The girls prep hockey holiday tournaments always mark one of the busiest (and most chaotic) points on the calendar.
There's a ton of hockey around the region. You see unexpected wins, unexpected losses and standout performances. It all comes with the nature of the weekend, as teams play more hockey than they typically do over a two- or three-day window.
That chaos was reflected in this week's rankings, as no spot stayed the same. Meanwhile, there were plenty of high-flying performances to note in our top performers.
Earlier this week, we broke down 11 standouts and takeaways from the Harrington Invitational championship between Nobles and Williston Northampton. We also took a look at the 15 standouts and takeaways from the Harrington as a whole.
What about some of the other holiday tournaments?
I made it to Taft for some of the Patsy K. Odden Invitational on Thursday and Friday, catching Loomis Chaffee against Kent, Phillips Andover against Tabor and Choate against Taft. After, I made the drive to Dexter Southfield to catch some of the action there. I saw New Hampton take on Rivers, Brooks against Hill School and Deerfield against Thayer.
Here are some uncommitted players that caught my eye in those games, as well as some overarching takeaways from the two tournaments as a whole.
Let's dive in.
Easton Pramuka
Loomis Chaffee, 7/20/2008, F, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Palm Springs, Calif
Pramuka was one of several role players who were flying in Loomis' high-scoring win over Kent. She and her line played with pace, forechecked hard and created chances off the rush. Pramuka had some quality looks between the dots in the second, and it showed up on the scoreboard when her shot from the high slot deflected off Elyse Harris and in. Pramuka also made a great setup for Sophia DiGioia (Milford, Conn.) off the rush late.
Roxie Merrick
New Hampton, 2009, D, left shot
Hometown: Eagle River, AK
Merrick played hard in the defensive zone, and she was physical around the net and along the boards. She also made smart plays with the puck to find outlets on regroups on a pair with Mikaylah O'Connor (Hampstead, N.H.). The two helped set up some of New Hampton's best pressure of the game in the second period, making quick ups in neutral zone regroups. It helped Emma MacPherson's (Sandwich, Mass.) line set up shop in the offensive zone.
TOP PERFORMERS: The top girls prep performers from the 2025 holiday tournaments
Audra Custance
New Hampton, Class of 2028, F, right shot
Hometown: Campton, N.H.
Custance's skating was a difference-maker for New Hampton against Rivers. She generated speed through the neutral zone and accelerated quickly, thanks to some explosive strides. It was key to facilitating transition for the Huskies. She also drew a penalty after she got hooked before a potential breakaway, turning on the jets and blowing past the defense in the neutral zone before being taken down.
Dakota Boyle
Kent, 2010, F, right shot
Hometown: Poughquag, N.Y.
I would have had no idea that Boyle is a '10 sophomore. She has the frame and detailed game of an experienced upperclassman. Against Loomis, she provided good support down low in the defensive zone and used her size to get inside position and win pucks. She made a great play defending Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) in a 1-on-1, stealing from her along the boards and getting a clear on the penalty kill. I also caught a little bit of Kent's game against Lawrenceville on Friday, and Boyle was again making good plays to get exits out of the defensive zone.
Elizabeth Vincent
New Hampton, 2008, G, catches left
Hometown: Quebec City, QC
Vincent was nails against Rivers, and she was the biggest reason that New Hampton kept it to a 1-0 final. The only shot that beat her was a pass off a skate. The junior was busy throughout the game, and it felt like she could've had more than the 24 saves she finished with. She was poised, contained rebounds and smothered loose pucks in front to prevent second-chance bids. Two of her best stops came on breakaways. She stoned Nora McLean's backhand-forehand bid on a breakaway on the opening shift, and she denied Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.) on a breakaway later on.
HARRINGTON:Â 15 standouts, takeaways from the 44th Harrington Invitational
Anousheh Mohebbi
Taft, 09/2009, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Both Mohebbi and Choate's Noel Schaab (Sherman, Conn.) were excellent on Friday morning in a 2-1 win for the latter. Mohebbi was fantastic in the third with the game tied, 1-1. She made some huge stops on the penalty kill, stoning Lexi Berger's (Simsbury, Conn.) chance in front off a bang-bang play. Mohebbi was also clutch when she denied Claire Chanfreau's partial break shorthanded.
Cassie Ling
Brooks, 2010, F, right shot
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
Ling always plays above her size. That was the case in Brooks' tilt with Hill School. The freshman played with high compete and was a hard worker in all three zones, especially defensively, where she typically provides good support as the center. She gets leverage, wins battles down low and plays a detailed game. She has the chance to be a strong player for Brooks as the program comes together.
Jenna Henley
Thayer, 11/15/2010, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Whitman, Mass.
Henley's ability to consistently create chances and generate offense in transition was on display again. It paid off when she scored on a breakaway against Deerfield. After good defensive pressure at the point, she took advantage of a miscue out high, going off to the races and scoring a forehand-backhand beauty. In the second, Henley also got a pair of Grade-A looks in the slot, one-timing one before going forehand-backhand for a rebound bid.
GIRLS PREP RANKINGS:Â Post-holiday tournament shakeup at the break
Simone Burns
Rivers, 03/2009, F, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Burns was one of the best skaters on the ice against New Hampton. Her vision, hands and quick feet helped her evade pressure in the neutral and offensive zones, and she constantly got pucks toward the slot. Her line with Brooke Bartlett (Wayland, Mass.) and Nora McLean (Canton, Mass.) was terrific as they consistently sustained attacking zone time and got quality chances. Burns was rewarded with a goal in the first, dangling around a high defender before going for a backdoor shot-pass that deflected off a skate and in. Burns later got a breakaway, going off to the races after a breakdown at the point. She also made a nice heads-up pass through a seam to spring McLean on a breakaway during the game's opening shift.
Nicole Sciarretta
Deerfield, 02/2009, D, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: Dix Hills, N.Y.
I was so impressed by Sciarretta's offensive instincts at the point. She had a monster shift in the second period against Thayer, recognizing opportunities to pinch and keeping plays alive along the boards. She was a big reason Deerfield hemmed Thayer in for an extended period, and she got rewarded with a goal. After a good play along the boards, Sciarretta cut to the slot, got a pass and had time and space to go top shelf over the blocker.
Lilly Busconi
Thayer, 7/3/2008, D, left shot
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
Busconi had a big third period against Deerfield. She smartly jumped into the play through the neutral zone before Maddy Call (Dedham, Mass.) and Lydia Kealty (Norfolk, Mass.) combined for a chance off a turnover. Busconi drove to the far post and parked herself in a perfect spot to bury the rebound. She came through with some big defensive plays shortly after, breaking up a partial break for Alessandra Picard (Madison, Conn.) with a stick lift and good strength. Busconi also broke up Peyton Wierl's centering feed for Ava Giroux (St. Albans, Vt.), thanks to a strong gap defending the rush.
HARRINGTON: 11 standouts, takeaways from Nobles’ Harrington win over Williston
Takeaways...
- Tabor's ability to bottle up the neutral zone and slow down a skilled, high-paced team like Andover was impressive. After a hot start for the Big Blue, the Seawolves got to their structure and slowed Andover down, creating some counter rushes as a result. It was a similar script that slowed Rivers down in Tabor's overtime win against the Red Wings earlier this year.
- Last year, Andover was very reliant on its top two lines. Against Tabor, the Big Blue were able to roll three and have each execute. They move the puck quickly through the neutral zone and their pace helps them take away space from puck carriers on the forecheck. I was especially impressed by Al Hartmann, who made the most of her ice time and consistently made an impact shift to shift. On the back end, Sienna Glass (Andover, Mass.), Sienna DeAngelis and Maya Kou made heads-up plays on regroups and were a big part of pushing the pace against Tabor, especially early on.
- I'll take more of Tabor versus Andover in March, please and thank you. That was a terrific game that delved into a goaltending duel between two excellent netminders. The two sides are deep, too. If Tabor's offense had been able to finish one of its chances, it would have been an entirely different ballgame.
- New Hampton is going to need time. The Huskies have plenty of new faces this season, and a lot more young players in key roles than in previous seasons. Growing pains were all but a given. There were sequences where they were sped up and overwhelmed defensively as Rivers pushed the pace with an aggressive style. Credit to Vincent, as well as MacPherson's line with Katie Usilton and Lily Thomas, among other key veterans. They were key to keeping New Hampton in the fight.
- Taft showed well on the penalty kill against Choate. The Rhinos did a great job of clogging shooting lanes and getting in front of pucks. They also gave Choate a hell of a time on the forecheck, thanks in large part to good efforts from Julianna Picard (Madison, Conn.) and Victoria Dudzic.
- Choate did a good job of speeding the game up for Taft through the neutral zone on regroups and in transition. The Wild Boars had strong layers and quick sticks. Defenders like Kate Tortorella were good at holding the blue line, too. It all prevented Taft from generating much of anything cleanly through the neutral zone. Choate limited the pressure and got the play going the other way quickly. It was huge as they protected a 2-1 lead.
