No Quit for Algonquin Hockey

MARLBOROUGH – With Monday’s game tied, 3-3, late in the third period against a tough Longmeadow squad, Algonquin’s top scoring line of Mallory Farrell at center, Bryn Domolky at left wing, and Taylor Hodge at right wing decided it was time to take over the game.

“We got into the offensive zone and with my teammates, Mal and Bryn, we were cycling pretty well and we knew this was it and we were going to score,” said Hodge, who is a senior captain for Algonquin. Her line was effectively moving the puck in a circular motion in and out of the corners of the Longmeadow end of the ice. Algonquin’s line made it nearly impossible for the Lancers to gain possession, let alone clear the puck out of danger. After about a minute of the Farrell, Domolky, and Hodge line playing keep-a-away, which resulted in several quality scoring opportunities, they eventually cycled the puck back out to their left point defenseman Lauren O’Malley just inside the blueline. In the meantime, as O’Malley cocked her stick back, Farrell and Domolky helped clear a path in front of Lancers goalkeeper Madison Gallant. While O’Malley’s teammates did a great job clearing space for a clean shot, Hodge quietly floated into O’Malley’s shooting lane, which was about 10 feet in front of the crease with her stick on the ice. O’Malley then fired a shot toward the goal.

Senior captain Taylor Hodge heads to the bench to celebrate after scoring the game-winning goal

“She had a nice low shot right to the middle and my stick was just in the right place and I was able to tip it,” said Hodge. The play was a bang-bang play as Hodge’s redirected-shot sailed past the helpless goalkeeper. The puck ended up in the back of the Longmeadow net and this proved to be the game-winning goal. “It felt great to score that goal.”

Algonquin improved their record to 6-0-1 on the season and they are first place in the Central/West A Division.

While Algonquin remained undefeated, they had to work for this win.

“We got those guys two more times,” said Algonquin head coach Michael Hodge. “It’s going to be real fun. They’re a really good team. They made it hard on us.”

After a scoreless first period, Ellie Fernandes got Algonquin on the board first nearly four minutes into the second period.

Ellie Fernandes is all smiles after she scored the first goal

Her line created a rugby scrum in front of Gallant’s net. Fernandes punched in the loose puck for a 1-0 Algonquin lead. Her linemates, Emily Johns and Grace Sciacca both earned an assist on the goal.

Shortly after, Algonquin continued to get scoring opportunities, which included one shot from the point hitting the crossbar behind Gallant. These missed opportunities caught up to Algonquin when, in the final seconds of the second period, Longmeadow even the score at 1-1 apiece with just 24.5 second left by Jane O’Connor.

Coach Hodge said his team was a little down after giving up that tying goal and decided to refocus his seemingly snake-bitten players. When asked about what was said during the second intermission to motivate his team, he simply pointed to his blue tie that had little hockey characters all over it and said, “I’d like to tell you I said something magical, but it was the tie,” Hodge said smiling. “I don’t change my tie until we lose. So, my speech was that we’re playing for my stupid blue tie with the little hockey players on it. They were kind of down after the second period so I just wanted to tell them something loose to keep it fun. They’re playing a game and they’re allowed to have fun.”

Taylor Hodge, who is also the coach’s daughter, started smiling and laughing when asked about her dad’s tie.

“He’s a very superstitious person,” she said. “Every year he picks out a tie, but it usually is always that tie. He picks a tie at the start of every single season and he will wear that tie after every single win. But once we have a loss, he will change that tie because it was now bad luck. Taylor chuckles. “After the second period, he said ‘I do not want to change this tie. This is my favorite tie.’ So, we didn’t let that happen. It was great.”

Bryn Domolky on a breakaway. She had a goal and an assist in the win

Motivated by the tie, Algonquin jumped out to an early 2-1 lead in the third period on an unassisted power play goal by Dormolky. On the play, she was able to steal a loose puck at the Longmeadow goal-line. “Their defenseman lost the puck,” she said. “I just took it and went for the net and the goalie never saw it coming.”

The play seemed to wake up the Lancers as they scored the next two goals by Rylee Welch and Jane O’Connor.

Down 3-2, Algonquin found themselves trailing in a game for the first time all season. However, they were not about to give up on themselves or on their coach’s blue tie.

“It was so back-and-forth, you know,” Dormolky said after the game. “We scored and then they scored and we were so motivated to get another goal … I think when it’s that close a game, everyone is just going to the net and working their absolute hardest to get the puck in the net, whether it was a pretty goal or what coach said, a greasy goal.”

Once again, it was the Farrell, Domolky, and Hodge line who help Algonquin reclaim the lead. Farrell tied the game on a nifty backhanded shot past the left goalie pad of Gallant with both Hodge and Dormolky assisting on the play. Hodge scored her game-winner about three minutes later.

Algonquin was not about to give Longmeadow another goal. With 5:35 left in the following Hodge’s goal, Algonquin finished the game only allowing one shot on their

Lana Pacific battles to the puck out of the Algonquin net

goalkeeper, Lana Pacific. She finished with 15 saves in the game.

“I was very confident in my team,” Pacific said after the game. “I was very confident we would make it back … My D does a really good job of getting it out of the zone. They battled hard in the corners and the backchecking was great from the forwards. I give props to my forwards. Like on a three-on-two, the forwards get back to clear the puck which helps me and the D.”

Coach Hodge said “the kids like playing for each other. They support each other out there.”

Domolky said, “Coach was like, ‘defense first.’ We weren’t trying to score anymore. We just stayed back, defended, and everyone stayed in their positions. We were just trying to keep the puck still and get it out of the zone and that’s what we did.”

Algonquin can enjoy this win for a few days. Their next game will be at Oakmont (1-1-1) on Sunday, Jan. 9 at noon. Farrell leads Central Mass in scoring with 12 goals and nine assists. Domolky scored her eighth goal of the season, Fernandes scored her fourth, and Hodge tallied her third goal. Johns, Sciacca, Farrell, Domolky, Hodge, and O’Malley all had one assist in the game.