Junior Bethan Taddeo tries to break the puck out of the zone. Photo by Sophomore David Cartledge.
This season ended up being a huge step up for the Medford/Malden girls hockey team. The team ended the season with an overall record of 8-11-1, doubling their total wins from last year. Although the team fell short of qualifying for the State Tournament, it was still a huge improvement from last season.
The success that the team had this season was a result of many factors, some of which being “[them showing their] perseverance to come back from a goal and to keep fighting during a game,” and that “the offense was becoming strong and they would score more goals later in the season,” as described by senior captain Terrell Pesaturo.
Although the season went well for the team, there were a few weaknesses that held the team back. One of those weaknesses, as described by Pesaturo, was that “[they were] letting in goals too early in the game and having to later fight to gain them back.”
With the season coming to an end, they will need to look to the future and prepare for the seasons to come. This year, there were six seniors on the 18 player team, which could lead to complications next season. Pesaturo mentioned how “[she is] worried that the team won’t be the same in the locker room but [she is] sure they will prevail.”
One of the players that will be leaving the team is goalie Terrell Pesaturo, which can always be difficult for teams. However, Peasturo mentioned how there are two up and coming freshman that are likely to take the place on the varsity team, saying that they “definitely will be getting the varsity high school experience.”
With the season coming to an end, the team has met goals and also missed a few that they hoped they could have reached. Pesaturo mentioned how “doubling [their] wins was one of [her] personal goals,” and went on to say that “[she] thinks the goal of making states and trying to make this the best season is the reason for [their] outcome!”
Overall, the team saw a lot of success this season, showing strengths that they were able to capitalize on and win. Pesaturo mentioned how the team would like to dedicate the season to a rink member who unfortunately passed away due to his fight with ALS. Pesaturo said that “[she] thinks having players want to play and dedicating [their] season to one of the rink staff, John Welch, who had passed away this year because of ALS was a huge push.”
