FRAMINGHAM — There was a senior and a freshman. Both of them helped the St. Mary’s girls hockey team return to TD Garden on Sunday night at Loring Arena.
Gianna Tringale stopped 36 shots and Bella Freitas scored 3:43 into the initial sudden death overtime to give the Spartans a 2-1 victory over a determined Archbishop Williams team.
St. Mary’s (22-3-1) will now compete against No.1 Notre Dame (Hingham) next Sunday for the state championship.
“Williams gave us everything they had and really outplayed us for the first two periods,” said Spartans coach Frank Pagliuca. “But this group has been incredible. Getting back to the Garden despite the challenges is a huge achievement.”
Tringale, who had never started a game in her senior season, performed exceptionally well under intense pressure on Sunday. Alongside Kate McLeish, who held her ground at the opposite end of the ice, Tringale played a key role in holding back a determined Bishops team.
“I just had to have faith in my team,” Tringale explained.
Williams (12-11-2) dominated for most of the first 30 minutes, limiting St. Mary’s to just 10 shots on goal. Tringale had to make several important saves to keep the game scoreless going into the third period.
“Gianna was outstanding,” Pagliuca praised. “Her senior leadership was crucial and she rose to the occasion, doing an incredible job.”
Needing a spark for their potent offense, the Spartans found it with a 5-on-3 power play early in the final period. Williams managed to kill the first penalty, but couldn't stave off the second, allowing Alyssa Norden to redirect Freitas’ shot from the left circle past McLeish for a 1-0 lead at 5:41.
“That first goal really lifted our spirits,” Freitas remarked.
The first goal had the same effect on Williams. In a little over two minutes, the Bishops equalized when seventh grader McKenzie Lima-Tower scored from the rebound of Caroline Batchelder’s shot.
Williams continued to attack, taking 17 shots on Tringale in the third period but couldn't find the winning goal.
After both teams had good opportunities at the start of overtime, Freitas sealed the deal with a perfectly placed shot inside the right post after receiving a pass from Norden.
“Bella struggled in the first couple of periods, but like any great player and to her credit, she stepped up in the third and overtime,” Pagliuca noted.
