THE PLNR girls’ hockey team beat Winthrop 2-1 on Dec. 27, dealing Winthrop their first regular season loss in two years. (Eric Evans Photo)
After press time: PLNR defeats Marblehead 2-1 (Jan. 10)
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
PEABODY — On Jan. 3, the Peabody-Lynnfield-North Reading co-op girls’ hockey team hammered guest Newburyport, 8-2, at the McVann-O’Keefe Rink in Peabody.
PLNR led 3-1 after the first period and 8-1 after the second. The Clippers scored the game’s first and final goals.
For the Tanners, Mia Lava and Shirley Whitmore both scored twice while single goals were scored by Abby McInerrey, Elena Spack, Catie Kampersal and Yasmine Giacolone.
Tanner goalie Alyse Mutti improved to 5-1 in net.
With the victory, PLNR improved to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the Northeastern Hockey League.
The team’s biggest win came on Dec. 27 as they edged visiting Winthrop, 2-1.
Ava Buckley scored 38 seconds into the game on a rebound from McInerney. Daniella White was also credited with the assist.
Winthrop, the two-time defending NHL champs, tied it in the second on a power-play tally by Tegan Pereira with 10:43 remaining.
However, Kampersal, who is from Lynnfield, became the hero scoring the game-winning goal on a back-hander with 7:30 left in the second assisted by Giacalone.
Mutti made 14 stops as the Tanners out shot the Vikings 19-15.
That win snapped the Vikings 41-game regular season winning streak.
“This was a key league contest for us as Winthrop had not lost a regular season game in two years,” explained Tanners head coach Michelle Roach. “The last two seasons they went 18-0 and our only losses in the league in the last few years have been to Winthrop.”
In another home game on Dec. 27, the Tanners blanked Gloucester 4-0.
PLNR scored twice in the first period, once in the second and once more in the third.
In the first, Kampersal scored assisted by Alexa Pepper and White 2:40 in. With 5:21 left, Lava scored assisted by Whitmore and Leah Buckley.
Lava then made it 3-0 with 12:39 remaining in the second with the assist going to Vanessa Steinmeyer.
The game’s final goal came with 1:28 left on the power play as Buckley scored her first varsity goal assisted by Whitmore and Kampersal.
Peabody out shot the Fishermen, 37-11 as Mutti recorded the shutout. It was her second of the year.
“Our focus was shots on net this game and we were able to deliver,” said Roche.
In a non–league game on Dec. 20, the Tanners were shut out by guest Malden Catholic, 2-0, at McVann-O’Keefe Rink.
The Lancers scored on a power play in the first period and got an empty-net goal with three seconds left in the game.
“Where we fell short was we did not get shots to net,” said Roach, about the non-league defeat. “We did not challenge the goalie enough and that obviously shows on the score sheet.”