ROCKLAND, Mass. — Some of the best players in Massachusetts took the ice at Lovell Arena this past weekend.
Mass. Hockey’s 2025 girls festival featured a total of 229 players across the 2008, 2009 and 2010 age groups.
Each group will be whittled down to the Final 40, which will be at Lovell Arena from May 17-18. From there, players will be selected for USA Hockey’s national camps — the National 15 Camp, the National 15 Goalie Camp and the National 16/17 Camp at Miami University (Ohio) in July, as well as the U18 Women’s National Festival in Lake Placid in August.
During this weekend’s festival, I made sure to spend equal time watching each group. I spent Friday watching the 2008s. On Saturday, I saw the ’09s, while I watched the 2010s on Sunday.
Earlier this week, we broke down 15 standouts among the ’08s and 14 standouts among the '09s. Now, let’s dive into 13 standouts among the 2010s.
Kelsey MacPherson
St. Paul's, 11/12/2010, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.
MacPherson's size and strength were impressive. The power forward used her frame effectively and won battles. She factored in on multiple goals, including one where she went end-to-end and rifled a wrister off the post and in. Later, she set up Giuliana Polcari (Marshfield, Mass.) for a terrific goal off the rush. MacPherson hit her at the far post with a perfectly-timed pass to her tape for a tap-in on the net drive.
Chloe Rabazzi
Boston Jr. Eagles, 9/2/2010, D, left shot
Hometown: Burlington, Mass.
Rabazzi kept things simple and played a smart game on defense. She anticipated pressure, made the easy play and communicated well with her teammates to navigate forechecks. Rabazzi had a great defensive sequence, winning a footrace to a loose puck before pushing the play away from middle ice after getting tied up. She pinned the forechecker to the boards, won the battle and swiped the puck out of danger.
Ella Skeiber
Williston Northampton, 2010, F, left shot
Hometown: Pembroke, Mass.
Hardly anyone else touched the puck when Skeiber was on the ice with Caroline Kreuz (Worcester, Mass.). The two worked off each other very well in the offensive zone, especially in the cycle, commanding the ice and funneling pucks to high-danger areas. Skeiber showcased quick hands and impressive patience with the puck. One of her best sequences came when she knocked down an outlet pass, threw a bump on a much bigger opponent to create her own space and won the battle. She then went to work in a lengthy offensive zone sequence.
GIRLS FESTIVAL: 15 standout 2008s | 14 standout 2009s
Francie Ames
Nobles, 5/25/2010, F, right shot
Hometown: Brookline, Mass.
Ames' hockey sense and awareness impressed. She constantly found open space in the offensive zone and rotated away from defensive pressure to become available. Ames scored a nice goal when she picked up a loose puck at the left circle after finding open space as a trailer. She quickly collected and fired a strong wrister that squeaked through. Later, she got another chance walking down the slot after shifting into open space out high for a drop pass.
Vivienne Melo
Bishop Stang, 2010, G, catches left
Hometown: Westport, Mass.
Melo was strong down the stretch on Sunday. She reacted well, sealed the posts and made some strong saves, including one on a last-second deflection and another quick flash of the pad in tight off a turnover. Later, she stoned Ava Carr (Medway, Mass.), who had all day to walk in off the rush. Melo gave her nothing. She came through again on a tricky shot through multiple moving bodies in the lane. It was a great job to track it and make the save.
Lydia Kealty
Thayer, 2010, F, left shot
Hometown: Norfolk, Mass.
Kealty was one of the most dynamic skaters among the 2010s, seemingly generating at least one high-danger look every time she was on the ice. One of her best chances came when she stole the puck on the forecheck, closed at the circle and tried to go between the glove and the pad, barely missing her spot. Later, she got another chance on the rush, powering into the zone past a defender and trying to roof it. Kealty got another great look, dangling to the front of the net off a pass from the corner and trying to stuff it.
FINAL 40: Here’s who made Mass. Hockey’s girls Final 40
Maddie Perkins
Dexter Southfield, 2010, F, left shot
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
Perkins showed good speed, which paid off on her goals, as well as an impressive willingness to fend off bigger, stronger defenders in 1-on-1s. Her first goal came when she flew into the zone with a burst of speed off the rush after catching the opposition up ice. Her second tally came off a slick shot from the left circle.
Giuliana Polcari
Tabor, 7/7/2010, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Marshfield, Mass.
Polcari, like a lot of her peers listed here, has projectable traits that will make her an intriguing prospect to track in the coming years. She's big, strong on her skates and confident with the puck. She typically made things happen whenever the puck was on her stick, and without it, she got into good areas to impact the play and win it back. Early on, she got into position as the F3 out high on the forecheck and took a good route to cut off the puck carrier, breaking up the exit. Polcari later scored a nice goal off the rush with MacPherson, driving hard to the net with her stick on the ice and burying the cross-crease feed.
Madelyn Humber
St. Paul's, 2010, D, left shot. 5-9
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
Humber made good, quick decisions in all three zones. She scored on a top-shelf wrister from the top of the circle, smartly closing in toward the dot to improve her shooting lane after getting the puck out high. It all came after she anticipated an outlet pass at center ice, stepping up to cut it off before getting the puck in deep. It led to an extended shift in the attacking end and, eventually, to her goal.
INSIDE THE PROCESS: What it’s like to be recruited in women’s college hockey
Ava Carr
Williston Northampton, 4/28/2010, F, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Medway, Mass.
Carr's speed and vision stood out in transition, taking advantage of skating lanes and gaining the attacking zone with possession. She had a good sequence when she stole the puck from Polcari in the neutral zone, curled back on a solo regroup and weaved through a skating lane to drive back into the zone and set up shop. Later, Carr made herself available for a drop pass from Elizabeth Averill (Wayland, Mass.) off the rush. A lane to the net opened up, and she had all day to walk in for a chance. Melo made a good save.
Teagan Beigel
Boston Jr. Eagles, 2010, F, left shot
Hometown: Natick, Mass.
Beigel used her size to her advantage in the offensive zone, exploiting mismatches and winning pucks back down low. She had a phenomenal assist on Jennavieve Henley's (Whitman, Mass.) goal. Before she even got the puck in the corner, Beigel saw she had a seam for a pass to the front of the net. She immediately slipped the puck right to Henley's tape at the top of the crease for an easy tap-in.
Elliana Tabor
Thayer, 2010, F, left shot
Hometown: Pembroke, Mass.
Tabor provided strong support on the backcheck, constantly getting into good positions and closing lanes. She twice shut down entries into the defensive zone with a quick stick, including one potential breakaway for Violet Safari (Wayland, Mass.) after her teammates were caught in a change. Tabor tracked back and separated Safari from the puck with good stick positioning and body contact.
Chloe LeMay
Auburn High, 2010, G, catches left
Hometown: South Grafton, Mass.
LeMay was sound positionally thanks to her good reads and lateral movement. She had Kealty's number, robbing her on a couple of Grade-A looks. She gave Kealty nothing when she tried to roof it off the rush, cutting down the angle and making a shoulder save. Later, LeMay stoned Kealty as she dangled to the front. Sticking with her the whole way and kicking out her right pad as Kealty tried to reach around on the forehand.
