ADDISON COUNTY — In local field hockey action late last week, Otter Valley and Middlebury won road games to nail down high seeds. Mount Abraham was idle due to the South Burlington teachers’ strike.
The Vermont Principals’ Association was set to make playoff pairings official on Monday. According to unofficial standings at the VPA website all three local teams will be hosting games this week.
OTTERS
On Thursday, the Otters knocked off host Hartford, 2-1, on goals by Allison Lowell in the first half and Laura Roberts in the second half, both assisted by Maia Edmunds. Roberts’ score made it 2-0, and OV survived a Hartford rally as goalie Myliah McDonough made six saves. Hartford’s Rachel Loseby stopped three shots.
The Otters’ Saturday game was called off as rain made the Raiders’ field unplayable. OV finished at 11-2, with a 7-0 mark in the Marble Valley League to earn the MVL crown. OV almost certainly earned the No. 2 seed in D-II behind Rice (13-1) and ahead of U-32 (12-2). The Otters will host a quarterfinal this weekend, probably vs. either Mount Abe or Springfield.
TIGERS
The Tigers’ Thursday game vs. Champlain Valley could not be played due to rain and was canceled when CVU could not reschedule.
The Tigers did reschedule their Oct. 14 game at South Burlington, which had been called off due to the SBHS teachers’ strike. On Saturday, the Tigers blanked SBHS, 3-0, to finish at 7-4-2 and apparently edge the 8-5 Rebels for the No. 4 seed in D-I. The result sets up a quarterfinal rematch between the teams, who split two regular season contests. Essex (12-0-1) is the top seed.
Against the Rebels, Sarah Kelly scored twice, Lauren Bartlett scored once, and Tiger goalie Baily Ryan made nine saves, two fewer than Rebel goalie Liz Sargent.
EAGLES
Mount Abe finished the regular season at 6-7, probably good for the No. 7 seed in D-II. The defending D-II champion Eagles will apparently open with on Tuesday or Wednesday with a first-round game at home vs. No. 10 Springfield, and a win could mean a date at OV.