WEST SPRINGFIELD — Brigitte Goeler-Slough’s hat trick and assist was not enough for the Longmeadow girls ice hockey team to advance past the preliminary round of the state Division 1 tournament.
The 16th-seeded Lancers fell to Haverhill-Pentucket-North Andover (HPNA), 5-4, Tuesday at the Olympia Ice Center.
Goeler-Slough, a Northampton High School junior, scored her first goal to tie the game, 1-1, in the closing minutes of the first period. She grabbed the puck just above the blue line, skating from right to left past her defender, and deked past the goalie to slot the puck in the open net.
“That was a big part for me to get myself into the game. I got a little bit nervous before the game,” Goeler-Slough said.
In the first two minutes of the second period, she slotted her second goal, giving the Lancers their first and only lead of the night, 2-1. Goeler-Slough credited the burst of offense to her defense.
“I think a big part of our breakout is our defense moving the puck quickly up to our wingers and finding the open man,” She said. “My line mates are great at getting me the puck when I’m open.”
After surrendering three unanswered goals, Taylor Markstein answered to pull Longmeadow with 4-3. Goeler-Slough was credited with the assist, as she slotted the puck from the back of HPNA’s net to an open Markstein for a one-timer. The momentum shifted in Longmeadow’s favor heading into the last period.
“We all knew that we could still come back and win it. We tried to hype ourselves up because we have come back before,” Goeler-Slough said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this way today.”
The Lancers were held to limited shot opportunities, and HPNA capitalized on a breakaway opportunity to take a 5-3 lead with just three minutes remaining.
Longmeadow (10-6) pulled its goalie and scored its fourth goal as a result.
Madison Fox’s slap shot was deflected into the goal by Goeler-Slough for her third goal of the game. With 22 seconds left, HPNA cleared the puck off the faceoff to seal the victory.
Goeler-Slough finished the season with a team-high 23 goals.
“I have a sense of calm when she has the puck,” Lancer head coach Melissa Vandermyn said. “She’s gonna pass, I know it’s gonna be at somebody’s feet. She’s gonna make a move, she’s gonna skate past somebody. It’s an incredible feeling as a coach.”
Among the seniors graduating is Emma Wesoloski, a Frontier Regional student. After taking a three-year break from ice hockey, she came back and was an invaluable defender.
“You could see from the beginning of the season, a little rusty. As soon as she kicked it off halfway through the season, she was right back in it,” Vandermyn said. “She is competitive, and she showed it because she competed against herself to get better throughout the season. She was a great asset to us tonight.”