Two D-S Middle School Girls' U12 Girls Hockey Team Qualify For USA Hockey’s National Tournament

Note: The following is a release by the Massachusetts Spitfires U12 Tier 1 girls hockey team.

Marlborough, MA – The New England Sports Center was host to the 2011 Massachusetts Girls Hockey State Championship March 11-13. The tournament was a two division, three game round robin.  The top two teams from each division played off in a semi final game then winner of each went onto the championship game.  The top two U12 teams in Massachusetts qualify for the National tournament.

The Spitfires placed second in their division, beating the Bay State Breaker’s (2-1) and Charles River teams (5-0), but falling to the East Coast Wizards (4-1).  The semi final game matched the Spitfires against the top seed from the National Division – North Shore Viper’s.

The semi final game was one that the girls and fans will not soon forget.  The Viper’s had beat the Spitfires twice in regular season play, but not this day.   The Spitfires net was guarded by Stoughton’s Lizzie Hanson who proved to be the difference.  The game almost came to end in the first overtime, when Foxboro’s Hannah Touzos covered the puck up in the crease, preventing a goal.  The Viper’s were awarded a penalty shot, but Hanson came up with a big save and stoned the Viper. The game was finally decided by a break away goal scored by Skylar Fontaine of East Greenwich, RI with only 1:43 left on the clock in the fourth overtime, sending the Spitfires onto the championship game against the perennial powerhouse Assabet Valley.

With only a couple hours in between the exhausting semi final game against the Viper’s and the championship game, the Spitfires were hoping they had the legs to battle strong.  These two teams have met each other three times in regular season play and each game was decided by a goal.  They met each other in the championship game of the RI Panther’s Tournament, which went into overtime with Assabet winning 3-2. 

This game would prove to be no different.  The teams played to two scoreless periods.  There were many scoring opportunities, but both goalies proved to be on their games, again.  Assabet came out strong in the third period, going up by two goals, but the Spitfires were not going to let this game slip away.  Skylar Fontaine scored the first of her two goals at 6:56 in the third, assisted by Sherborn Ma native Jessye Ebzery and the second at 5:42 assisted by North Easton’s Nicole Johnson.   

Unfortunately with 4:56 left in the game, a deflected puck sneaked by Spitfires goalie Hanson and that would prove to be the game winner.

The Spitfires will head to Detroit on April 5^th to meet the NJ Colonials, Chicago Young Americans and the Syracuse Nationals.