Barnstable’s Sollows Blanks Arlington Catholic in ‘Huge Win’ in Hyannis

HYANNIS — To be considered the best, a team must beat the “best.”

Barnstable High School’s still unbeaten girls ice hockey team, now 6-0-2, rode the superlative goaltending of freshman Olivia Sollows and a solid team defensive effort Saturday afternoon en route to a 1-0 shutout of visiting Arlington Catholic, ranked number one in the state through this weekend in most polls. It was Sollows’ fourth shutout this season thus far. All totaled,

Barnstable High School freshman defenseman Shannon Roycroft knocks the puck away in from Arlington Catholic’s Mickey McLaughlin in a furiously contested third period. Barnstable defeated the state’s top-ranked team, 1-0.
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Sollows made 25 saves. Deadlocked at 0-0 through the first period and most of the second period with the fast-skating, adept stick-handling Arlington Catholic squad, Barnstable got on the scoreboard at the 7:10 mark of the second period thanks to Callie Rogorzenski.

Rogorzenski took a Lindsey Phelan pass in front of the net and stuffed in her own rebound and made it the only Red Raider shot that goalie Katherine Crane could not save on the entire day.

To her credit, Crane made 19 saves. Her Arlington Catholic teammates outshot the hosts, 25-20. The win was a cumulative, solid, defensive effort, Barnstable head coach Peter Nugnes said.

“They were number one in the state,” Nugnes said. “That’s the biggest win of the year. That team right there went to the finals last year against Duxbury and they were in the finals the year before and they were ranked number one in the pre-season. That was a big win for our girls. They played their butts off.”

Barnstable will face another top-ranked team on Monday when Medway/Ashland comes to Hyannis for a 1:00 pm tilt. Nugnes credited freshman defenseman Shannon Roycroft and junior defenseman Margaret Ready with turning in a pair of solid performances that helped spell the difference as Arlington Catholic repeatedly tested Sollows in net.

“Roycroft played every other shift and she’s a freshman. “She had the game of her life,” Nugnes said. “She’s been playing but we played her a lot today because of how good she’s been doing in practice. She really answered the call.”

Barnstable High School freshman goalie Olivia Sollows registered her fourth shutout in eight games for the Red Raiders versus the state’s toughest team, Arlington Catholic Saturday afternoon.
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Considering both teams committed a combined total of 12 penalties in this rough-and-tumble affair, it was to Barnstable’s credit it killed off each of its six infractions with near perfection, including a slashing call at 10:11 of the first period on Rogorzenski. It was during that Arlington Catholic power play that Sollows may have made her best save of the game as she put the glove on it, fully outstretched, on a point-blank screamer that looked for certain like it was headed to the back of the net.

Arlington Catholic center Adriena Rossini took an unlikely roughing penalty with just 0:008 remaining on the first period game clock, giving Barnstable a power play advantage right from the outset of the second period. But just as the host Red Raiders did throughout the game, the guests were equally adept at killing the penalty.

Rogorzenski, Phelan and Olivia Pearsall all took turns firing one-on-on blasts at Catholic goalie Crane, but the netminder turned them away unfailingly throughout until Rogorzenski stuffed it in, as noted above, at the 7:01 mark of the second frame.

With Barnstable ahead 1-0 heading into the third period, the level of play turned up a notch as both teams had a revolving door in the penalty box. Battling and attacking each other for control of the puck, the Red Raiders did not relent and the last three minutes of the game bore witness to some of the hardest-hitting ice hockey at the girls’ varsity level seen to date this season.

Nearly out of options and trying to knot things up, Arlington Catholic called a time out with 1:47 left in the third period. Its decision? To pull Crane from goal and leave the net empty. The strategy did not work as Sollows kept the visitors at bay.

“I’m really proud of my goaltender again,” Nugnes said. “Another shutout. That’s four for her on the season. She’s a leader. She was a leader on this team when she was an 8th grader. She’s a different animal.”

— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm.

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