The girls varsity hockey team lost 4-0 to the Natick Redhawks on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Walter Brown Arena, making the Warriors’ record 1-8.

The starting line up was senior and captain Riley Lackey, sophomores Etta Reed, Suejin Koo, Shayna Chin and Aurora Charbonneau (goalie) and freshman Clara Thibault.

The game started with the Warriors winning the first face-off, but the puck was immediately intercepted by the Redhawks. Charbonneau then blocked multiple shots by the Redhawks in the first few minutes.

Throughout the first period, the puck was shared evenly between the two teams with multiple missed shots and saves from both sides. Neither side was able to score and the period ended with a score of 0-0.

Head coach Nick Sama said the team came into the game with a planned strategy constructed based on the game they lost to the Redhawks this past Wednesday, Jan. 11.

“The Natick team was fresh in our minds,” Sama said. “We talked with all the lines about ways we could attack their defense and play to our strengths. Each group took that to heart and executed the plans.”

The second period started with multiple face-offs and notable scoring attempts from sophomore Izzy Paes and senior Graycen Davis. Charbonneau also made an incredible save by catching the puck in mid-air.

According to Charbonneau, the team did a better job than at their previous game against Natick.

“The shots by Natick were good, but I made them work for it,” Charbonneau said. “I played better today than on Wednesday. The team had a lot more energy, even though we scored less than the last game.”

After Sofia Hauser and Chin were put in the penalty box, the Redhawks switched out their goalie for an extra attacker and scored a goal with five minutes remaining in the period. This was quickly preceded by two more goals from Natick with 40 and 25 seconds left, making the score 3-0.

According to Sama, the team lost a bit of steam during the last few minutes of the second period.

“The wheels kind of came off; we were short handed a lot. It set us back a lot when they had three power play goals. But we did play a strong game from beginning to end,” Sama said.

Thibault was put in the penalty box near the start of the third period and the Redhawks capitalized on the power play by scoring a goal. The Warriors made multiple attempts to score during the last three minutes, including a penalty shot, but the game ended with a 4-0 victory for Natick.

Sama said the team is continuing to work hard and is proud of the visible progress being made.

“Our main focus is being better than we were yesterday. From the start of the season to now, we’ve gotten a lot better as a team and gotten a lot closer,” Sama said. “It’s a long season, so we’re still getting there but the improvement we’ve shown throughout has been pretty great.”