By Joe Kelly
Nauset was resilient, but in the end, they were no match for Falmouth. The Clippers prevailed in a high-scoring affair, winning 7-4 behind four, yes, FOUR goals from Maeve Turner. Violet Cox added two goals of her own.
Nauset put pressure on the Clippers early on, but they were able to weather the storm. Then the Falmouth stars began to dictate the game. Turner scored off a rush at 8:48 of the first, with Cox and Hadley Vierra getting the helpers. Cox made it 2-0 less than two minutes later, wristing one past Nauset goaltender Norah Swanson.
Cox, recently named one of the Boston Globe’s Eastern MA girls hockey players of the week, continued her dominant play with her second goal of the game. And this one was an absolute beauty. Cox sped up the ice and deked out the Nauset defense before roofing a shot just under the crossbar to make it 3-0. The resilient Warriors were not ready to lay down just yet, as Julia Kipperman buried a goal with just 20 seconds left on an assist from Defenseman Sophie Eldredge.
Early on in the second with Falmouth on the kill, Maeve Turner was granted a penalty shot. With the entire arena watching, she swooped in alone, rapidly stickhandled all the way to the net, and buried a shot past the goaltender. The Captain fist pumped and ecstatically jumped up into the boards, adding an exclamation point to an electric goal.
With all the momentum on Falmouth’s side, Nauset Center Gabby Bassett did what she's been doing all year-she scored a big goal in a big moment. This one came on a rush, less than a minute after the Falmouth penalty shot goal. Morgan Willis kept the Nauset rally going with a goal that barely crossed the line after deflecting off Falmouth goalie Raelynn Spellman. Going into the third, the Warriors had made it a 4-3 game.
After Molly Larusso put the Clippers back up by two early on in the third, Nauset once again responded less than a minute later with Bassett's second of the game.
From there, Maeve Turner did the rest. She scored a powerplay goal unassisted at 5:26 of the period to complete the hat trick, then added her fourth goal by potting a rebound in the final minutes. Lorusso and Cox assisted on the play.
I caught up with Turner after the game and asked her about her phenomenal performance.
“I kind of just relaxed a little bit, kept my energy up, and I think the ice was well-seen tonight, and the wheels were going and I just kept going. It was a great game.”
7-4 was the final score on what was a very successful night across Falmouth hockey. Turner and Cox combined for 11 points on the night, with Molly Larusso also having a goal and an assist. The unsung hero of the night? Hadley Vierra, who added four assists. Spellman was a rock in net for Falmouth, making several key stops when the Nauset pressure ramped up. On the Nauset side, Gabby Bassett, Morgan Willis, and Julia Kipperman led the way with two points each.
“I think our team really prepared for this game,” said Maeve Turner.
“We knew Nauset was going to be a big league game, and we've been on a roll and we definitely wanted to keep it going.”
Click here to add text.
Add comment
Comments