Published on Boston.com – March 3, 2011
By Sarah Moomaw, Globe correspondent
Powered by senior captain Amanda Abromson’s hat trick, the Braintree High Wamps beat the Marblehead/Swampscott Magicians, 5-2, in the preliminary round of the girls’ Division 1 state hockey tournament Wednesday night.
Braintree (13-4-4) will play against 4th-seeded Medway/Ashland (16-3-1) on Sunday at 7:10 p.m. at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough.
On their home ice Wednesday, the 13th-seeded Wamps came out in their new pink uniforms that are aimed at raising awareness of cancer, which has affected the families of two team members.
The 20th-seeded Magicians took the lead in the first minute of play on a goal by Rachel Ulian before Braintree tied the score.
Entering the second period tied 1-1, Abromson went on the attack, with goals at 1:04 and 6:16, followed by an unassisted goal at 8:18.
“She’s a machine. She really put the whole team on her shoulders that period,” said Wamps head coach Kevin Burchill.
Junior forward Tori Machado ended the explosive second period with a goal at 10:07, upping Braintree’s lead to 5-1.
Marblehead/Swampscott came out strong to begin the third period with an early goal by Eliza Quigley, but could get no closer.
“If you eliminate the second period, it’s a different story,” said Marblehead/Swamspscott head coach Emily Hudak. “You just wish you could play three complete periods, as opposed to just playing two.”
Marblehead/Swampscott finished the season 11-8-2.