HINGHAM -- An inter-divisional, non-league girls hockey matchup between South Shore rivals resulted in both sides coming away somewhat satisfied on Wednesday night at Pilgrim Ice Arena.
Division 1 Hingham posted a 3-0 victory over Div. 2 Norwell, with junior goaltender Leah White notching the shutout despite some solid Clipper chances, while three different Harborwomen found the net, one in each period, on Senior Night.
Hingham outshot its guests 31-15 for the game, and the Clippers, who only dressed 17 players for the tilt, looked a bit weary at the finish but still kept going full speed.
"Our best players really started to come through for us tonight," said Hingham coach Tom Findley. "Norwell had some really good breakaways early, and our goalie Leah White came up big. Tonight was like our season in whole: we depend on Leah and our four defensemen, and just hope we can tap in a goal here and there.
"Norwell is well-coached -- of course, Frank Messina was an assistant here last year -- and that Norwell goalie (Chloe Hohmann) played a sensational game. But we skated three lines and more, to their just two lines, and that might've made a difference."
Norwell's team has been battling the flu bug as much as their on-ice opponents lately.
"Tonight we did have a couple of girls out sick," admitted Clippers coach Frank Messina. "The flu bug has been running through the whole team, and it takes girls out for a week at a time. We had some good chances tonight, but Leah White is a really good goalie. And our goalie absolutely had a big, big game for us.
"We mainly look at this game as a barometer for the state tournament, what we're going to be facing down the road. We have already qualified, and we need more experience in these type games, so it was good to see our girls compete in this kind of intense environment. They held their own, and I'm pleased with that."
Hingham (8-7-3) got a goal from Coco Hernberg just 91 seconds into the game, as she knocked in the second rebound of a teammate's shot.
In the second period, Norwell (10-5) took a penalty at 8:17, and just exactly as the power play expired, at 10:17, Hingham made it 2-0. Defenseman Lizzie Jacobson streaked down the left side and, below the faceoff circle, scored from what looked like an impossible angle.
Hingham dominated the final period, outshooting Norwell 11-2. At 8:47 of the third period, Harbormen senior defenseman Quinn Maguire was parked at the left point when the puck emerged out of a scramble in the slot and presented her with a wide-open shot. Maguire's blast hit the far side of the net for the 3-0 final tally.
"We play Barnstable, again, at The Bog on Saturday," said Norwell's Messina. "We have played some really good teams, and we're relying on eight sophomores who've played a lot of hockey and are getting some great experience. We're still a work in progress, but I think we're really coming along."
Hingham played three lines and three extra forwards, and Findley relished the chance to get lots of kids some ice time.
"It was Senior Night for us, so we played all the seniors a lot tonight," Findley noted. "I think our kids played well, and overall, we're on an upswing. It is funny that our leading scorer is a defenseman -- Lizzy Jacobson -- but as we saw tonight she is a talented player. Our second-leading scorer is Julia Salvucci, another defenseman, so they've been big contributors."
"We've won some games we shouldn't have won, and lost some games we should've won," Findley said of his team's record. "But they're all on the same page, and we have a very good nucleus.
"I thought Julia Forbes had a very good game tonight. And Maeve Lee, just getting back from a concussion, came back strong and had a couple very good scoring chances. So, we're getting people back, and we have good depth. We end our year with two tough games, Andover and Reading, but we feel like we can make the tournament and continue to improve."