The Concord High School girls’ hockey team has had a “one game at a time mentality,” according to head coach Patrick McDonough, rather than focus on chasing records.
But the Crimson Tide’s next game could match one.
With Concord’s 4-2 victory over St. Thomas-Winnacunnet on Wednesday night at Everett Arena, the Tide improves to 9-0, just one win shy of matching 10-0, the most consecutive victories the program has ever had to open a season.
Kaitlyn McKinnon, Alyssa Leppard and co-captain Erin Doherty all netted goals in the first seven minutes after the opening faceoff to give the Tide a quick 3-0 lead.
Concord’s co-captain Nicole Jones, Amy Cohen, Leppard, Marian Armaganian and Greta Norton all assisted in the first period.
Isabella Carey scored with four minutes remaining in the first period to put St. Thomas-Winnacunnet on the board, but Jaelyn Kelleher scored 4:50 into the third period (off assists from Jones and Armaganian) to give the Tide a 4-1 lead.
But Concord goalie Abby Corbett (16 saves) held firm in net, with St. Thomas-Winnacunnet unable to find the net again until Elizabeth Karatzas scored with 46 seconds left to finalize the 4-2 scoreline.
“We came out strong tonight and got a few on the board quick in the first period to give ourselves a comfortable lead,” McDonough said. “We would have liked to get a few more, but they did a good job of clogging up the front of the net so our shots couldn’t get through. But it feels great to remain undefeated.”
Pinkerton 3, Concord 0
Highlights: Pinkerton scored power-play goals in the first and third periods, and added another goal late in the third to secure the 3-0 win, Concord’s first loss of the season, despite the Tide outshooting the Astros 38-14.
Coach’s quote: “Pinkerton played a solid game. Their goalie was really good. We had some good chances but couldn’t finish tonight. We need to play hard every night.” – Concord’s Duncan Walsh
Records: Pinkerton 7-4; Concord 11-1
Concord 66, Bedford 10
Key players: Concord – Ricky Naya (win by pin at 113), Sam Wagner (win by pin at 120), Jordan Reyes (win by pin at 126), Jack Sargent (win by pin at 138), Khan Amiri (win by pin at 145), James Bonnell (win by pin at 152), GJ Gimaranzi (win by pin at 170), Peter Sargent (win by pin at 220), Hunter Jeffers (win by pin at 285), Ghana Darjee (win by forfeit at 106), Dan Rosales (win by forfeit at 182)
Highlights: The Tide won nine of 11 bouts and picked up two others by forfeit to win at the Bulldogs’ home mats. Concord remains undefeated in dual matches.
Girls’ Basketball
Merrimack Valley 34, Manchester West 18
Key players: MV – Aislinn McDonald (7 points, 11 rebounds), Rhiley Boucher (4 points)
Highlights: After a tied game through the first quarter (5-5) and halftime (14-14), the Pride pulled away in the third quarter, taking a 26-18 lead.
Coach’s quote: “We really struggled to do anything offensively tonight. I think our defense is what helped us pull away in the third. We held West to four points in the second half and the girls did a good job putting pressure on them to create turnovers. I’m glad we won, especially this time of year, but if you talk to any girls on this team I’m sure they will tell you they weren’t happy with the way we played overall. If we don’t find a way to get better in some key areas we are going to have a hard time winning down the stretch.” – MV’s Bob McNutt
Records: MV 6-6; West 5-6
Spaulding 47, Bow 32
Key players: Bow – Madison Speckman (12 points)
Highlights: Madison Speckman scored seven of her points in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons didn’t do enough offensively to come back in Tuesday night’s loss.
Coach’s quote: “We started out slow and only scored four points in the first quarter. Bow struggled throughout the evening on both ends of the court.” – Bow assistant Al Douglas
Records: Spaulding 9-0; Bow 5-5
Boys’ Basketball
Pembroke 73, Plymouth 50
Key players: Pembroke – Mike Pitman (23 points, 2 steals), Shea Shackford (21 points, 6 rebounds, 7 steals), Preston Wallis (12 points), Shondell Hadley (8 points, 4 rebounds), Alex Francoeur (defense), Cove Boucher (defense), Cooper Gilman (defense), Jack Harkness (defense)
Highlights: The Spartans jumped out to an early 24-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 47-23 at halftime for a decisive win Tuesday night.
Coach’s quote: “We have a very difficult schedule the rest of the way. It is crucial to our success that we continue to trust each offensively and defensively, and come to practice willing to work and improve each and everyday.” – Pembroke’s Rich Otis
Records: Pembroke 4-4; Plymouth 0-7