RallyNorth.net

Masconomet girls hockey coach Bill Haines' first impression of North Andover's Alison McCarthy was more than a bit comical.

"She showed up the first night of tryouts," remembered the coach. "And my goalie coach (Ed Dooley) kind of rolled his eyes, skated over to her, and said, 'You have your pads on backwards.' We were a bit skeptical of what we were getting."

Masconomet girls hockey coach Bill Haines isn't sure exactly what has tilted his squad in the right direction lately. Perhaps it's been a bit of puck luck. Maybe it's just a matter of drawing some extra inspiration.

When Masconomet skates against Gloucester tomorrow night, they'll take the ice without having tasted victory in almost a month | since a Dec. 19 win over Lynn English. The Chieftains have had some hard luck in that stretch, which hasn't seen a game decided by more than three goals. If they're close but not quite there, what can the squad do to turn the tide in its favor?

Scoring depth can be hard to come by for a hockey team. Whether it's a diversity of talents or the natural hot-and-cold ebb-and-flow of a season, a squad with a multitude of players putting the puck in the back of the net is rare and typically fearsome.

Last year's record: 5-12-2

Coach: Bill Haines (6th year)

Key returnees: Julia Croyle, Sr., Defense; Hannah Koenig, Jr., Center; Lauren Cerretani, Jr., Defense; Brianna Doyle, Soph., Defense; Danielle Hall, Sr., Forward; Meghan Twomey, Soph., Forward;