This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Girls Ice Hockey Defeats Pingry

Girls record first win in last game of the season.

BRIDGEWATER–From the moment the Hilltoppers took the ice, the air was positively electric.  It was the last game of the season and all of the girls wanted one thing: a win.  They had one more chance against Pingry on Tuesday evening.

The Hilltoppers scored the first goal in the first period and the crowd went wild.  Parents, siblings and friends were thrilled to see the girls playing with so much heart. The puck went down to the other end of the ice where senior Tory Round made one of many fantastic saves.  Round, who played her last high school game tonight, seemed determined to show Pingry just whose territory it was. The period ended tied 1-1.

"The first goal felt exciting," said freshman Jen Stabler, who scored two goals for the Hilltoppers. "It was nice because it put us in the lead.  And then the second goal was a good pass from Stuart (Humphrey) so that was exciting, too.  I really wanted to go out with a win."

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Summit took control in the second period.  The Hilltoppers kept constant pressure on the Pingry goalie.  Though the Hilltoppers controlled the majority of the period, Pingry was able to sneak two into the back of Summit's net.  A strong looking Summit offense was not to be discouraged.  They answered the first goal with one of their own, and took advantage of a power play to even up the score 3-3 at the end of the second period.

"Each one of them was determined," said head coach Matt Stanbro. "They were constantly engaged in the game.  It didn't matter if they scored or we scored, they know to keep fighting and keep working really hard."

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It was a defensive show in the third period.  The Hilltoppers completely shut down the Pingry offense.  A costly penalty gave the Hilltoppers the advantage and the girls capitalized on it again.  The game would end 4-3 with the Hilltoppers recording their first win of the season.

"It was exciting because it was the last game of the season and my last game ever," said senior Clare O'Malley, who had a goal for the Hilltoppers. "So it was really important and I think we had a lot of fun playing.  It was extra special."

The girls' season is at an end, but with a young team, the last game was a sign of the potential this team will have in the future.

"I'm really excited," said sophomore Katie Birle, who scored Summit's fourth goal.  "We're going to have a really good program next year and it's going to be a lot of fun."

For anyone who wants to watch the entire exciting game, it will be broadcast on the MSG Varsity Web site.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?