The Bishop Brady-Trinity-Londonderry girls’ hockey team had a plan heading into Tuesday night’s Division I semifinal, but even the best-laid plans can be beaten by strong opponents.

The No. 1 Bishop Guertin Cardinals flooded No. 4 Brady’s zone with skaters and outshot Brady 35-4 as the Cardinals picked up an 8-1 win at Everett Arena.

BG captain Jenna Lynch scored five goals to lead the Cardinals (15-2-3), including the opening goal just over four minutes into the game.

BTL freshman Evey Heppler tied the game five minutes later with assists from Finley Hollenberg and Kylie Palmeter, but Haley Gagne scored before the end of the period to make it 2-1 for the Cardinals heading into the second.

BG scored four times in the second period, with Lynch netting twice. Jasmine Shattuck (goal, assist), Jill Scanlon (goal, assist), Grace Menicci (three assists) and Carley Green (two assists) had multiple points for the Cardinals.

Sophomore goalie Kacey Yorston made 27 saves for BTL (14-5-0).

“(Lynch) is a really outstanding player,” Brady head coach Dan Earley said. “When we beat them a couple weeks ago, she wasn’t on the ice. She definitely was the difference.

They played very well. They tired us out, they dumped the puck a lot and kind of ran away for it. They’re a very good team. They’re seeded No. 1 (for a reason).”

Brady hoped to use the same defensive strategy that had allowed BTL to pick up big wins, such as a 4-1 win on the road against BG on Feb. 11 and a 5-2 victory over No. 5 Concord in last week’s quarterfinal.

But while defenders Grace Orr, Meghan Schmidt and Kylie Palmeter were effective in keeping the Cardinals away from their net for a while, BG eventually wore Brady down with its talent and deeper bench, getting inside the slot and surrounding the goal.

While not the ending that Brady wanted, it was a season full of positives. BTL won 14 games, a record in the 13-year history of the cooperative program, and the team was able to jell with a new school, Londonderry, being added to the mix. Londonderry only provided one skater this season, but Earley said there are more in the pipeline for next season.

“I couldn’t be happier with the girls this year,” Earley said. “They worked very hard right until the end. That’s what it’s all about: their dedication, their effort. We won some very tough games because they willed their way through it. Beating Concord was a highlight for sure. We’re only losing one senior; hopefully we’ll build on what we have and come back stronger next year.”

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