FRAMINGHAM – The power and physicality No. 5 Algonquin displayed Saturday night at its Div. 2 girls hockey state semifinal at Loring Arena put Duxbury in a difficult position at first, but the defending-champion Dragons are returning to TD Garden for the second year in a row.
Addy Harrington scored two goals and Megan Carney scored the game-winning goal early in the third period, resulting in three consecutive goals for No. 1 Duxbury, overcoming 16 penalties and a deficit in the opening five minutes to achieve a 3-1 comeback win.
Each of Harrington’s goals were scored near the left post to surpass an impressive performance from Titans goalie Addy Cagan (21 saves), while the Dragons’ penalty kill succeeded 5 out of 6 times to fend off a comeback in a match between the last two Div. 2 state champions.
Duxbury will compete against the winner of Sunday’s No. 2 Falmouth-No. 11 Marshfield semifinal on March 17 at TD Garden.
“It’s gratifying for the entire program that we can compete every year,” said Dragons head coach Dan Najarian. “That’s an excellent hockey team. They are fast, tough, and competitive. It’s a testament to the hard work. … We know that our daily efforts are aimed at reaching this level and playing in games like this in front of crowds like this, which is a unique experience.”
“I’m extremely excited to return to TD Garden,” Harrington added. “We have to focus on this one, practice well and secure another victory.”
The teams totaled six penalties in the first period, and Algonquin’s first power play led to Ariya Tice’s goal off a rebound for a 1-0 lead just 4:09 in.
Duxbury fought back, however. Carney was active during the penalty kill, and goalie Anna McGinty (13 saves) was solid in net to ensure that the Titans were restricted to that single goal despite a particularly physical challenge. Controlling the gap and dominating the neutral zone were crucial tactics to limit Algonquin.
It didn’t take long into the second period for Harrington to score from a rebound off Maddie Greenwood’s shot from the point on the power play, and Carney’s goal one minute into the third period gave Duxbury the 2-1 advantage.
“When they got that initial goal, we knew we had to recover from that and we certainly did,” Harrington said.
Harrington went on to score again from Zoey Madigan’s pass from below the goal line with 6:59 left for all the cushion Duxbury would need. Additionally impressive was Carney’s quick defensive move after her goal to thwart a potential game-tying breakaway by Algonquin.
“I had in mind that this is a do-or-die situation,” Carney said.
