The two sides had three encounters throughout the regular season. Two went to the Thunder and only one of the three was decided by more than a single goal. A close game was to be expected coming in, but Marlboro owned the first period on Sunday as the Sabercats settled into their game.

Julia Lane was the first to break into the scoring column, doing so at 7:07 as she kept the puck on a 2-on-1 and got it to squeeze between the post and goaltender Bryanne Porter. The Thunder’s 1-0 lead was upped to 2-0 on a Catherine Fox goal a little over a minute later, where it stayed through the remainder of the period.

A strong defensive structure was the earmark of the Thunder throughout the season, as the division’s top defensive squad gave up just 1.59 goals per game, goaltender Shelby Guinard posting a pair of shutouts along the way. It was a system vital to so much regular season success, but one that in the end may have aided their opposition.

“I saw them playing a defensive game, just kind of shooting the puck down, giving us an opportunity,” Elwood said. “It actually helped us breath a little more and actually regroup and start setting plays.”

The Sabercats struck quick in the second to cut their deficit to one as Brooke McIsaac scored at 1:11 to make it 2-1. They continued to gain steam throughout the period, getting chance after chance as the Thunder laid back, but did not score again until late.

Guinard made a brilliant save as the Sabercats came in on a 2-on-1, but a trailing Hayley Parrish was able to pounce on the rebound and dump it in the open net at 11:39. Parrish’s goal sparked a scoring flurry in the last 3:30 of the period, with three goals being scored between the two to send the game to the third tied 3-3.

The final period of regulation played out in similar fashion to the second, with just a little less scoring. Lane buried her second of the game after a puck squirted to her in the high slot at 5:37 and then Melissa Macri got the equalizer less than a minute later, knotting things at 4-4. A rash of Marlboro penalties late gave the Sabercats even more opportunities, but Guinard and the defense remained on point, thwarting all bids and leaving the game to be decided in overtime.

In a division ripe with parody, most teams finishing right around the .500-mark, the Thunder had set themselves above the rest, winning the regular season title with a 10-2-0 record. They may have been the best, but they were also the smallest roster in size and it showed in the overtime session.

Cassidhe Wozniak had an early opportunity for the Thunder as she outraced Parrish to get the scoring bid, but that was about all there was to Marlboro’s offense in overtime. Still, Guinard and the defense held up, even as the game became a shooting gallery at times.

Eventually, the fresher legs of the Sabercats became too much. With the Marlboro defense laid back and their legs struggling to keep up late in the first overtime, Parrish was wheeling through the offensive zone. The South Shore forward found a line, fired and tucked the puck in upstairs at 6:23 for the game-winner, ending the inaugural Girls U14 season with a Sabercats championship.