RAYNHAM – A new twist was added as preparations were being made for the New England Future Stars annual All-Star Weekend festivities. Unlike the previous six years the event had been held, goaltenders were included to further test skaters in each participating level’s Skills Challenge.

With the changes, goaltending ended up taking center stage throughout the weekend. A fact never more evident than when the Girls Varsity Division closed out the two-day Summer Classic; the North Shore Stingrays claiming back-to-back Skills titles and the Gray All-Stars rounding things out with a 7-2 victory.

Much like the Girls U14 Skills Challenge earlier in the day, the excitement of the Girls Varsity Skills Challenge came at the end in a tiebreaking race needed to decide the competition’s overall winner.

Following a win in the Agility Race and third place finishes in the Team Relay and Scoring Challenge, the Stingrays finished the scheduled three events tied atop the leader board with the Boston Brahmas, who scored a first place finish in the Team Relay and second in the Agility Race. With goaltenders Victoria Kennedy and Ashleigh Marini on the ice to help in the Skills Challenge, they, too, were to take part in the tiebreaking Team Relay. The second Skills Challenge of the day whose final outcome was aided by goaltenders in a foot race.

The two netminders fared well in the unusual circumstance, but the race ended with Kennedy atop the medal stand with teammates Rachel Tammaro, Jessica Robert, Alexandra Robertson and Rowan Sullivan. The Stingrays the only team to ever win a NEFS Girls Varsity Skills Challenge, both of which were decided in a tiebreaking speed skate.

Also placing in events were the Southeastern Grizzlies, who won the Scoring Challenge, the Marlboro Thunder, who placed second in the opening Team Relay and third in the Agility Race, and the South Shore Sabercats, who placed second in the Scoring Challenge.

The first half of the All-Star Game was as tightly contested, the Gold and Gray All-Stars trading shots back-and-forth early before the defenses settled in and started to lock things down.

Gold started the scoring on a goal by Riley Jordan of the Stingrays, but the lead changed hands before the half came to an end with Gray leading 3-2. Jordan notching a second for Gold, while Sara Cruise of the Grizzlies, Cathryn Elliot of the Natick Chill and Kellie Popkin of the Brahmas were each credited with a score for Gray.

Yet, while the first half saw a mix of both teams, the second half belonged to the Gray All-Stars.

On both ends of the ice.

Cruise and her Grizzlies teammate Abbey Luth put on an offensive display in the second half, combining for four goals – a pair apiece – as Gray’s lead went from a marginal one to one that would be difficult to overcome.

Difficult to overcome not only due to the offensive numbers, but particularly with the kind of performance put forth by Caroline McDonough, who started the second half in the Gray cage.

Shutouts are nearly unheard of in All-Star Games, but for the second straight season McDonough, a 2015 Girls U14 All-Star selection, posted a clean half. The Chill netminder thwarted every attempt made by an All-Star team comprised of forwards from the division’s second and third ranked offenses, a shutout that included stopping both penalty shot attempts against her.

Between the offense of the Grizzlies and the goaltending of McDonough, the second half came to a close with the Gray All-Stars on top 7-2. Those performances earned Cruise and McDonough First and Third Star of the Game honors, respectively.

Jordan was named Second Star of the Game.