METHUEN – Absolute heartbreaker.
After Methuen/Tewksbury’s Sammy Ryan scored to tie the game up at 1-1 with 2:13 left in the third period, Emily Fleming came through in dramatics, scoring the game winning goal with 29.7 seconds left to lift the No. 11 seed ArchBishop Williams to a thrilling 2-1 victory over the No. 6 seed Red Rangers, in a Division 1 Round of 16 game played at Methuen High.
The loss ends the season for the Red Rangers with an overall record of 15-5-2, which includes a first-round tournament win over Wellesley.
“They capitalized right there at the end. We thought we had some momentum, and it just shows you that it can change very quickly,” said Red Rangers’ head coach Dave O’Hearn.
“We knew what kind of game we were going to be in. It just didn’t bounce our way this time. We did a great job getting pressure on them and, it’s a game of hockey, and we didn’t get the bounces. I was extremely proud of the way they played today. They played very tough.”
ArchBishop Williams took a 1-0 lead with 43.8 seconds left of the second period on a goal from Caroline Batchelder. The score remained the same until Ryan scored off a deflection in front off a shot from the point by Lyla Chapman, while Bree Lawrence added an assist.
That set-up the game winner by Fleming.
The Red Rangers held a 23-19 shot advantage. Goalie Lydia Barnes made 17 saves.