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Valley News – Sisters secure Woodstock’s field hockey championship win over Hartford

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Published: 11/5/2022 10:04:11 PM

Modified: 11/5/2022 10:03:43 PM

BURLINGTON — The Woodstock High field hockey team used a sister act Saturday to capture its first state title in 14 years.

Senior Hannah Gubbins scored off an assist from junior Lily Gubbins three minutes after halftime to push the top-ranked Wasps past neighboring rival Hartford, 1-0, in the VPA Division II championship at the University of Vermont.

“All game, we talked about scoring just like we did in practice,” said Lily Gubbins, who brought the ball up the wing and cut inside sharply enough to get behind Hartford goaltender Paige Vielleux, who plays far off her line. “It’s all a blur, but I knew on instinct that Hannah would be there, and then I saw her tip it in.”

Woodstock (15-1-0) hadn’t reached the finals since 2016 and was winless it its last four appearances at that stage. Second-seeded Hartford, which defeated Woodstock, 2-1, on Oct. 5, lost in the championship round for the second consecutive year and has dropped four title-game clashes since its last victory in one, back in 2009.

Adding spice to the matchup was last winter’s girls ice hockey season, during which Hartford (13-3-1) knocked off the Wasps before losing to them in the state championship at UVM.

“I think it was necessary for us to get a loss under our belt, because it kept us on our toes,” said Lily Gubbins, one of about a half-dozen Woodstock students who play both field and ice hockey. “We kept referring back to (ice) hockey season. Hartford was our only regular-season loss in that sport as well, so it really motivated us.”

Second-year Woodstock coach Leanne Tapley said her team, which was 8-8-0 last fall, focused on shutting down Hartford’s offensive advances on the right side of the field. After watching video, Tapley said she concluded the Hurricanes used that side the vast majority of the time. She designed an angled defense in which Hartford would have to go through multiple foes to get the ball to the field’s center.

“We got to Rutland this week and practiced on their turf and really worked on getting our sticks down,” Tapley said. “The first game with (Hartford) was on grass, and it was a totally different game.”

Tapley said her players didn’t handle Hartford’s aerials well during that matchup, referring to restarts in which a player digs their stick under the ball and heaves it skyward and down the field. This time, the coach said, there were multiple Wasps surrounding whichever Hurricane was preparing for the passes’ descent.

“We just put everything together,” said Tapley, noting that she was part of Woodstock’s 1997 field hockey team that won a state title on the same field. “We struggled in that first game, but the girls really wanted this one.”

Said Lily Gubbins: “I’m just so proud of this team and how hard we worked. To have it pay off, especially during my senior year, is amazing.”

Notes: Lily Gubbins said many of the Wasps and Hurricanes have played together on club lacrosse and ice hockey teams over the years. … Tapley said she banned her players’ use of social media during the four days before the championship because she felt use of it regarding the game was becoming provocative. “It’s very challenging to keep people’s emotions in check,” she said. “I don’t know if they actually did what I said, but we tried to keep things mellow.” … Both sides brought boisterous cheering sections, which occupied opposite ends of the bleachers and the main walkway to either side of the stands. … Woodstock’s state title is its eighth since its 1971 playoff debut. Hartford has also won eight titles in that time. … Hartford’s boys ice hockey and lacrosse teams also lost in 2022 finals at UVM, meaning the school has settled for four runner-up finishes in roughly a year’s time in the same location. The Hurricanes’ girls lacrosse team won the 2022 state title at South Burlington High. … The Wasps returned nine starters this season.

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.





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