Thunderbirds score three unanswered goals to edge Lady Titans

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 1/31/17

Going into Saturday night's matchup with Warwick Co-op at Thayer Arena, the Cranston/East Greenwich Co-op girls' hockey team hadn't won a game since the 2013-14 season, failing to record a win in each of the last two

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Thunderbirds score three unanswered goals to edge Lady Titans

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Going into Saturday night’s matchup with Warwick Co-op at Thayer Arena, the Cranston/East Greenwich Co-op girls’ hockey team hadn’t won a game since the 2013-14 season, failing to record a win in each of the last two campaigns.

But, that winless streak would come to an end against Warwick, as Nicole Sacco’s power play goal at 6:47 of the third period was the difference in the Thunderbirds’ 3-2 victory.

Both teams came into Saturday looking for their first win of the season, and it appeared as though the Lady Titans were up to the task early on, netting the first two goals of the game.

Then, Cranston got on the board late in the first. From there, it shut down Warwick the rest of the way behind outstanding goaltending from Hannah Slaiby, and the Thunderbirds added one goal each in the second and third periods to find the win column.

“This was our first win in three years,” Cranston head coach P.J. Bessette said. “It feels good. We had some girls sick and hurt out there, and they gave it their all. This was a game that the girls were ready for because [Warwick] is on the same keel as us.”

Warwick carried play for the better part of the first 10 minutes, resulting in two goals from its top line of Nicole Procaccini, Shannon McCamish and Elise Saccoccia.

At 6:14 of the first, Procaccini sent a shot through traffic that was fought off by Slaiby, but McCamish followed the shot and buried the loose puck in the crease to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

Less than four minutes later, Warwick’s top trio was at it again. Procaccini created a turnover and fired a low shot on goal, producing a rebound for Saccoccia on the doorstep to make it 2-0.

Cranston was undeterred, though.

At 11:19 of the first period, a solid breakout sent Abbi Sampson in all alone on a breakaway, and she didn’t waste the opportunity, burying a shot low to the blocker side to cut the Thunderbirds’ deficit in half, 2-1.

After that, Slaiby was a stone wall in net.

McCamish had a chance to answer minutes after Sampson got Cranston on the board, but Slaiby robbed her with a glove save on a breakaway.

In the first minute of the second period, Slaiby was once again unflustered on a chance down the right wing from Procaccini, standing tall in her crease to keep it a one-goal game.

Failing to convert on those opportunities proved to be costly for Warwick. Lady Titans’ junior defenseman Mya Linchitz was called for a penalty at 7:35 of the second, and Cranston would capitalize one minute, 20 seconds into its power play.

Sampson blasted a shot from the point that was blocked in traffic out front. Sacco then fired a shot that was stopped by Mary Greenwell, but Jena Villeneuve found the back of the net on the rebound to knot the score at 2.

“Abbi Sampson and Jena (Villeneuve) took control of the game,” Bessette said of his goal scorers through the first two periods. “They led by example. They go out there and play hard every shift. The rest of the girls followed suit.”

Slaiby once again came up big on a breakaway chance for Procaccini early in the third period to keep the game tied.

Cranston’s special teams then played a significant role down the stretch.

When Warwick’s Karinne Medeiros was sent to the penalty box for tripping, the Thunderbirds’ power play unit created chance after chance.

Ultimately, Sacco finished off a pass from Villeneuve in front for her first high school goal, giving Cranston a 3-2 lead with 8:13 left.

Warwick had two chances on the power play down the stretch, however, Cranston minimized quality chances.

McCamish had a breakaway late, but Slaiby denied her to secure the win.

“Hannah, in net, again made saves late,” Bessette said. “She was stone cold. She was just fantastic.”

Warwick dropped to 0-9 on the season after surrendering two power play goals to Cranston in the loss.

“The penalties we took hurt us,” Warwick head coach Dave Tibbetts said. “[Cranston] played better than us. They deserved to win, they played better overall.”

Warwick will be back in action for two games this weekend. It’ll take on Smithfield/Coventry Co-op at 6 p.m. on Friday at Thayer, before traveling to Cranston Ice Rink for a rematch with the Thunderbirds at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

For Cranston, it will host South County Co-op at Cranston Ice Rink on Friday evening at 8 p.m. prior to the rematch with Warwick on Saturday.

“This was a fun win for the girls because some of these girls have never felt a win,” Bessette said.

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