REVERE – After dropping two straight to open the season, the Girls Varsity Boston Brahmas (1-2-0) finally got their inaugural season going in the right direction, closing out Showcase Weekend with a 3-1 win over the South Shore Sabercats (1-2-0) last Sunday at the Cronin Skating Rink in Revere.
Having given up 11 goals in their first two games, the Brahmas came in struggling on the defensive end, but that storyline could not have been more different against the Sabercats. From the moment Meghan Quinn scored the game’s first goal at 3:19 of the first, the Brahmas never trailed mostly do to strong team defense and quality goaltending from both Ashleigh Marini, who started in net for Boston, and Janelle Kelleher, who came on in relief in the second period.
While the Brahmas controlled the scoreboard much of the contest, the Sabercats similarly controlled possession – much of the game was spent in the Brahmas zone – and their offensive chances far outnumbered those of their foes. The goals, however, did not come.
The Sabercats pressure finally paid off with some good fortune late in the second period, Nicole Quinn sending a puck towards the net that somehow found its way behind Kelleher to set the game back to even, 1-1, at 13:52.
The score, however, did not remain tied for long, as the Brahmas resumed control coming out of the break. They reclaimed their lead at 3:53 as Amy Le picked up the puck near center ice, beat her defender to walk in alone for a 2-1 Boston advantage.
Trailing once again, the Sabercats continued to press, Kelsey Routhier with a quality scoring opportunity near mid-period off a long rush but the Brahmas defense remained stifling. Even in the closing minutes, South Shore with an opportunity with Kelleher down and out, and a clean look at a seemingly open net, but somehow the stop was still made to keep the lead at 2-1.
They kept the upper hand throughout, but the Brahmas were not able to seal the victory until Kelly Popkin’s empty net goal made it 3-1 with just 12-seconds remaining on the clock.
