With many Malden players on the Malden/Medford girls hockey team playing in their senior year, the team hopes to build on the foundations they have built in previous seasons and improve their performances and results on the ice.
Senior captain Terrell Pesaturo mentioned that “one thing [they] could improve on is [their] passing and shot on goal. [They] need to shoot more in order to score.” Pesaturo also mentioned “something that went well was the way our team flows together when [they] are on the ice.”
The only captain on the team that is from Malden is Pesaturo, who is the goalie on the team. Terrell has been playing hockey ever since she was eleven years old, and stated that she started playing hockey when “the Boston Bruins won their last Stanley cup,” which was on June 15th, 2011. With the team only winning 4 of their games last season, Pesaturo stated that “[her] expectations for the year is to double [their] tally from last year.”
Senior Jessica Crugnale, who plays forward and who is entering her third season with the team, said something they could improve on that they struggled with last season was “[their] back-checking because [they] tend to give up halfway down the ice.” What she felt went well last season though was “[their] teamwork and communication.” She went on to describe how it would “help [them] win more and improve on [their] record from last season.”
With every season comes new goals that members of the team hope to meet, whether they are for the whole team or more personal. Captain Pesaturo commented on what her personal goal would be, saying that she wants to “be happy everyday and to embrace the family that [they] have become.” As more of a team goal, Pesaturo stated that “[her] number one team goal is to make states this year.”
Senior Brianna Swanson, who is a left wing on the team and is beginning her fourth season, said that one of her personal goals is “improving [her] shot and wants to work towards ending [her] high school hockey experience on a positive note,” while Swanson hopes that “as a team, [she would] like to see [them] become a bit more cooperative, both on and off the ice, so that [they] can better work as a unit.
All of the girls seemed to really believe that the teamwork and cooperation of the team was a key role last season, with Senior Brianna Swanson stating that “[she thinks their] teamwork and communication worked well last season”, stating that this was because “it helped [them] win more and improve [their] record from the year before.” Similarly, Senior Jessica Crugnale mentioned that “communication can always be improved upon, as can morale; [they] have a tendency to get stuck on the negatives but hopefully, [they] will be able to work on that in the coming season.”
With the team being split between two different cities, it can impact the relationship of players and possibly even the overall effectiveness of a team. However, the team seems to be playing hard and strong, regardless of what city they are from. Captain Pesaturo stated that “the teams relationship is like a family. [They] all accept each other and respect each other,” and Crugnale commented that “[they] are all very close for the most part considering [they] are with each other everyday.” With the rivalry between Medford and Malden, some of the girls mentioned how not only can the relationships be different on the team, but even comments from other students at school, with Pesaturo stating that “being paired with a huge rival team is hard for the Malden girls when [they] are in school. If [they] wear [their] game gear, which has Medford written all over it, [they] do get ridiculed.”
With the rest of the season in front of them, the girls seem really excited for the new season, with Pesaturo stating that “[she is] looking forward to [her] last games of [her] high school year. [She is] super excited to play each team [they] face and [she is] willing to put in a hundred percent.”
Swanson said that she is looking forward to “having fun because [she] [is] a senior and this is most likely [her] last year playing hockey at a competitive level, so [she] really want[s] to enjoy every moment.”
The Malden Medford girls hockey team consists of players from both Malden and Medford, with the Malden players on the team being Senior Captain Terrell Pesaturo, Senior Brianna Swanson, senior Jessica Crugnale, Junior Bethan Taddeo, Sophomore Alaina Guiliano, and Sophomore Sarah Whitehouse. The captains of the team are Terrell Pesaturo, Brenna Forbes, Caitlin Sheehey, and Abby Vigiotte. The team is again being coached by Rayanne Forbes.
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