KINGSTON – The Tenney Cup is consistently a strong early-season girls hockey tournament displaying many of the top contenders across Division 1 and 2. The opening matchup between Milton and Bishop Feehan was a terrific example.

Led by two goals from freshman winger Mia Cataruzolo, Milton was able to squeeze past the Shamrocks, 4-3, to advance to the winner’s bracket of the three-day tournament.

This was a rematch of a second-round matchup from last year’s tournament, with the Shamrocks, 4-3. Milton head coach Matt Lodi said Saturday’s result was a great indication about his team’s depth and ability early in the 2025-26 season.

“Coming into this tournament, one of our goals was come down here and make the most of it,” Lodi said. “They knew that as soon as they stepped foot in this arena this morning the goal was to come away with a victory. I credit them for fighting for 45 minutes against a top-tier team and do what we needed to do for long enough to get the win.”

The scoring started almost immediately as Shamrocks standout Georgia Murray found a loose puck along the boards and rifled a shot past Wildcats goaltender Caera Hart just 45 seconds into the matchup. This was the start of a strong offensive push from Bishop Feehan, but Hart settled in and neutralized any further scoring chances in the opening frame.

“It was just about staying calm and not panicking,” Hart said.

Midway through the period, the Wildcats drew a penalty and quickly got to work, setting up a strong power play before captain Sabrina Stone found space and beat Shamrocks goaltender Aviva Olitzky to even the score.

That would be the extent of the scoring in the opening frame but Milton continued to play well in the second. The first strike of the middle frame came from Cataruzolo, who sprung loose in the slot, and an insurance goal from Nayeli Thayer after a backhand feed from Stone led the Wildcats into the intermission with a 3-1 lead.

Facing a two-goal defict, the Shamrocks were not going to go down without a fight. After drawing a quick penalty, Murray evaded the Wildcat defenders, got the puck on her backhand and fired it into the top corner to cut the deficit to two. Moments later, however, Milton drew a penalty and Cataruzolo made the Shamrocks pay with her second goal of the afternoon.

After some back-and-forth play, the Shamrocks pulled within one again when Mia Zammielo won a faceoff back to Kaelyn Quinn, who beat Hart on the glove side. However, a relentless charge from the Shamrocks in the final minutes of the period came up empty as Hart showcased poise in the crease.

“I think we are all very together,” Hart said of her team. “We are a tight knit group and we focus on communication, which helps us in ever aspect of the game.”

Milton advances to face Hingham with a spot in the tournament championship on the line while the Shamrocks will face Malden Catholic in the consolation round.

“Everybody in that locker room, the 24 of them, they know what they want to accomplish but they also know that every step is a journey,” Lodi said. “So this was chapter four of a 22-chapter season and we’re looking to write a new chapter every time and let them write their own story at the end of the day.”