Cape hockey overruns Milford 6-0 in DIAA opener

The Cape hockey machine rolls flat-out, which sometimes gives the appearance of emotional flatness. In the quarterfinal round of the DIAA Division I state tournament Nov. 10 at Champions Stadium, the Vikings ground down an enthused Milford team 6-0 behind a 26-1 advantage in penalty corners and a 20-1 shot advantage. 

Grace Wiggins notched a playoff hat trick on assists from Hannah Maney and Mackinzie Brown (two).

Cape led 2-0 at halftime on a first-quarter goal from Addy Basile with an assist from Lulu Rishko, and a second-quarter goal from Wiggins.

Two third-quarter goals by Wiggins and a fourth-quarter tally from Brown off an assist from Rishko made the score 5-0. 

Freshman Nora Block, getting some extended running time in the fourth quarter, scored her first varsity goal with 6:15 left in the game. 

“I didn’t know if I would play, let alone score,” Block said with a smile. 

Coach Kate Austin, in a post-game conversation with her team, suggested they take more joy in the good things they do, remembering that tournament play can be a mental grind. 

Cape will play Padua at the University of Delaware’s Rullo Stadium at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15. The Pandas beat Caesar Rodney 4-1 to reach the semifinals. 

Cape beat Padua earlier in the season on the same field 8-0.

“This is not the same Padua team, so stay focused,” Austin told her team. 

The other semifinal game in Division I features Smyrna, a 7-0 winner over Appoquinimink, versus Charter School of Wilmington. That game will be played at 6 p.m. following the Cape versus Padua contest.