MALDEN — It officially counts as a tie, but the lift the Natick girls hockey team got from its regular season finale Thursday night certainly felt like a win.
Anchored by the clutch play of junior goalie Sophia Luoni (30 saves) all the way through a flawless shootout, the RedHawks (12-7-3) clawed out a comeback, 2-1 shootout win over Reading to claim the inaugural Malden Catholic Showcase championship.
Caylee Lynch’s goals in the third period and the shootout joined Luoni’s heroics, as Natick won the shootout 2-0 after four rounds.
Paired with a 1-0 win over Malden Catholic in the tournament’s first round, the RedHawks further proved their close-out ability in the clutch with the loaded Div. 1 state tournament looming.
“This is a huge momentum boost,” Luoni said. “Before this (showcase), we hadn’t really beaten a (top) team, and coming into this tournament, we were the lowest-ranked team. It just gives us a huge boost of energy and hope that we can (make a run).”
Reading (13-2-5) had a 1-0 lead heading into the third on Payton Curran’s goal early in the second, but that’s all Luoni allowed. Over five minutes of penalty time for the RedHawks in the third helped the Rockets dial up 13 shots on her, too, after the junior captain faced only 11 in the previous two periods.
“She’s been our backbone all year,” said Natick head coach Bruce Ihloff. “She’s been a difference maker since she was a freshman, but what she’s bringing to practice, she’s really driven this year and ultra-focused. We made her a captain as a junior … she’s the best goalie to ever come through Natick.”
Rylee Middleton (20 saves) was phenomenal for Reading as well, though the RedHawks finally got one past her with 8:25 left as Lynch followed her own rebound for the 1-1 neutralizer.
“We spent a ton of time in practice just driving to the net,” Ihloff said. “We knew it was going to have to be a dirty, hard-working goal. They have a good goalie as well; we weren’t going to snipe her.”
Natick struggled to stay out of the penalty box — including a four-minute double penalty stretched across the second and third periods — but the penalty kill was a perfect 5-for-5.
Neither team’s defense relented through the end of regulation, but both attacks ramped up on the attack in 4-on-4 overtime for a combined 12 shots on net. Luoni (five overtime saves) and Middleton (seven) held their ground.
Reading extended its unbeaten streak in its official record to nine games, though Lynch scored again for the essential game-winning goal in the second round of the shootout.
“She’s been big for us all season,” Luoni said. “She’s one of the top-three goal scorers. Just the energy in that kid and the drive she has really just helped our team win.”
Second-line winger Olivia Desautels doesn’t get much power-play or penalty-kill time, but she was called upon in the third round of shootout with Natick up 1-0. The move she made to deke out Middleton, pulling it from the left around her to the right for an easy finish, was sensational.
“I’ve watched her in practice so many times in the one-on-one stuff,” Ihloff said. “I’m like, ‘I’m going to use her in a shootout at some point.’ … (The goal) was absolutely beautiful.”
Of Reading’s four shots in the shootout, Luoni didn’t allow a single past her. After Desautels’ goal gave the RedHawks a 2-0 lead through three rounds, Sarah Dyment’s bid was saved by Luoni’s stick to cut the shootout short with a win.
“I knew I had it,” Luoni said. “I love shootouts. It’s a big reason why I play the position. A little nervous, but I was confident.”
