Local Sports Roundup

Region - The Shrewsbury High girls hockey team has come a long way in a short time.

The Colonials, in just their second year in existence, are 19-1-1 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state Division 1 tournament, where they faced Woburn March 2 in Watertown.

Shrewsbury, the No. 3 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2 win over 19th-seeded Medway High Feb. 27.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Shrewsbury coach Frank Panarelli said. “I’m happy for the girls. They work very hard and it’s nice to see them having such a special season. Before the season I thought we had the potential to be pretty good, with the number of players we had returning, but I can’t say I expected to be 19-1- 1 at this point and be one of the last eight teams still playing.”

The Colonials are led by a high-octane off ense led by Breanna Monroe, Alyssa Ineson, Alanna Maniatis, Kearan Burke, Samantha DiReda and Brianna Corcoran.

Monroe, a sophomore, led the team in goals and scoring during the regular season, with 31 goals, 18 assists and a total of 49 points. Ineson, a senior, is second in scoring, her 48 points coming on 27 goals and 21assists, which is tied for the team lead for assists with Maniatis, an eighth-grader, who has also scored 10 goals to go along with her 21 assists.

Burke, an eighth-grader, has scored 11 goals and assisted on 14 others (25 points), while DiReda, a freshman, has 17 goals and six assists (23 points) and Corcoran, a senior, has five goals and 18 assists (23 points).

Monroe, Ineson and Maniatis skate together on one off ensive line for Panarelli, who is assisted by his son, Nick, while Burke, DiReda and Corcoran skate together as well.

While the Colonials have been busy peppering their opponents’ net, junior Stephanie Folsom has been minding theirs, allowing just 34 goals in 16 games, a goals-against average of 2.12. Folsom, who also started last year, is backed up by reserve goaltender Tiana Army, who is a seventh-grader.

Ineson serves as tri-captain of the Shrewsbury team, along with fellow seniors Monique Arsenault and Julia Martin.

In the Colonials’ 6-2 win over Medway, Burke scored three goals, Ineson two and Monroe one.

In order to bolster the number of players in its program, the Shrewsbury High girls hockey team also has a player from Maynard High and two from Wachusett Regional on the roster.

“That’s pretty common in girls hockey,” Panarelli said. “It’s a way to get a team’s numbers up. Some teams we face draw from four diff erent schools.”

The Colonials, who had 15 players on last year’s roster – when they went 7-8 and also participated in the Division 1 tournament, have 21 players in uniform for games this season.

Because they are a club team, Shrewsbury is self-funded, receiving no financial assistance from the school district. In order to meet team expenses, which are between $20,000 and $25,000 for the season, players and their families contribute about $700 each and the team has hosted a number of fundraising events.