Shute, Hunter propel East to victory over West

BRUNSWICK – Saturday’s 12th annual McNally Senior All-Star Field Hockey Game was supposed to be an exhibition between the best high school players in the state. No one said anything about Division I players.

But after the East team’s goaltender failed to show up, 2003 Skowhegan High graduate and current University of New Hampshire player Margaux Shute filled in, giving the West stars all they could handle.

Shute made eight saves and Lindsey Hunter of Mount View of Thorndike tallied the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win for the East all-stars at Bowdoin College’s Howard E. Ryan Athletic Field.

“We had other players we could have used [in goal],” East coach Margaret Veazie of Dexter said truthfully. “But this worked out pretty well for us. [Shute] was fantastic.”

Despite Shute’s standout play, the West didn’t seem deterred, attacking relentlessly in the second half, intent on tying the game even with a Division I goalie standing in their way. The West squad had four penalty corners and several solid chances to score in the second half, but Shute and the East defense thwarted every opportunity.

“Even without [Shute], they played tough defense,” said West team member Amanda Spoffard, a Westbrook High graduate. “We played strong and kept attacking, but it didn’t seem to matter what we did.”

Forty-five of Maine’s best field hockey seniors competed Saturday, many for the first time since their season ended. Wet conditions and a lack of team chemistry made play a little sloppy early when the East struck first at the 15:03 mark.

Hunter took a nice pass from midfield, stopped the ball cleanly on her stick, and fired a shot past West goaltender Alison Brockman of Thornton Academy of Saco, who made four saves.

“It was really slippery out there at the beginning,” said East forward Brittany Veazie, the 2004 Miss Maine Field Hockey recipient. “But the water actually helped slow play down a little bit. A lot of us aren’t used to playing on turf, so this was a great experience.”

Regardless of the outcome, it was a great experience for all the players – and the coaches.

“It’s hard for a group of players to get to know each other in such a short period of time,” West coach Andrew Gordon of Deering of Portland said.

“I’m still competitive and I’m still out there hollering, but this is such an easy game to coach,” said Margaret Veazie, who coached her final game. She announced her retirement at the end of the season.