In a fast and physical game, Deerfield took on a strong Andover squad at home on Saturday evening. Both teams seemed to feel each other out in the first period, and while Deerfield had the better chances, we headed to the locker room tied 0-0. The second period was a different story, as we picked up the intensity and began to play Deerfield Hockey. Caroline Skillman ‘19 took a pass from Christina Halloran ‘20 and drove wide, eventually centering a puck that a streaking Mae Emerson ‘19 poked home for our first goal. Then, on a similar play, Mary Edmonds ‘19 centered a beautiful puck to Ellia Chiang ‘21, who fought through her defender to knock the puck in. Finally, with 8 seconds left in the period, Ali Fujiyoshi ‘19 converted on the power play, finishing off good work down low from Edmonds and Halloran. In the third, after a good start to the period, Andover began to take the momentum. They converted on a power play with about seven minutes to go, and then pulled within one a few minutes later. We give Andover a lot of credit for their intensity and urgency down the stretch, and they certainly had us on our heels for most of the last five minutes as they pulled their goalie and played 6 vs 5. However, we were able to preserve the 3-2 lead, and skated away with a much needed win. Liv Mikesell ‘20 was excellent down the stretch in goal, making some huge saves in the final minutes, and earning the hard hat in the process. Our three senior defenders, Fujiyoshi, Erin DeMarco ‘19 and Deirdre Mullowney ‘19 played strong and confidently all game long, while Sara Ito-Bagshaw ‘22 and Kailey Smith ‘22 were composed beyond their years. Next up is Winchendon on the road on Wednesday afternoon. Thank you to the DeMarco family for the wings, pizza, fruit, cookies and drinks after the game.