There’s an old cliché that says a 2-0 lead is the worst lead in hockey.
While usually not the case, that hackneyed phrase unfortunately held some meaning for the Gloucester High girls squad in Monday evening’s Senior Night clash with Stoneham.
After netting two unanswered goals in the second period, the Fishermen were held scoreless the rest of the way while surrendering three straight to Stoneham — including the game-winner in overtime — in a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat.
Gloucester was whistled for a two-minute penalty in the extra frame, too, and Stoneham’s Vivien Savoie capitalized on the power play to secure a hat trick and walk it off for her team.
“It seems like every time we find ourselves in an overtime we find ourselves down a player,” said Gloucester head coach Rob Parsons, whose team won with a thrilling OT battle against Marblehead last week with a short-handed tally. “We’ve pulled off two of them but I guess you run out of luck at some point. As high as you get from winning the overtime game it’s equally as bad on the other side of it. So it was a somber locker room tonight.”
Despite the result, Gloucester skated hard all night and had plenty of opportunities to come out with the victory.
Following a scoreless first period in which the Fishermen managed just three shots on goal despite controlling possession, Joss Twombly opened the scoring with an opportunistic shot early in the second. Twombly, who was assisted by teammate Kaya Collins on the play, had also scored in her team’s win over Marblehead last week. Her shot was one of 12 on target for Gloucester in the middle stanza.
“Joss looks good. She’s kind of built as a defenseman but I’ve asked her to play a lot of forward and she’s giving us everything she’s able to there,” said Parsons. “She looks great, she’s smart, and she’s had good positional play.”
After a couple of nice saves from goalie Kaydin Cusumano, Elizabeth Gentile would find the back of the net to make it 2-0 with just under six minutes to play in the second. At that point, it seemed like the hosts had seized momentum for good.
But Stoneham continued to make some impressive rushes up ice and get the Gloucester defense on its heels, finally capitalizing with 4:10 to play in the second to slice the deficit in half. That one came courtesy of Savoie, who found herself alone on the attack and flicked home a textbook wrister from the right side.
Gloucester got a power play chance at the end of the frame that carried over into the third, but was unable to capitalize. Instead, Stoneham flipped the script as Savoie snuck another one home out in front, getting behind Cusumano on the left side and flipping it into the open space off a pass from Dani Chillemi.
Gloucester had a few chances to go back in front late, including a great bid from 8th-grader Katelin Aloi, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Savoie would then seal the deal with her third goal of the night, that one coming with 1:40 to go in OT, sending Gloucester home with a tough-to-swallow setback that puts them at 8-10 on the season.
“We just played Hopkinton and they had a girl who I looked up afterwards and couldn’t believe she was an 8th-grader, and her and (Savoie, a junior) were definitely two of the stronger players that we’ve faced,” Parsons said of Savoie, who displayed tremendous speed and puck control all evening.
“They had a very good first line; I thought they had a manageable second line and we just couldn’t quite capitalize when we were out against them,” continued the coach. “They beat us a couple times with good hands and good speed, and maybe the D bit a little too early or a too late at times and they were gone with a good shot.”
Even with the loss, Gloucester has the chance to rebound in a big way over their final two games to secure a playoff berth. Victories over Newburyport and Medford to close out the regular season would automatically qualify the Fishermen for the tournament. If they drop one or both games, their fate would lie in the hands of the MIAA power rankings, which most recently had them just inside the qualifying top 32 at No. 30.
“The goal for the season was to be a team that makes the tournament and there are two ways to do that: you force yourself in as a team that’s .500 or better, or you cross your fingers and hope that the power rankings drop you in that spot,” said Parsons. “We’re still in a situation where the puck is in our end, so to speak. So the message is you take this and you run with it as hard as you can and just try to win these next two games.”
Stoneham 3, Gloucester 2 (OT)
at Dorothy Talbot Rink, Gloucester
Stoneham (6-10-2);0;1;1;1;3
Gloucester (8-10);0;2;0;0;2
Scoring summary
First period: No scoring
Second period: G, Joss Twombly (Kaya Collins), 2:36; G, Elizabeth Gentile (un), 9:15; S, Vivien Savoie (un), 10:50.
Third period: S, Savoie (Dani Chillemi), 7:48.
Overtime: S, Savoie (Chillemi), ppg., 3:20.
Saves: S, Emma Allard 22; G, Kaydin Cusumano 17.