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Mid Fairfield Stars hockey coach Moe Tarrant said before the Tier I national tournament that he believed defense is the key to winning championships. His statement proved prophetic Sunday as the Stars stopped high-scoring Assabet Valley of Massachusetts, 3-2, in a shootout, to win the tournament in Rochester, Mich.
Catherine Crawley scored all three goals for the Stars, and Darien's Sasha Fritts had an assist. Norwalk's Nicole Lue and Annie Defrino and Fairfield's Taegan Blackwell are also members of the Stars. Tarrant is a resident of Norwalk and also coaches at Greenwich Academy. Assistant coach Ryan Equale is a former Wilton High and UConn star who now lives in Fairfield.
"It's unbelievable,'' said Lue, a freshman at Brien McMahon High School. "I never thought we'd make it this far. It's just crazy."
Assabet Valley had six players in the Top 10 of the tournament's scoring leaders. The Massachusetts team had also defeated the Stars, 3-2, in a shootout during pool play in the tournament. The Stars allowed Assabet Valley just 17 shots on goal. "Defense was important,'' said Blackwell, an eighth-grader at Fairfield Woods Middle School. "We just had to stay focused mentally and play our game. We couldn't let them intimidate us."
Lue agreed. "After playing them before, we know what they liked to do,'' she said. "We concentrated on getting the puck out of the zone and not letting them use their speed."
Assabet Valley took a 1-0 lead after the first period. Crawley scored with 13:42 left in the second period to tie it, and it was still 1-1 entering the third period. After Assabet Valley went ahead with 11:31 left, Crawley tied it 52 seconds later with assists from Sara McNamara and Katherine Savage.
The Stars managed just 10 shots on goal. Goalie Emma Farrel made 15 saves.
The Stars finished the season 48-6. They went 5-1 in the tournament, outscoring opponents 25-13. The Stars had one shutout and allowed three goals or fewer in five of the six games.
The team flew home from Michigan on Sunday, and the girls will return to school this week. They will carry with them the title of national champions. "I don't think my classmates are going to believe it,'' Blackwell said.
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