For Duxbury women hockey star senior Addy Harrington, there’s doubtless no larger praise.
Most of the state’s juggernauts headed to The Lavatory for the eight-team Tenney Cup during the last weekend of December, and the host Dragons had been locked in a scoreless marathon with an undefeated Notre Dame Academy (H) within the semifinals.
However on an influence play in double extra time, junior Shea Martin gained the faceoff out of a timeout from the left dot, Harrington carried the puck into the center lane, and Harrington wristed within the game-winning objective – executing head coach Dan Najarian’s play name completely – to raise Duxbury to the event’s championship recreation.
Najarian shared a fast look with the participant he’s coached since concerning the third grade, feeling nearly as if the rink went quiet for a second out of mutual respect and admiration. After the sport, he instructed reporters that the four-year varsity participant is “the epitome of Duxbury hockey,” and referred to as her “actually the center and soul of the group.”
To Harrington, nicely, she watched two-time Boston Herald Dream Crew ahead Ayla Abban dominate with Duxbury. Harrington gained a Div. 2 state title as a freshman with famend captain Lily Sparrow, Dream-Teamer McKenna Colella and two-time Dream Crew goalie Anna McGinty. She gained one other as a sophomore with McGinty and Dream Crew ahead Maddie Greenwood. She shared a line with 100-point scorers Zoe Madigan (a two-time All-Scholastic) and Megan Carney. She additionally performed with All-Scholastic defender Sami Norton.
Her respect for all of them is infinite. And phrases like Najarian’s put her legacy in this system proper up there with all of them.
“Coming into Duxbury as a freshman, I noticed these leaders,” Harrington stated. “I noticed the individuals that basically represented Duxbury Excessive College. That’s actually all I wished – to be a junior and senior and take that position. For ‘Nudge’ to say that, it means all the pieces to me.
“I knew a variety of upperclassmen that did tackle that position. And for them to move down that management to me, and for me to be in it, it’s simply one of the best factor that may occur.”
If there have been a posterchild of rising by this system to rise as one of many state’s high gamers during the last couple years, it’s Harrington.
After scoring 10 factors as a freshman with the eventual state-champion Dragons, Harrington – alongside Madigan and Carney on what Najarian referred to as the “pink” line – notched 31 factors as Duxbury repeated. Madigan and Carney then surpassed 100 profession factors as seniors final 12 months, whereas Harrington posted a career-high 38 factors as a junior.
For Duxbury to achieve its perennial objective of successful the state title, Najarian knew Harrington would want to step up with new linemates. The captain has responded accordingly with 32 factors by 16 video games, together with many main clutch performances.
The extra time winner towards Canton? Harrington. A key insurance coverage objective for a 2-0 win over Hingham? Harrington. She additionally had a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Div. 1 risk Malden Catholic, surpassing 100 profession factors. Even in 7-0 win over Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, Harrington dished six assists.
“I believe you’re seeing the kind of participant that she is that this 12 months,” Najarian stated. “Addy was on that line (with Madigan and Carney) and she or he scored an entire bunch of factors on her personal, and now right here she is with a brand new crew, new linemates, and she or he’s nonetheless doing what she’s doing. … As importantly, she’s doing all of the little issues. She’s backchecking, she’s on the penalty kill. She’s taken on a a lot bigger position in kind of all conditions.”
Harrington provides credit score elsewhere, particularly to Najarian, for her success in these huge moments this 12 months. However she takes pleasure in executing them.
“It means all the pieces to me,” she stated. “It’s so thrilling. Simply as a group general, attending to really feel that second in a detailed recreation towards group. Delivering that objective as a senior captain, it will get me so excited and it will get the group so excited.”
For Harrington and fellow senior standouts Alannah Gallagher and Olivia Gleason, it is a little bit of a full-circle 12 months. The three of them, and Lucia Rose, had been on varsity as freshmen. Now, the Dragons have 9 freshmen and 4 sophomores they’re main.
Passing the torch is one thing Harrington takes very significantly.
“Final 12 months’s captains and seniors undoubtedly handed the torch to the seniors now,” Harrington stated. “I look as much as them a lot, and so they handed that torch completely and so they set one of the best examples for me in how one can be a pacesetter. Now my position is displaying the juniors what it’s prefer to be a job mannequin, chief, the captain.”
Harrington’s freshman 12 months went easily largely because of the comfortability she felt enjoying and speaking with a big senior class on the time. Harrington, Gallagher and Gleason have put an emphasis on extending that to the younger group, and Harrington says chemistry to this point has been “superb.”
Najarian can’t emphasize sufficient how necessary Harrington’s management has been.
“You’ve received to comprehend the 9 or 10 freshmen that I’ve within the locker room, Addy is like an icon to them,” he stated. “These women watched her play all these years, and now she’s their captain. She’s their chief.”
Scoring 100 factors wasn’t one thing Harrington thought of a lot as an underclassmen, however felt a jolt to achieve the milestone as Madigan and Carney did earlier than her. They joked along with her proper after the win over Malden Catholic that she ought to’ve reached the feat after they did final 12 months.
“However one of the best factor they stated is, ‘We would like you to move us, we wish you to move us in factors,’” Harrington stated.
Getting into the weekend, Harrington is at 111 profession factors – surpassing each of them. And now, a 12 months after falling within the Div. 2 state quarterfinals, Harrington believes within the crew this 12 months to make it again to TD Backyard for yet another title run.
“We simply wish to come again even stronger (from final 12 months) and present everybody the true group that we’re,” she stated. “Being a senior, I wish to get there so dangerous. We’ll do no matter it takes, give 100% at each observe and recreation.”
Ed Burns Espresso Pot Week 2 Pairings
The dates, occasions and pairings for the second spherical of the annual Ed Burns Espresso Pot Match are official.
Within the Doherty Division, Arlington hosts Tewksbury on Sunday at 5:40 p.m. whereas Hingham hosts Canton on Monday at 6 within the Brinn Division. Woburn hosts Marshfield on Sunday at midday whereas Walpole hosts Winchester on Sunday at 2:20.
Within the comfort of the Brinn Division, Harmony-Carlisle hosts Belmont at Chelmsford Discussion board on Sunday at 3:20 whereas Braintree faces Franklin in Walpole at 4:30. Within the comfort for the Doherty Division, Chelmsford hosts Weymouth at 5:30 on Sunday whereas Milton faces Studying within the early afternoon at Woburn.
