HAVERHILL, Mass. — There were plenty of women's college hockey prospects on the ice at the Haverhill Valley Forum this weekend.
The CPC Columbus Day Showcase featured 12 total teams across the 16U and 19U age groups. I made it up to Haverhill on Sunday to take in the final day of action.
Here's a look at the 16U teams I saw:
- Boston Americans Tier 1
- Boston Americans Tier 2
- Valley Junior Warriors Tier 1
- Valley Junior Warriors Tier 2
- Vermont Junior Catamounts Elite
We'll break down some uncommitted standouts among the 19Us later this week. For now, let's take a look at the 16U players who stood out.
Let's dive in.
Francie Ames
Boston Americans Tier 1/Nobles, 5/25/10, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Brookline, Mass.
Ames' all-around game was on full display for the Americans in their win over the Tier 1 Junior Warriors on Sunday as she scored twice, showcased a terrific release and had a handful of takeaways in the defensive zone. Her first goal came off good forechecking work by Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.) and Grace Hildebrandt (Norwell, Mass.). Ames cycled down the wall, got the puck from Burns, cut to the middle and picked the top-right corner. Later, Ames cashed in on a rebound in front.
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Tatum Friedholm
Boston Americans Tier 1/Groton, 08/2009, D, left shot, 5-9
Hometown: Sudbury, Mass.
Friedholm had plenty of pace and was an active presence in the neutral and offensive zones on the Americans' back end. She had good pinches, kept plays alive, worked the puck from high to low and made some good decisions stepping up in the neutral zone. One of her best plays came in the third as she pounced on a loose puck off the face-off, leading a 3-on-2 the other way. She drove to the net on the give-and-go and nearly buried a chance in front.
Megan Carlson
Valley Junior Warriors Tier 1/Governor’s, 01/2009, D, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: North Andover, Mass.
Carlson was one of the Junior Warriors' best skaters in the Americans' game, and she was especially strong in the third period. She had one of their best chances when she went end-to-end on a power play regroup, motoring into the offensive zone and dangling to the front of the net. Later, she had a great sequence on the penalty kill, getting her stick into lanes and hounding the puck. She showed great hands and had some heavy shots from the point, too.
Emilie Poirier
Valley Junior Warriors Tier 2/New Hampton, Class of 2028, D, left shot
Hometown: Salem, N.H.
Poirier played with a lot of compete and physicality in the defensive zone, especially in battles down low for the Tier 2 Jr. Warriors against the Boston Americans 19U Tier 2s. She made a fantastic play early on, hustling back, getting inside position against Abigayle McInerney (North Reading, Mass.) and lifting her stick to break up her breakaway.
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Riley Bergeron
Valley Junior Warriors Tier 2/Acton-Boxboro, Class of 2029, F, right shot
Hometown: Acton, Mass.
Bergeron showed good speed and created offense off the rush against the Tier 2 Americans 19Us. It was on full display on her goal when she motored through the neutral zone on a counter rush and fired home a quick shot inside the right post from the top of the right circle. Later, she got another tremendous look off the rush. After breaking free in the neutral zone, Bergeron sped into the zone all alone before trying to cut back and tuck it home short-side.
Alison Fiedler
Boston Americans Tier 2/Middlesex, Class of 2027, F, left shot
Hometown: Westboro, Mass.
Fiedler broke the stalemate against the Junior Catamounts late in the second with a beauty. After the Americans had the Catamounts under siege in the attacking zone, they worked the puck out to Fiedler at the left dot. She collected it and fired all in one motion, perfectly picking the top right corner.
Leah Lobombard
Vermont Junior Catamounts/Essex High, 2010, F, left shot, 5-2
Hometown: Essex Junction, Vt.
Lobombard made some solid plays in her own end against the Tier 2 Americans, and none were bigger than when she saved a goal. After tracking back on the back-check as the Americans had numbers, Lobombard stayed at the front of the net as the puck worked back out front. With her goalie down and out, Lobombard laid out to deny a point-blank one-timer. It was one of the plays of the weekend.
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Morgan Hughart
Vermont Junior Catamounts/Essex High, Class of 2028, G, catches left, 5-4
Hometown: Essex Junction, Vt.
Hughart played well for the Junior Catamounts in what wound up being a 3-1 loss to the Tier 2 Americans, coming up with big stops to keep the Americans at bay. She made a huge blocker save on a 3-on-1, pushing to the top of her crease to cut down the angle before steering it to the corner. Later, she made a big right-to-left push to stone Ella Fischetti off the rush before standing tall against some swipes at the rebound.
Cadence Crowley
Valley Junior Warriors Tier 1/St. Paul’s, 07/2009, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: North Reading, Mass.
Crowley did a nice job providing support down low in the defensive zone throughout the Junior Warriors' loss to the Americans. She retrieved pucks out of battles and made smart plays. She had a good rush late in the third, muscling into the offensive zone and finding Avery Hutchins (North Andover, Mass.) in the slot as the trailer on the 3-on-2, but the chance wouldn't go.
Chatham Brouillette
Vermont Junior Catamounts/Bellows Free Academy, Class of 2028, D, left shot
Hometown: St. Albans, Vt.
Brouillette hardly left the ice for the Junior Catamounts. She impressed with her patience with the puck on breakouts, consistently keeping her head up to survey her options. She showed good skating on breakouts, cutting away from pressure down low. One of her best plays came as she regrouped in the corner, getting the defender to bite on a hard head fake before cutting up the wall and finding an outlet. Brouillette also showed good cap control defending the rush.
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Grace Hildebrandt
Boston Americans Tier 1/Tabor, 2010, F, left shot, 5-3
Hometown: Norwell, Mass.
Hildebrandt opened the scoring early in the second in the win against the Tier 1 Junior Warriors, and it was a thing of beauty. She entered the zone with a ton of speed, working 1-on-1 against a defender before cutting to the right dot and going bar-down with a laser as she fell. It was a hell of a shot. Hildebrandt's work on the forecheck with Burns was also key to Ames' first goal.
