BURLINGTON – Head coach Rick Sheehan’s mind Wednesday night was mostly on the Burlington girls hockey team buying into the idea it can play with a serious Div. 1 contender.

Getting revenge on the only team that’s beaten his Red Devils this year will certainly do just that.

Behind a 20-save shutout from star goalie Isa Fischer and Shea McDonald’s game-winning goal in the second period, No. 17 Burlington (8-1) flipped the score of its first matchup against No. 5 Malden Catholic (7-2-1) with a signature 2-0 win in nonleague play.

Defense in front of Fischer through three penalty kills played a major role, and Caitlyn Tremblay sweetened the victory with an empty-netter in the final minute.

Sheehan says his team wasn’t necessarily energized over the chance to avenge its only loss, and more so just wanted to prove itself.

Mission accomplished.

“It was a good win,” he said. “I just told them, ‘You’ve got to play to yourselves, you guys can play with these guys.’ I wanted them to believe in themselves because they can play. … (This) kind of builds the confidence, it makes you battle tested.”

The opening six minutes looked like the cards were stacked against the Red Devils as they headed to the penalty box twice. But by allowing just one shot on net over those four minutes of a disadvantage, Burlington set the tone early for a defensive showdown.

Fischer and Malden Catholic’s Megan Mullarky (15 saves) didn’t see much in the opening frame, combining for just six saves. Both groups heated up in the second to combine for 19 shots on goal, but Fischer was unfazed to preserve the shutout – including a tough glove save on a shot from the left circle, and stoning a breakaway bid.

Much of the rest of her saves came on shots outside of the dangerous areas, but she still was a major catalyst in keeping Burlington in range to take the first lead.

“It does help when you’ve got someone behind you, she does make a difference,” Sheehan said. “She made some good saves tonight.”

Mullarky was solid opposite her, and it wasn’t until a power play in the final three minutes of the second period that a goal came. The Red Devils’ initial shot from the point was knocked down with a Lancers block, but McDonald dug out the puck from the dirty area to strike top shelf for a 1-0 lead.

“(Mullarky) is good, if you let her see the puck she’s going to make the save,” Sheehan said. “So we needed some dirty goals. … (McDonald) was where she needed to be.”

Malden Catholic did an otherwise good job on special teams by killing two of three penalties in the second. The Red Devils only got five shots on goal in the third as the Lancers gave a strong effort toward a comeback.

But even with seven shots in the third, Malden Catholic couldn’t net the neutralizer despite some really good looks. Fischer prevented rebounds and Burlington’s blue line effectively limited activity in front until Tremblay scored the empty-net goal with under a minute left.

Anna Viglione and seventh-grader Chloe Rabazzi were two players Sheehan was impressed with alongside McDonald and Tremblay.

“We’re aggressive, we play aggressive because they can skate,” Sheehan said. “We work on the defensive zone all the time. … We work on tying up, we work on getting the puck into the corners.”