Burns Arena.
The teams have traded spots in the middle of league standings for the past three seasons and skated to a 4-4 tie in January. But Wednesday’s decisive victory – in the Spy Ponders’ last home game of the regular season — offered a glimpse into the makeup of a team that has been quietly toiling away, yearning for their first Middlesex Liberty title.
“The last time [against Winchester], we got up 4-2 and we let it slip away,” said Arlington coach Jeff Mead. “They’re not a team you really can let sit around. They’re always going to keep coming, and today we ended up on the good side of it.”
Advertisement
Five skaters representing three grades recorded a point for Arlington (12-2-3, 11-1-3 Liberty) in a demonstration of the depth the Spy Ponders have on their roster.
Sophomore defender Fiona Johnson-MacDonald potted her second goal of the season midway through the first period, assisted by senior captain Emily Benoit (10 goals, 7 assists this season) and freshman defender Sydney Iwaskow. Sophomore forward Makayla Doherty netted her fifth of the year from freshman Grace Corsetti 11 minutes into the second frame.
In goal, senior captain Jordan Toomey made 10 saves, including a pivotal stop on a third-period penalty shot awarded to Winchester freshman Amelia Lynch after a scuffle in front of the net. Iwaskow was called for hooking in the goaltending zone with six minutes to play.
“She’s been great for us all year,” Mead said of Toomey, who earned the starting nod beginning her sophomore season but has been part of the program since seventh grade.
“It was a great job by Sydney [Iwaskow] to try and stop her, and a great save [by Toomey] on the penalty shot.
Advertisement
Toomey has a .912 save percentage, allowing just 19 goals in the roughly 11 games she has played. Freshman Elise Rodd also sees time in goal.
Three players who did not register points against Winchester, senior captains Erin O’Brien (14 goals, 9 assists), Elizabeth Liakos (10 goals, 13 assists), and Molly Flynn (3 goals, 13 assists), along with Benoit, have paced the attack all season.
Every player in uniform has recorded at least a point this season for Arlington, which has outscored foes, 65-25, on the way to earning its fifth straight state tourney appearance.
“[The youth is] definitely the future,” Mead said. “But everything goes through the seniors that we have. Everyone’s kind of contributing. We have three seniors with over 10 goals, and that really helps a lot, instead of having one player that’s kind of carrying everything. That has a lot to do with [Arlington’s success].”
Jenna Ciccotelli can be reached at jenna.ciccotelli@globe.com.