Champs again

Matt Metcalf, Sports Editor
Posted 3/19/15

The first two periods of game three of the DeCosta Division finals on Monday night were eerily similar to the opening 30 minutes of game two just two nights prior.

The Warwick Co-op girls’ …

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Champs again

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The first two periods of game three of the DeCosta Division finals on Monday night were eerily similar to the opening 30 minutes of game two just two nights prior.

The Warwick Co-op girls’ hockey team held a substantial advantage in shots – 23-8 – but were still left staring down a one-goal deficit as, once again, Mount goaltender Taylor Dill was standing on her head and the Mounties were making the most of their opportunities.

But fortunately for the Lady Titans, they would have one more comeback left in them before it was all said and done.

At 2:49 of the third period, Kelsey Holmes tied the game, 2-2, picking up the puck after a Mount turnover, cutting to the middle of the ice and beating Dill with a shot to the blocker-side.

Just 1:19 later, Madison Balutowski would net the eventual game-winner, ripping a shot by the glove of Dill for her 31st, and most important, goal of the year.

“I just saw the puck and open ice,” Balutowski said. “(Dill) had me good on blocker side, we kept looking for that all game. I saw a little bit on the glove side and just shot it.”

Despite a late surge from Mount, Warwick goaltender Erin Vermilye stifled the Mounties down the stretch to hang on for a 3-2 win. Mount defenseman Melanie Foster came within inches of tying the game with a shot from the point that rang iron, but Vermilye had an answer for every other offensive chance.

Just like that, the Lady Titans became the first public-school team to win a Division I and Division II girls’ hockey title, also becoming the first to achieve that feat in back-to-back seasons.

“It feels great,” Warwick head coach Dave Tibbetts said. “It’s still just as exciting for our girls. It’s still a big stage and it’s a stepping stone for our program. We’ve never won a Division II championship.”

Holmes was named the Most Valuable Player for the title series, totaling three goals and two assists for five points over the three games.

“It feels amazing, but I couldn’t have done it without my team,” Holmes said of the MVP honor.

When Warwick’s back was against the wall, Tibbetts knew that he could rely on Balutowski and Holmes, as he’s done all season long.

“You’ve got to stick to your big guns when it comes down to it,” Tibbetts said. “(Mount) was trying to keep them off the board as much as they could, but you just can’t for 45 minutes. They’re just too good and work too hard.”

Before Holmes and Balutowski would have a flare for the dramatic, though, things were looking gloom for Warwick. It had the start that it had hoped for, but found itself down, 2-0, less than 20 minutes into the game.

At the 12:51 mark of the opening frame, Meagan Sullivan was assessed an interference penalty and, just 20 seconds later, Foster released a seeing-eye shot from the point that beat Vermilye over the shoulder, allowing Mount to strike first.

Four minutes into the second period, Mount upped its lead to 2-0.

Jordan McComb won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Foster, who quickly slid a pass over to her defensive partner, Kaylee Doucette. Doucette let go a low, hard slap shot that beat Vermilye, who was tardy moving across the crease.

But knowing that it had erased a deficit in game two, Warwick didn’t pack it in. Rather, it began to chip away.

Less than two minutes after Doucette’s tally, Abi Given got the Lady Titans on the board, with assists going to Holmes and Natasha Savage.

Mount held off Warwick for the remainder of the period, but Givens’ goal definitely instilled some confidence into the group.

And with goals from Holmes and Balutowski in the third period, Warwick’s comeback was complete, putting a storybook ending to a tough, gritty series.

“We call them the comeback kids,” Tibbetts said. “We told them after last game that they had to finish the story. We were down a game, then down tonight. We had to finish the story and finish writing it – and that’s what they did. They came out with a lot of heart. They weren’t afraid, just excited, and we played with a lot of excitement.”

After making history in each of the last two seasons, Holmes, a junior, is hungry to continue the winning tradition next season.

“I think we showed that we can do anything and, next year, we’re going to come back and do it again,” Holmes said.

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  • BobSavage

    See highlights of the three Warwick Lady Titan goals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er408ctHbRY

    See video of full game and post-game ceremonies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFBjGX2zPSA

    See Kelsey Holmes receiving MVP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8IHVvwN2f8

    Saturday, March 21, 2015 Report this