Woodstock
“They did a great job angling their defense, and you could tell they had practiced it a lot,” said Kuhn, whose second-seeded team fell, 2-0, to its third-seeded foe during the teams’ Vermont Division II girls hockey semifinal. “They forced me outside and ran me into the boards, so I didn’t have much room. Their defense played a great game tonight, and I had a hard time getting through.”
Kuhn had 28 assists and nine goals this season, including the overtime winner last weekend to beat No. 7 Brattleboro. On Monday, however, the Thunderbirds played ferocius team defense, and the Wasps were left with few scoring chances from anywhere near the net. The hosts were credited with 27 shots to the visitors’ 23, but Missisquoi goaltender Makyla Bombardier rarely had to scramble about her crease.
“We didn’t have a lot of puck support in front of the net and didn’t get after the rebounds,” said Woodstock coach Ian Coates. “That’s something we typically do a little bit better, getting those dirty goals. But they weren’t happening for us. Their goalie did a good job putting the rebounds to the boards and into the corners.”
Woodstock won the teams’ first meeting by a 4-2 score on Jan. 21 before dropping the second clash, 4-1, in the regular-season finale. Monday’s rubber match felt mostly even through a period but as the second stanza progressed, the Thunderbirds began to tilt the ice towards Wasps goaltender Bridgit Black.
Ten minutes into the second period, Missisquoi’s Olivia Thayer drove around Kuhn behind the Woodstock net, cut between the right pipe and Wasps defender Liz Currier, and passed across the low slot to teammate Adrianna Dostie, who scored on the back side.
“I was in the corner and pushed it behind the net,” Kuhn said. “There was nothing our goalie could do about that play because there was a player who was unaccounted for.”
Missisquoi also scored on its next shot, 51 seconds later. Thunderbird forward Alyssa Audet broke across the Woodstock blue line, one-on-one against backward-skating defender Hannah Milstone. Audet slowed and swerved left to right, enticing Milstone into a lunging poke check at the top of the circles. The effort threw her off-balance and allowed Audet to curl around her and into the outer half of the right circle. The attacker then whipped a wrist shot high and inside the net’s far corner, deflating most in a standing-room only crowd.
“There was a slight reach at the wrong spot,” Coates said. Audet “had her exposed and went around her and got the shot off. It was another small defensive error against a quality opponent.”
The Wasps had more offensive jump during the third period, but Missisquoi (15-5-2) held the slot mostly off-limits and strung together multiple passes to escape its end. Woodstock, with time shrinking and pressure growing, too often fell into the trap of excessive individual effort.
“They play really well as a group and had a lot of good passing through the neutral zone,” said Kuhn, who admitted that lugging the puck so often wore her down as the game progressed. “A lot of our shots were from outside and from awkward angles. Overall, it was a pretty even game, but they were winning the battles and beating us to loose pucks. I think that’s really what made the difference tonight.”
Said Coates: “Sadie really wanted this game. You could tell she was ready to go, and she had a great first period. The rest of the team wasn’t quite at the state of mind that she was, but by the time we got to the third period, we were all on the same page.”
Woodstock (15-6-1) graduates five seniors but few impact players. Black and Annabelle Lessard, who mostly split time in goal, are both slated to return, as are three of the top four defensemen and the majority of the skaters on the first two forward lines.
“The outlook is very bright,” Coates said. “We should be one of the top teams again in Division II.”
Notes: Woodstock is 4-11 in postseason games, 0-2 against Missisquoi in the playoffs and 0-2 in semifinal contests. Its other semifinal appearance came in 2003. That year, despite finishing with a 6-12 record, the Wasps defeated Colchester and North Country in the playoffs before succumbing to Champlain Valley. … Kuhn is a member of this season’s Division II all-state first team, and Hannah Coates is on the second team. Missisquoi’s Thayer is on the first team, and Audet is on the second team. The Division II player of the year is U-32 freshman Bella Parento. … The Wasps were 10-9-1 last season, when they made their first playoff appearance since going 3-16-1 in 2010.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.