BURLINGTON – Thunderous “five-in-a-row” chants echoed from the bleachers when the Uxbridge group felt one other historic milestone clinched Saturday evening, showering the top-seeded Spartans discipline hockey crew (23-0) with reward for an ideal season that ended with a 3-0 win over No. 2 Sandwich within the Div. 3 state closing at Burlington Excessive Faculty – their fifth consecutive state championship.
Solely Watertown (from 2009-17) had ever received 5 straight titles in MIAA discipline hockey historical past earlier than them, a feat Uxbridge partly achieved by storming previous the Raiders within the state semifinals.
A fourth state closing look in 5 years had the Blue Knights (19-2-2) charged as much as current the hardest problem the Spartans confronted, too, however objectives from three totally different scorers, and a standout defensive effort, overcame it.
And consequently, senior fifth-year varsity gamers Kendall Gilmore (Maryland commit), Julianna Casucci (New Hampshire), Amelia Blood (Wake Forest) and goalie Julia Okenquist (Holy Cross) exit how they began their highschool careers as eighth-graders.
“It’s superb,” Casucci stated. “With the ability to do it with the identical women every year is essentially the most particular half. I get to exit with 5 straight championships, however what’s much more particular is who I obtained to do it with.”
“It feels so particular to be with these women,” added Blood, this system’s all-time chief in assists. “It’s a tremendous feeling as a result of we’ve been enjoying with one another for thus lengthy..… How laborious we’ve been working simply exhibits on the sector.”
Uxbridge head coach Kelly Rosborough discovered it poetic that amid an intense defensive battle, it was bench participant Mia Ouellette who tallied the primary aim of the sport for the Spartans within the second quarter.
Pictures on course have been troublesome to come back by for each groups, with how briskly and fierce the motion was, however depth delivered a 1-0 lead on the publish halfway by means of the body.
“For one in all our off-the-sideline gamers to come back in tonight and rating a aim, I imply, that claims all of it,” Rosborough stated. “That’s actually thrilling for Mia Ouellette.”
It was additionally seen on the defensive finish as first-year beginning seniors Morgan Charbonnier and Sydney VanderZicht helped preserve photographs off Okenquist regardless of quite a few threatening Blue Knights journeys.
“I simply love that they have been prepared,” Rosborough stated. “And so they simply confirmed that they belonged on the market. … I’m simply actually pleased with them.”
Sandwich continued to problem Uxbridge’s offense into the second half, swarming attackers. The Spartans ultimately added a second aim on an ideal feed from the midfield to Casucci for a 2-0 lead with 4:57 left within the third quarter, and junior Aubrey Bouchard (Bryant) iced the sport with 2:43 to go within the fourth.
“Staying with one another all through the entire recreation simply saved us going,” Blood stated. “It’s not at all times one participant, I simply assume it’s so particular to see all people celebrating for one another.”
With the 3-0 win, Uxbridge received each recreation by a minimum of three objectives. That features win over two groups that received state championships earlier within the day (Walpole, Somerset Berkley), three extra that reached the Closing 4, and 7 that reached the state quarterfinals.
A number of coaches declare this 12 months’s Spartans are the perfect highschool discipline hockey crew they’ve ever seen. Having eight Div. 1 commits partly fuels that, but it surely’s principally pushed by dedication and unity.
Casucci, Blood, Gilmore and Okenquist pioneered all of it.
“They modified the whole lot,” Rosborough stated. “They have been on the sector as eighth-graders, assured. They’d abilities, they’d discipline hockey IQ. And all of that simply grew with yearly. … Their influence simply continued 12 months after 12 months. It’s simply so thrilling for them to get this finale.”
