HAVERHILL — Midway through the season, it seems the HPNA girls hockey team has developed into a third-period stalwart.
Senior Mia Kmiec scored twice in a three-goal final frame Wednesday night, lifting No. 4 HPNA (10-1-2) to a 3-0 win over No. 15 Billerica/Chelmsford in a signature MVC/DCL Large matchup at Veterans Memorial Skating Rink.
The Lindians (6-3-2) led shots-on-goal 15-8 over the first two periods and generated a handful of Grade-A looks. But HPNA, which edged out a wild, comeback win over No. 14 Malden Catholic in the third period on Monday, flipped the switch in the final frame to sweep the regular season series against Billerica/Chelmsford.
“At the beginning of the season, (we were) definitely not a third-period team,” Kmiec said. “We started picking it up. We’ve had a lot of games where we haven’t scored too much or produced in the first and second, and then we realized we just have to keep up the work. … We went into the locker room after the second and we all kind of (said) we’ve got to keep our heads up and keep our momentum.”
Within a 7-4 advantage in shots over the last 15 minutes, Kmiec scored the game-winning goal with 6:51 left. Charlotte Woodford added insurance less than two minutes later on a rebound, and Kmiec iced the game with just 46 seconds left.
“It’s fun, they’re really starting to believe in each other,” HPNA head coach Gary Kane said of another strong finish in the third period. “It’s fun to see them now kind of grow up into the game. … That was a huge character win last game against Malden Catholic, and you could kind of see them stick to the plan.”
The Lindians started the game in a fury, accruing a 6-0 lead in shots over the first five minutes. They excelled in finding cutters to the middle for Grade-A looks, but HPNA goalie Chris Hinchcliffe (19 saves) was steady between the pipes for her fourth shutout this year.
Her strong performance continued with an eight-save second, denying Billerica/Chelmsford from taking the lead while HPNA was limited on the attack. The outing adds to what’s been a strong year, filling the shoes of former star goalie Julianna Taylor.
“It’s been amazing (to see her step into the role) since the start of the season,” Kane said. “They were swarming. … She’s got really good vision, and she’s really quick.”
“She’s always amazing,” Kmiec added. “You feel safe having her back there. Our defense is amazing, but you also know that you can rely on (Hinchcliffe).”
Of course it was the senior captain who gave HPNA the first and only lead of the game in third period.
Keira Hegarty set her up with a great pass from the corner to Kmiec in front, and she buried the goal.
“It’s really easy when you have a team to lift each other up,” Kmiec said. “I couldn’t have done that without Keira, that pass was awesome.”
Billerica/Chelmsford effectively blocked many shots from the point in the first two periods, taking away a key part of HPNA’s attack. But Savannah Bissonnette got one through to Taylor Bierschied in front, who tipped it off Lindians goalie Gianna Cedrone (12 saves). The rebound sat in the crease, and Woodford finished it off with 5:03 left.
Kmiec’s shot from the right circle sealed a quality showing.
