It's time for some end-of-season awards in girls prep hockey.
Just a few weeks ago, Nobles took home the girls Elite 8 title with a 3-1 win over Williston, preventing the Wildcats from taking a three-peat. BB&N won a nail-biting, 1-0, game over Dexter for the Large School championship. Meanwhile, New Hampton repeated as Small School champs, beating Groton, 2-1, in a rematch of 2023's title game.
Now comes the part for individual recognition. The All-NEPSAC and Most Valuable Player selections came out Friday afternoon with some of the region's top talent as the headliners.
Let's dive into this year's All-NEPSAC teams, plus some takeaways from the selections.
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Large School
MVP: Sophia Levering, Nobles, sr.
Forwards
- Cami Bell, St. Paul's, sr.
- Morgan McGathey, Thayer, jr.
- Annie Dinges, Deerfield, sr.
- Molly MacCurtain, Nobles, jr.
- Caroline Averill, Phillips Andover, so.
- Peyton Kennedy, Phillips Andover, jr.
Defense
- Sophia Levering, Nobles, sr.
- Olivia Maffeo, Nobles, sr.
- Emi Biotti, BB&N, jr.
- Molly Boyle, Phillips Andover, jr.
Goalies
- Anya Zupkofska, Nobles, sr.
- Alexsa Caron, BB&N, sr.
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Takeaways
- McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) and Maffeo (Canton, Mass.) each had strong shots at MVP, too. McGathey, a Harvard commit, drove the bus for Thayer as a junior captain. The ISL MVP finished third in goals in the NEPSAC (29) and fifth in points (42) in 24 games. She scored 11 more goals than any other Tigers skater, helping Thayer to its first tournament appearance since 2020. Meanwhile, Maffeo put up 50 points on defense for Nobles, including six points (four goals) in three Elite 8 tournament games. She ranked fourth in the NEPSAC in scoring. The Boston College commit was dynamic both offensively and defensively this season.
- Levering (Westwood, Mass.) is more than deserving, too. The Yale commit is an elite defender, capable of winning battles and killing plays with a strong stick and physicality. She can make plays with her finesse and powerful strides, too, which she showed on her eventual game-winning goal in the Elite 8 title game. Levering, who scored 15 goals from the blue line, ranked ninth in scoring (38 points). She's a true do-it-all defender in all three zones.
- I think they got it right with the goalies. Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.) dominated throughout the entire season for Nobles, posting an insane .957 save percentage. The Brown commit allowed just 19 goals all season on 443 shots. Meanwhile, Caron (Dracut, Mass.) was equally outstanding for BB&N. The Stonehill commit finished with a .949 save percentage, allowing just 22 goals on 433 shots. She was nails in the Large School championship.
- St. Paul's Ally Martiniello (Salem, NH), who was an honorable mention, had as good of a case as anyone to make it, though. A lot of that is because of the workload she handled for the Big Red. The Colby commit faced the fifth-most shots in the NEPSAC (701) and still finished with a .947 save percentage. She was one of the main reasons SPS reached the Elite 8.
- I'm surprised Nobles' Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.) didn't at least earn an honorable mention. She led all Bulldogs forwards in scoring as their top-line center and finished 13th in the NEPSAC with 18 goals and 36 points in 31 games. It was a breakout season for the uncommitted junior.
- Put Andover's Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) in the same boat as Brown, not earning at least an honorable mention. She led the Big Blue in goals (15) while also ranking second in points (24). The sophomore was a heart-and-soul player for Andover, and she was a huge contributor while some of the Big Blue's best skaters, like Averill (Wayland, Mass.) and Boyle (Scituate, Mass.), were at the IIHF U-18 Women's Worlds.
- Regardless, this is an incredibly impressive pool of talent. Each skater, aside from Averill and Kennedy, has a Division 1 commitment. Averill will hear from plenty of programs, starting June 15, while Kennedy is also worthy of a commitment somewhere. Bell will head to Yale in the fall, while Dinges will play at Harvard. Boyle will join Bell in 2025, and Biotti will join Dinges then, too. MacCurtain, a strong two-way player, is a Northeastern commit. There are some especially strong goal-scorers in this mix, too, whether it's Bell, Dinges or McGathey. Each player above can be an impact player in Division 1.
Small School
Co-MVP: Monique Lyons, Williston, sr. & Veronika Hadamosvky, Groton, sr.
Forwards
- Tina Scalese, Groton, so.
- Monique Lyons, Williston, sr.
- Kennedy Walker, New Hampton, jr.
- Julia Loughlin, New Hampton, sr.
- Caleigh Murphy, Millbrook, sr.
- Zoe Rosenberg, Portsmouth Abbey, sr.
Defense
- True Thompson, New Hampton, sr.
- Keira Ley, Groton, sr.
- Caroline Aufiero, Williston, sr.
- Ava Decourcey, Tilton, so.
Goalies
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- Veronika Hadamovsky, Groton, sr.
- Avery Valente, Pomfret, sr.
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Takeaways
- No surprise to see Lyons (Bedford, Mass.) earning an MVP nod. She was a complete game-breaker for Williston, leading the NEPSAC in scoring with 59 points. She ranked second in goals (30) and assists (29). Lyons, who will head to Brown next season, is as dynamic as they come. She was a threat each time she was on the ice, no matter the situation, whether shorthanded, on the power play or at even strength. Lyons sets her teammates up just as well as she finished her own chances, too. If the Wildcats managed to pull off the three-peat, you'd have to assume she would have been the biggest reason why.
- Hadamovsky (Groton, Mass.) deserves a ton of credit, too, speaking of most valuable to her team. The uncommitted senior saw the 10th-most shots of any goaltender in the NEPSAC this season (549) and only allowed 26 goals. It was a career season for Hadamovsky. She had never been busier, in terms of shot volume, and she improved her save percentage each season as a starter, culminating with a .953 this season. She was the bedrock for the Zebras' run to a second-straight Small School championship appearance.
- It was interesting to see neither Williston's Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) nor Nora Curtis earn honorable mentions. Injuries forced the Wildcats to slot Carroll on defense for most of the season, and she did well, before jumping back to the top line with Lyons and Curtis down the stretch. Carroll was a point-per-game player, mostly on the blue line with 29 points in 26 games, and she ranked top-10 in assists (21). Meanwhile, Curtis was a dynamic two-way presence centering Lyons on the top line. She ranked fifth in the NEPSAC in points (42) and assists (25). Neither is committed.
- Stick taps to Rosenberg and Valente (Haverhill, Mass.), two players we didn't mention much this season as their teams flew under the radar. Rosenberg led the NEPSAC in goals with 33 at Portsmouth Abbey. She'll play at Middlebury next year. Meanwhile, Valente faced the most shots of any NEPSAC goalie this season (869). The uncommitted senior finished with a whopping 800 saves and a .921 save percentage for Pomfret.
- If you were to make defense pairs with these four skaters, it would be an awesome group. You have dynamic offensive presences on the blue line with Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.) and Thompson, a UConn commit. Slot a couple of puck-movers in Aufiero (Belmont, Mass.) and Ley (Wayland, Mass.), who excel in the defensive zone, alongside them, and you'd have some defense pairs that could do it all. Aufiero will play at Clarkson next season, and Ley will head to Harvard. Decourcey is a very intriguing prospect to watch moving forward. The sophomore had 16 goals and 24 points on defense. Meanwhile, Thompson did a tremendous job facilitating offense for New Hampton. The junior had 27 assists and 35 points.
- There's no doubt in my mind that Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) will continue to be a star in the NEPSAC, and it's no surprise to see her here. The sophomore has led the Zebras in scoring for three straight seasons and set career highs this year, averaging almost a goal and two points per game (25 goals and 51 assists in 26 games). She's going to be a popular college recruit come June 15. The same goes for Decourcey.
CHAMP RECAPS: Nobles wins Elite 8 | BB&N takes Large School title | New Hampton repeats in Small School
