Time after time Ella Frink lifted her stick in the crease and brought it down with force, using her leverage to hit her mark.
She scored the go-ahead goal in the first quarter, 2-1, and book-ended the game with her seventh to put it away, 15-7.
The No. 8 Pride just edged out the No. 9 Hollis-Brookline Cavaliers by two wins in the regular season to earn the home playoff game.
On home turf, the Pride knew what to do.
Their first encounter earlier this season ended dramatically. MV beat the Cavaliers by the slimmest of margins in a shootout, 13-12, in mid-April.
Frink said a key to her success and the offense’s has been encouragement. Taking a breath during a timeout and resetting mentally together has given them second winds.
She’s confident they can sustain their performance.
Frink’s seven goals got her to 200 career points in style. It was a big moment, and not just because it was the playoffs, but because of how far she’d come from the start of the season.
“My last game against them, I didn’t play as great, but I’m really excited,” she said.
It wasn’t all a cakewalk for MV, though. Hollis-Brookline’s Cece Dufoe’s third-quarter hat-trick brought the Cavs within three, 10-7, but after a timeout, Merrimack Valley recomposed itself.
Pride Head Coach Heather Frink said the growth between the first game against Hollis-Brookline and Tuesday’s playoff was stark.
Coach Frink has worked on diversifying her team’s defensive sets in preparation for the playoffs. It has paid dividends so far.
“You’re playing lots of film, lots of preparation, we did up scouting reports,” Frink said.
The Cavaliers faced an experienced offense that powered its way to last year’s championship, and they couldn’t keep up.
Merrimack Valley junior attacker Lilly Jones shoots around two Hollis-Brookline defenders, searching for another goal in the fourth quarter. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
MV senior attacker Abbey Thompson (R) scored three goals and assisted one in a win over Hollis-Brookline, 15-7, in the D-II first round.
The Pride’s senior attacking threats, Lauren Bailey and Abbey Thompson both completed hat-tricks to kick off the fourth quarter and sink Hollis-Brookline back down 13-7.
Playing at the X, Bailey and junior Lilly Jones combined for six assists and found incisive passes to break Hollis’ press or create on the counter.
Merrimack Valley will have a tougher road than it did to last year’s championship. Next, it will play No. 1 Timberlane (15-1) on Thursday at 4 p.m.
“We’re going to put our best foot forward and I love it. We’re the underdog,” said Coach Frink.