RAYNHAM – An All-Star Weekend is meant as a showcase of skill and talent for those deemed the best of the best. To that end, perfection became something of a theme for the New England Future Stars Girls U14 Division as they took part in their annual All-Star Game and Skills Challenge this past Sunday at the Raynham IcePlex.
An unbeaten Boston Brahmas team took the top spot in the Skills Challenge, while a flawless goaltending performance paced the Black All-Stars in their 3-2 win.
The Brahmas put on a display during the Skills Challenge, the only team to make it a clean on the weekend. Sophia Pacella, Allie Martin, Allison McDonough and Bridgette Crowley a perfect 3-for-3 with wins in the Team Relay, Agility Race and Target Shooting, blowing away the competition in the process.
Boston’s top time in the Team Relay was more than three seconds ahead of the second place North Shore Stingrays, finishing their four laps around the ice in 1:11.59. It was a margin of victory they bested in the Agility Race, taking the event by more than five seconds with a time of 1:15.34. The Brahmas victory in the Target Shooting event was the closest of their three Skills Challenge wins, besting both the Southeastern Grizzlies by a score of 6-4.
The Brahmas finished the Skills Challenge with a perfect nine points, while the Stingrays and South Shore Sabercats finished tied for second with three points apiece. The Stingrays making the podium with a second place finish in the Team Relay and third place finish in the Target Shooting. The Sabercats accrued their three points by placing second in the Agility Race and third in the Team Relay.
While the widest of margins decided the Skills Challenge, the opposite took place in the All-Star Game. Just one goal separating the Black All-Stars from White in victory.
The All-Star Game was also a low scoring affair, but that was not without trying on the part of both sides’ offenses. Unfortunately for the selections, all four goaltenders chosen to play on Sunday were set to prove why they were worthy of the honor of being named All-Stars.
Caroline McDonough of the Natick Chill and Ellie Todd of the Brahmas were tabbed as starters for the game and both were stellar in their performance. The White All-Stars swarmed all over their foes, but McDonough stood impenetrable in net, thwarting everything that came her way, including going a perfect 4-for-4 facing penalty shots. The only blemish to either’s credit was a penalty shot goal scored against Todd by Emma Soares of the Sabercats, for a 1-0 Black lead through 25 minutes.
Goaltending remained strong in the second half, as McDonough and Todd gave way to Stingray Mary Honan and Grizzly Asia Porter, respectively, but offenses did pick up and got started early as Marlboro Thunder forward Emma Aldenberg had the game tied at 1-1 before the half was 2:30 old.
Black edged back ahead just before the seven-minute mark, Alex Johnson of the Stingrays making the moves to open up space to put away the go-ahead goal. The lead then grew with just under five minutes to play, a cross-ice feed from Katie Honan of the Stingrays leaving Arianna Picariello of the Sabercats plenty of room to make the Black advantage 3-1.
With Black less than a minute from victory, White made one last gasp to get themselves back in the game, Zoe Koreniowski of the Grizzlies poking it through a scrum in front to make it 3-2 with just 0:41.7 on the clock. White pulled the goaltender as tension mounted and then drew one final penalty shot bid with just 16-seconds remaining. Needing the score to force a shootout, the penalty shot attempt just sailed wide and Black closed out the 3-2 win.
Emma’s Aldenberg and Soares went home as the game’s Second and Third Stars, respectively, with their goal scoring performances. McDonough took home First Star honors with her undeniable performance in net for the Black All-Stars.
