PEABODY — Reagan Van Horn was about 80 feet away around center ice when her Bishop Fenwick teammate, Kailey Tinkham, threw what looked like a centering pass towards the crease from the right wing wall.
As far as Van Horn was concerned, she had the best seat in the house.
“It was like slow motion. I saw it get under the goalie, hit the other post and dribble in … and I just screamed, I was so excited,” Van Horn said, recounting Tinkham’s tie-breaking goal that came with 91 seconds left in Monday’s 10th playing of the girls Carlin Cup against rival Peabody.
Thanks to 39 saves from Bo Tierney Award winner Stella Madarese and Tinkham’s late heroics, the Crusaders skated away with a 2-1 victory over the Tanners at McVann-O’Keefe Rink. Bishop Fenwick (6-11-1) took the Carlin Cup back from Peabody (4-13-1) for the first time since 2022, and gave their senior class their first Cup victory.
“Watching Peabody get the trophy and take that postgame picture the last three years was hard on the heart,” said Von Horn, a captain and defenseman. “This was like a playoff game for us. Late in the third, I told Kailey that we needed to make a play and we had to have this game — and she did.”
Madarese, a freshman with a flair for big saves, made 16 stops in the third period to keep the game even at 1-1.
In the late stages, Van Horn chipped a puck to fellow defenseman and captain Lexi Salah, who skated through center and then fed Tinkham. The winger carried it to the boards and had teammate Reese Robillard at doorstep, but the former’s feed wound up threading through the crease and dinking the far post before going in for the game-winner.
“The girls showed their ability to bounce back from adversity, and that’s something we’ve really improved on this season,” said Crusaders head coach Kylie Currier.
Peabody dropped its eighth straight game despite holding a 40-15 edge in shots on goal. The Tanners have outshot their opponents in the last three outings but have been snakebit in terms of finishing, a trend that continued on Monday.
Eighth grader Melania DiVirgilio had a golden chance smothered by Madarese. Even down a skater due to a late minor penalty, the Tanners got scoring chances from Sydney Zizza and Grace Allen that wouldn’t go.
“We outshot them and, in my opinion, outplayed them. We’re not getting the reward on the scoreboard, and that’s been the story of our last several games,” said Peabody head coach Guy Angiuoni. “Our kids have played with a great attitude and effort. They’re a very resilient group.”
Fenwick scored the game’s first goal when defender Brynn Scott sent a puck with eyes into the twine (assisted by Tinkham) early in the first. The Tanners drew even less than two minutes later when Lilli McSweeney won an offensive zone faceoff over to captain Julia Guzzo, who sent it back to Zizza for a bomb that ripped the back of the cage.
A defensive game broke out from there. With Eleni Spack, Mikaela O’Driscoll, Avery D’Agostino and Maura Flaws patrolling the back end for the Tanners, shots on goal —even rushes with the puck — were hard to come by for Fenwick.
“Peabody played lockdown D, literally blocking every shot. Credit them because their D-zone coverage was so good that we couldn’t get much by them,” said Currier.
Though the Tanners had shot volume, they weren’t always dangerous bids as Crusader defenders like Karissa Burgess and Lexi Salah closed gaps quite well. Ella Hayhurst had what Currier called an “incredible backcheck” to deny one Tanner chance, and Bella Marcinkowski and Alex Kolhami also played well in all three zones.
First played 39 years ago in 1987 between the Bishop Fenwick and Peabody boys hockey teams, this President’s Day tradition honors Charlie Carlin, who coached Peabody’s boys from 1947-72 and is considered the father of high school hockey in the Tanner City. His nephew, the late Fenwick boys coach Robert ‘Bo’ Tierney, first organized the contest, and a Player of the Game citation for both teams is named in his honor.
Eighth grade goalie Lexi Prifti, who took up the position just 2 1/2 weeks ago, made 14 saves for Peabody. Their Tierney Award went to Zizza.
“It wasn’t just the goal she scored or the offense Sydney brings,” Angiuoni said. “She’s a defensive force and always locks down her own end. Her speed for getting back and defending is elite.”
Bishop Fenwick 2, Peabody 1
10th girls Carlin Cup at McVann-O’Keefe Rink, Peabody
Bishop Fenwick;1;0;1;2
Peabody;1;0;0;1
Scoring summary
First period: BF, Brynn Scott (Kailey Tinkham), 1:47; PLNR, Sydney Zizza (Julia Guzzo, Lilli McSweeney), 3:16.
Second period: No scoring.
Third period: BF, Tinkham (Lexi Salah, Reagan Van Horn), 13:29.
Saves: BF, Stella Madarese 39; PLNR, Lexi Prifiti 14.
Records: BF, 6-11-1; PLNR, 4-14-1.