BEDFORD, Mass. — Chances are you'll be hearing plenty more from the players on the ice in Sunday's tilt between the East Coast Wizards and Boston Jr. Eagles at the Edge Sports Center.
In a game that featured droves of women's college hockey prospects, including at least 12 Division 1 commits as well as several Division 3 commits, the Wizards came away with a 3-0 win.
Thayer Academy's Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) scored a pair for the Wizards, and Nobles' Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) found the back of the net as well.
McGathey opened the scoring with 1:10 to go in the second period with a backhander in the slot. She doubled the lead shorthanded with five minutes to go in regulation, and MacCurtain added extra insurance in front with 1:45 left for the 3-0 final.
Let's dive into five standouts from the game.
COMMITMENTS: Where are the 2007-born girls headed to college?
Adeline Paskowski
East Coast Wizards/Tabor, 1/6/2007, D, left shot, 5-9
Paskowski (Plymouth, Mass.) was one of the best puck-movers on the ice on Sunday, frequently leading transition and skating pucks out of danger herself. She showed long, smooth strides and seemed to have added more speed to her game. The rising senior at Tabor was strong on her skates, especially on one play in the first period where she easily fended off a hard forecheck before steaming up the ice.
Later in the first, she corralled a loose puck in front and skated through two Eagles forwards for an easy exit and eventually an entry. It led to a good chance for McGathey in front. Paskowski set up her shorthanded breakaway late with a fantastic heads-up pass to find her behind the defense.
Morgan McGathey
East Coast Wizards/Thayer, 8/30/2006, F, right shot, 5-5
NCAA: Harvard
McGathey's (Braintree, Mass.) line with MacCurtain and Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.) made an impact offensively with nearly every shift. It's hard not to, between three Division 1 commits (Harvard, Northeastern and Yale, respectively). Still, it only felt like a matter of time until McGathey would break through. She was constantly around the net and had two strong chances early on thwarted by Jr. Eagles goalie Avery Olson (Rockport, Mass.).
McGathey made it look easy on her first goal, dancing into the slot with a slick backhand deke before roofing a backhander into the top left corner all in one motion. It was perfectly placed over Olson's glove. Her second effectively iced the game after she got a step on the defense, made a power move to the net on a breakaway and beat Olson.
INSIDE THE PROCESS: What it’s like to be recruited for women’s college hockey
Avery Olson
Boston Jr. Eagles/Tabor, 2006, G, catches left, 5-8
Despite the 3-0 score, Olson was fantastic. If it weren't for her, the result might have been worse for the Jr. Eagles, who spent most of the game on their heels. She was aggressive from the start, constantly out at the top of her crease. She also maintained strong positioning and battled through traffic. It led to one strong save, in particular, a positional stop on Nora Curtis' tip in the slot. Olson, a senior at Tabor, robbed McGathey with the glove early before a strong pad save on Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.) in tight late in the first.
Olson came through with more key saves in the second to keep it close, first making a good shoulder save on Weyerhaeuser off the rush after she blew by the defense. She also came through with the glove again on Izzy King's shot on a 3-on-2 rush toward the end of the period. Her best save of the game came against Loughlin alone in the slot. The Jr. Eagles overcommitted to the initial puck carrier, giving Loughlin an open lane to the net. Olson burst out to the top of the crease and made a great blocker save after cutting down the angle.
Hannah Weyerhaeuser
East Coast Wizards/BB&N, 9/3/2006, F, right shot, 5-6
NCAA: Yale
Weyerhaeuser was explosive from the start and had several quality scoring chances. She got a strong shorthanded bid early in the first, taking control of a loose puck off the draw and bursting up the ice with a ton of speed. She drove to the front of the net around the defense and drew a penalty just as the Wizards' penalty kill expired. The BB&N senior got another Grade-A look in the second with another strong power move around the defense. She slowed down entering the offensive zone before a quick burst of speed down the wall before cutting toward the dot for a hard shot.
COLLEGE HOCKEY: Where are the 2006-born girls committed?
Maisie Koo
Boston Jr. Eagles/St. Paul's, 7/28/2006, D, left shot, 5-5
Koo (New Canaan, Conn.) played a steady, smart game on the blue line, especially early. She was good defending the rush with a good stick, easily poking the puck from Curtis on a rush to lead to a good counter going the other way for the Jr. Eagles the other way. Later, Koo stepped up with another good poke check to effortlessly kill a quick counterrush for the Wizards.
