Balanced scoring attack helps Lady Titans past Sentinels

By Ryan D. Murray
Posted 12/8/15

The Warwick Co-op Lady Titans skated past the Smithfield/North Smithfield/Coventry girls’ Co-op Sentinels, 5-2, on Friday evening at Smithfield Municipal Rink to earn their first win of the young …

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Balanced scoring attack helps Lady Titans past Sentinels

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The Warwick Co-op Lady Titans skated past the Smithfield/North Smithfield/Coventry girls’ Co-op Sentinels, 5-2, on Friday evening at Smithfield Municipal Rink to earn their first win of the young season.

Despite the loss, Smithfield freshman goaltender Mia Gardner was unbelievable in net, turning away 45 of the 50 shots that came her way. Smithfield would tally only 16 shots all night.

Warwick head coach David Tibbetts thought his team started the season on the right foot.

“We have a lot of room for improvement, but overall we played well,” Tibbetts said. “All the lines contributed on the scoreboard and our defense played well.”

Warwick sophomore goaltender Mary Greenwell notched her first career win.

“It was really exciting,” Greenwell said. “I know I couldn’t have done it without the other girls on my team being there for me.”

Warwick opened up the game with three miscues on net before finally scoring 3:55 into the game, when senior forward Madison Balutowski scored on a slap shot top shelf to put Warwick up 1-0. Within seconds, Warwick extended its lead to 2-0, when senior captain Kelsey Holmes, out of a faceoff in the Smithfield zone, roofed it with a wrister from in front of the net to put Warwick up 2-0.

“We worked really hard in practice and it paid off,” Holmes said.

After a couple saves from Gardner and a couple shots that just missed the net, Warwick’s Victoria LaFazia scored on a pass from Holmes to put the Titans up 3-0 with 10:15 gone in the first period.

Warwick goalie Greenwell didn’t face many shots early, but when she did, she stopped them.

Minutes later, Balutowski skated into the Smithfield zone on a breakaway before getting stoned by Gardner. A penalty occurred on a Smithfield defender for checking Balutowski from behind after she had shot. On the power play, Holmes fired two shots on net before the end of the first period but couldn’t light the lamp. Warwick led 3-0 after one period.

Gardner started the second period stopping three straight shots in traffic. Next, she blocked shots from Holmes and Makenzie Driscoll. On the ensuing Warwick attack, Gardner stoned shots from Holmes and forward Nicole Procaccini. Nevertheless, Warwick would put the biscuit in the basket when sophomore forward Hanna Given came through 7:47 into the second period to give Warwick a 4-0 advantage.

Soon after, Greenwell stopped a shot from Smithfield senior Shannon Reilly. Then, Balutowski came down and shot wide on one end, before Smithfield forward Sam McCarthy took it down into the Warwick zone before having her shot snubbed by Greenwell with 2:15 left in the second period. Balutowski had another chance on a breakaway, but that shot too was swallowed up by Gardner.

Smithfield got on the board before the end of the second period when McCarthy got one passed Greenwell. After two periods, Warwick led 4-1.

Warwick would increase its lead to 5-1, when 6:20 into the third period Balutowski scored.

With 3:20 left in the game Smithfield’s Erin Drumm took an assist from McCarthy and shot a laser to pull Smithfield to 5-2.

The squad followed up its strong road performance on Friday with an 8-0 shutout of the Cranston/East Greenwich Co-op team at Thayer Arena on Saturday night.

The Lady Titans will have a tough test ahead of them on Wednesday night when they travel to the Bradford R. Boss Ice Arena for a 6 p.m. matchup with La Salle.  

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