The Wayland-Weston girls hockey team started off the season strong in a tie game with Dover-Sherborn. The team started with an early lead and remained aggressive the entire game.

“Prove people wrong”  bis the motto that motivated the girls when they were told their season would be suspended in mid-October. With help from Wayland athletic director Justice Smith, Weston athletic director Chris Aufiero, Coach Bill McDonald, and parents, the girls pulled a team of 16 together. The girls team has eight returning players, and the many new additions include 8th graders thanks to a persistent Aufiero.

On Wednesday night, the girls faced off against a tough Dover-Sherborn team. The first goal came three minutes into the first period from new 8th grader Gianna Fargnoli. She and Weston sophomore Cara Lembo scrambled in front of the Dover-Sherborn net to chip it in.

Between the 1st and 2nd periods the girls could feel the pressure rising and the urge to score was eminent. Coach Bill McDonald reviewed plays and got the team pumped by telling them: “Believe in yourselves and each other!”

Early in the second, Dover-Sherborn responded with a goal of their own from junior Liz Keohane. After a tangle in front of the Dover-Sherborn net, the puck squirted loose, and Keohane took the puck up the boards as Wayland-Weston did their best to get it back and stop her.

Halfway through the second period, Lembo satisfied the scoring craving with help from linemates Fargnoli and Weston freshman Patty Atkinson. The team was revved up, but with only a one-goal lead, they had to keep fighting.

The “Warcats” kept bringing the shots and Dover-Sherborn goalie left many juicy rebounds, but with tight defense on Dover-Sherborn’s end, Wayland-Weston had a tough time getting through.

A shot from captain Jess Greenwood was covered up by the glove of Dover-Sherborn goalie Jodi Forward but slipped through, and Atkinson shoved the puck into the net. The referee then blew the whistle for play to stop after Forward stopped the puck for a moment.

As the end of the second period approached, Dover-Sherborn threat Keohane scored again, tying the game at 2-2. The girls went into the locker room with high spirits though, determined to score again and win the game.

Wayland-Weston and Dover-Sherborn battled it out through the third. Both Coach McDonald and Dover-Sherborn coach Sean Garvey called time outs to give the girls rest and instruct their respective teams to a win. Shots kept flying from the Warcats side but nothing could get through. Dover-Sherborn put up a fight challenging Wayland goalie Andrea Defina, but she continued to make save after save.

With no score in the third period, the game ended at 2-2. The locker room was blazing with excitement. Coach McDonald handed the game puck to a smiling Greenwood for her leadership and talent on the ice.

The team’s next games is on Wednesday night against Westford.