3/9/2010

For the third year in a row, the La Salle Academy and North Smithfield High School Girls Ice Hockey teams battled for the title in the RIIL's Division State Championship; and for the second year in a row, the Lady Rams took the title. After winning 5-4 on Sunday night, the teams once again played a close and highly entertaining game with La Salle winning 4-3 on a late goal by Senior Alisha DiFilippo.

The championship game was in stark contrast to game 1. In the Lady Rams 5-4 victory on Sunday night, Sophomore Goalie Holly Scott kept them in the game with her 34 saves. Scott faced 38 shots. La Salle only managed 13 shots on the Sentinels goalie, but found the back of the net on 5 of them. Game 2 was an even game with both teams matching on shots on goal. North Smitfield got on the board first with a goal late in the first period. Both teams kept up the pressure, but nobody found the scoring touch until DiFilippo scored less than a minute into the third period. Lauren Abbenante scored thirty seconds later to give the Lady Rams a 2-1 lead, but the Sentinels responded three minutes later and tied it at 2-2. With five minutes to go in the game Senior Lauren Lanoie picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired home the goal that put La Salle up 3-2, but once again North Smithfield was not to be denied. The Senitnels scored with less than three minutes to play and it looked like overtime could be a possibility. That changed when North Smithfield picked up the only penalty of the third period and gave La Salle the opening they needed. DiFilippo scored her second goal of the game with 1:03 remaining and the Scott made sure that North Smithfield would not deny the Lady Rams their second title in as many years.