WOBURN — Its backs are against the wall, but the two-time defending champion Belmont girls hockey team isn’t yet done defending its Middlesex League Liberty crown.

A complete effort powered the No. 20 Marauders (10-4-3) to a much-needed 3-1 win over No. 17 Woburn on Saturday afternoon, snapping the league-leading Tanners’ (12-4) seven-game win streak while pulling within two points of them for the division lead with two league games left for each.

As of right now, Woburn’s only two losses in league play are to Belmont.

“It was rewarding for the girls and just a great win,” Marauders head coach Brendan Kelleher said. “One of our goals is a league championship and we probably need some help from some other teams if that’s going to happen again this year. But the competition – every team is in it every game and there’s no nights off. Today was a very fulfilling and complete day.”

Belmont’s Mackenzie Tierney, left, and teammate Elise Lakin-Schultz celebrate after scoring a goal against Woburn during the first period of a hockey game Saturday, February 7, 2026, in Woburn, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

Senior captain Mackenzie Clarke scored twice for the Marauders, both proving vital at different stages.

As juniors Martha Dimas and Elsie Lakin-Schultz anchored a standout defensive effort that held Woburn to two shots on goal in the first period, Belmont established an early advantage. Dimas drew attention in front on a power play, allowing Mackenzie Tierney’s shot from the point to score for a 1-0 lead.

Toward the end of the first, Clarke escaped a congested faceoff at the right circle for an open lane to the net. She danced with the puck a bit before committing to the backhand – lifting it past Cadence Pearce (24 saves) to extend the lead to 2-0.

Those goals, a strong forecheck paced by Mia Smith, and a 12-2 shots advantage put Belmont in a strong position.

“That was really important,” Dimas said of the first period. “That set the tone for the way we were going to play the game. We need intensity from the beginning.”

Woburn answered in the second and third periods, outshooting Belmont 22-15.

Marauders goalie Elinor Dorn (23 saves) and the defense were up for the challenge, though, especially in another shutout second period.

“We knew it was going to be a battle the second we got here,” Kelleher said. “All four D today played very solid. Transitioning the puck, moving it up – they bring so much to us back there. … It was going to take a complete effort from (Dorn) all the way out.”

Belmont’s Thea Monovich, left, slides the puck through the legs of Woburn’s Aislin Grammar, right, during the first period of a hockey game Saturday, February 7, 2026, in Woburn, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)

Savannah Powers, Juliana Ferragamo and Nora Kennedy paced the Tanners attack as it kept ramping up pressure, bringing a fury in the third period that nearly pulled off a comeback. Belmont generated five shots over the first few minutes of the frame, but the last 12 minutes saw Woburn tilt the ice for a 13-3 shots advantage.

Still, Dorn didn’t allow a goal until the last three minutes of the game.

“She did a great job,” Kelleher said. “She’s come up big in a lot of games for us this year. She really had some great saves down the stretch. She’s very cool, calm, collected … and she does what she does.”

Woburn finally got on the board with 2:16 left, as a shot from the outside deflected off of Dorn and sat in the crease for Avery Tapp to bury. The Tanners pulled Pearce for an extra skater after she made two great saves to keep it 2-1, but Clarke potted an empty-netter with 32 seconds left to seal it.

Despite all that pressure, Belmont’s defense only allowed one goal in a signature showing.

“Communication was a big part,” Dimas said. “In the second period, they got a lot of chances. We went into the locker room and said, ‘Alright, we’ve got to fix that.’ So we just started communicating more, and we were really stepping up, making sure each of us were doing our own job. But unified.”