Randolph Girls Ice Hockey defeated Cranford, 7-1, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at SportsCare Arena, giving the team a promising start to the season. 

“We were making lots of passes and connecting on the ice,” captain Joelle Yurchuk said. “It was really nice that six different people scored; it shows how everyone is contributing.”  

Randolph took the ice in the first period, determined to win, with junior Jaclyn Mars scoring the first goal for Randolph, assisted by Yurchuk, nine minutes in. 

Shortly after Yurchuk assisted, she put in her own goal, giving Randolph a 2-0 lead.  

Before the end of the first period, Cranford put one in the net, ending it, 2-1. 

“We were able to connect passes, and everyone looked like they’ve been playing together for more than just one day,” senior captain Stephanie Xhumba said. 

The second period started with back-and-forth possession between both teams. Eight minutes in, sophomore Ava Shadwell tapped in the puck, assisted by Yurchuk.  

Randolph was on a roll with goals from juniors Ellen Dell’Aglio and Olivia Olechowski. 

Third period started, and Cranford did not give up, taking shots on Xhumba, who managed to save them all. Randolph was not done with Cranford yet, as freshman Lia Carroll scored her first varsity goal at the 10-minute mark. 

“The girls played really well together and helped each other create more opportunities,” head coach Michael Pizzano said after the game. “Once we got ourselves on the board, we were unable to stop the goals from coming.”  

Randolph takes on Princeton Day School next, on Wednesday Dec. 20, at SportsCare Arena.