DEDHAM, Mass. — New Hampton could get used to Omni Flood Rink.
The Huskies ended last season on the same sheet, winning a second straight Small School championship. They began this season right back at Omni Flood Rink, riding a three-goal third period to a 4-3 win over host Nobles.
Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.) scored twice for New Hampton (1-0-0). Addy Peel (Scarborough, Maine) and Kelsey Baker (Concord, Mass.) each scored as well, and Cara Kuczek (Lowell, Mass.) earned the win in net.
Alexa Georgantas (Foxboro, Mass.), Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) and Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.) each scored for Nobles (0-1-0). It was the Bulldogs' first loss since March 4, 2023, after going undefeated en route to an Elite 8 title last winter.
Georgantas opened the scoring with 7:24 left in the first, redirecting Ava Decourcey's (Rockland, Mass.) wrister from the point.
Loughlin answered on a breakaway for New Hampton with 10:50 remaining in the second, taking advantage of a mishandle for Nobles at the point before going the other way and chipping a wrister past Annika Jonas (Weston, Mass.).
Peel gave the Huskies a 2-1 lead with 13:20 left in regulation, blasting a slap shot top shelf from the left dot on the power play.
Loughlin's second of the night came in a goalmouth scramble with 11 minutes to go, and Baker made it 4-1 with 8:27 left when her centering pass for Caroline Thomas banked in off a sliding defender.
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The Bulldogs finally found an answer when MacCurtain picked the corner to cut it to 4-2 on a 5-on-3Â with 5:23 remaining. Bromley slashed it to 4-3 with 1:01 left on a tip-in, but it was all Nobles could muster.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways from the game.
Julia Loughlin
New Hampton, 2/5/06, F, right shot, 5-3
NCAA: New Hampshire
Loughlin was one of the best players on the ice from start to finish. She played with pace and energy, and it showed on both of her goals. On her breakaway goal, she exploded through the neutral zone to gain separation after pouncing on the loose puck at the point before showing a slick finish in tight. Her second goal showed great attention to detail. She drove right to the far post off the rush and was in a perfect position to bury it when the loose puck found her.
Loughlin was instrumental in turning the tide in New Hampton's favor in the second period, working well down low with Kennedy Walker as the Huskies strung good shifts together. She had another great look from Walsh on the power play in the second but couldn't beat Jonas. Loughlin also helped set up Peel's goal, cutting to the crease from behind the net before Nobles poked the puck right into Peel's wheelhouse.
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Molly MacCurtain
Nobles, 6/30/06, F, left shot, 5-5
NCAA: Northeastern
As good as Loughlin was for New Hampton, MacCurtain was just that for Nobles. She drove play nearly every time she was on the ice, her vision and playmaking ability were on full display and her goal was a thing of beauty. There had been room high-blocker on Kuczek throughout the third, and MacCurtain took full advantage. New Hampton gave her all sorts of space coming out of the corner, she took it, cut into the circle and roofed a perfect shot under the bar. It finished a fantastic sequence for MacCurtain, who also set up Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.) in front off some pretty passing. MacCurtain also drew the trip that gave Nobles its 5-on-3.
She and Bromley had an excellent connection shorthanded. The two had a nice sequence to maintain possession down low and bleed clock early in the third, leading to a chance for Bromley. Later, MacCurtain made a tremendous backhand feed to Bromley on a shorthanded 2-on-1. Both chances hit the post. In the first, MacCurtain also easily stripped a puck on the forecheck, leading to an extended offensive shift for Nobles and a couple strong looks.
Addy Peel
New Hampton, 12/24/07, D, left shot, 5-11
Peel was a seamless fit into her new digs with the Huskies. She had great awareness to drift toward the dot on her goal, putting herself in a perfect spot to one-time the loose puck top shelf after Nobles broke up Loughlin's bid. Peel's unique blend of size and smooth skating gave her a big advantage in the defensive zone and helped erase mistakes, whether her own or her teammates. She was strong on her edges behind the net early on, evading forechecking pressure before finding an outlet. Later in the first, after Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) deked her at the blue line, Peel recovered and made a strong stick check to prevent a potential breakaway. She also came through with a pair of clutch blocked shots, including one around her neck, as Nobles pushed to tie it with time winding down.
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Lily Bromley
Nobles, 02/2009, F, left shotÂ
Bromley played with a ton of energy and physicality, which made a big difference in the offensive zone for Nobles. She had great chemistry with MacCurtain, and their line with Rachel Zhao (Westwood, Mass.), overall, was probably Nobles' best unit. Bromley gave New Hampton fits around the net, thanks to her size and strength giving her an edge in battles. She got a couple redirect chances, including when she finally got rewarded late in regulation, and hit a pair of posts. She has a heavy release, which rang the crossbar from the bottom of the circle early in the third, and she and MacCurtain came inches away from a perfect 2-on-1 shorthanded. They had it. She also drew a key penalty in the third before MacCurtain did as well, giving Nobles their 5-on-3.
Alexa Georgantas
Nobles, 06/2009, F, left shot, 5-3
Georgantas' speed was a big factor for Nobles. She came out of nowhere on her goal, racing to the front of the net and getting her stick on Decourcey's shot. Her speed also helped Nobles retake some momentum late in the second when she beat an icing. It led to the Bulldogs' best sequence and first real extended offensive shift of the period.
Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan
New Hampton, Class of 2025, F, left shot
NCAA: Colby
Michaud-Nolan (Wells, Maine) was a strong two-way presence for New Hampton. Offensively, she did an excellent job of using her frame to protect pucks and win battles down low. She and Caroline Thomas combined for a couple chances in a bang-bang sequence in front in the second. Somehow, they couldn't beat a sprawling Jonas. Michaud-Nolan also had strong defensive awareness. On one penalty kill in the third, she did a great job to get into a passing lane, giving her an easy interception and clear.
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Ava Decourcey
Nobles, 6/24/08, D, right shot, 5-6
Decourcey, like Peel, fit right into her new surroundings, thanks to her skating, smarts and shot. Her wrist shots from the point were heavy and accurate, and it led to several solid looks. She wasted no time putting the puck on net on Georgantas' goal, and she had another strong shot from the top of the circle off a low-to-high with Bromley. Decourcey's edgework and mobility on defense were on full display a few times, too, including one play in the first where she made some quick cuts to shake off Walker and get a burst of speed through neutral ice.
True Thompson
New Hampton, 10/11/06, D, left shot, 5-8
NCAA: Connecticut
Thompson was her typical, dynamic, puck-moving self for New Hampton, but some not-so-flashy plays in the first stood out. She did an excellent job of using her strength to protect pucks from forecheckers. There was one instance behind her net where she withstood a forward draped all over her and eventually drew a hold. Thompson also did a good job defending 1-on-1, overall. Her skating helped her match forwards and she had a strong stick to keep them to the perimeter.
Caroline Thomas
New Hampton, 12/2005, F, right shot, 5-7
NCAA: Middlebury
Thomas had it going in the second period. She made a great play to drive to open space on a give-and-go down low, leading to several chances in tight for her and Michaud-Nolan. Earlier in the period, she was patient on the rush, slowing down and cutting to the high slot to let a passing lane open. The pass was a touch late, but it would have been an excellent scoring chance for Michaud-Nolan. Thomas also came through in the third when she drew the penalty that led to Peel's goal.
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Quick takeaways...
- You want to compete with the best? Then you've got to beat the best. We've talked a lot about New Hampton being the best team outside of the Elite 8 last season. The Huskies proved they very much deserve to be in that conversation this season, knocking off last year's top dogs. After neither team seized momentum in the first, the second period and part of the third period were completely in New Hampton's favor. They came at Nobles in waves. Craig Churchill likes to tell his team it's "time to hunt." On Wednesday, the Huskies hunted.
- Nobles is going to be just fine, especially if MacCurtain plays the way she did. Still, with the game tied in the second and the start of the third, it was hard not to think back to a game like this last year where since-graduated Olivia Maffeo (Canton, Mass.) or Sophia Levering (Westwood, Mass.) would have taken it upon themselves and scored a big goal for Nobles. With both off to the collegiate ranks, that wasn't the case on Wednesday. Still, Nobles' forward group is too deep, and the newcomers on defense — Decourcey, Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.) and Reese Engel (Westwood, Mass.) — all looked the part. The Bulldogs are still near the top.
- It'll be interesting to see how things shake out in the crease for both teams. Each graduated top-flight goaltenders. Each expects to work a tandem in some capacity to start this season. Before the third-period onslaught, Jonas was fantastic for Nobles. She kept them in it as they weathered the storm in the second period, and one could hardly blame her for any of the four goals against. Still, expect Tom Resor to give senior Annie Spring (Concord, Mass.) a look, too. The same goes for the Huskies. Kuczak made some excellent saves in the first and third periods, but there was room on her stick side late, which led to two posts and two goals. New '08 Elizabeth Vincent will get into action soon, too. The job on each team is up for grabs.
