MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Some of the best players in the state descended on the New England Sports Center last weekend.
Mass. Hockey’s girls festival came down to its Final 40 across the 2007, 2008 and 2009 age groups.
Players will now be selected for USA Hockey’s National Development Camps in the summer. The Girls Select 16/17 (2007/2008) and the Girls Select 15 (2009) camps will be at Miami University (Ohio) in July. The Girls Under-18 Select (2006-2008) camp will be at the Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y., in August.
A friendly reminder, Massachusetts is its own district in the eyes of USA Hockey. Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont make up the New England District. The New England District will hold its girls development camp May 10-12 at NESC.
Let’s dive into seven 2007-born players who stood out at the Final 40.
Adeline Paskowski
Tabor, 1/6/2007, D, left shot, 5-9
Hometown: Plymouth, Mass.
Paskowski was one of the best skaters on the ice all weekend among the 2007's. She was terrific at moving the puck up the ice in transition, taking skating lanes when they were there and making good passes on the breakout to lead forwards into open space. She seemed to always lead the rush with her legs. Why not take advantage of open ice if the opposition keeps giving it to you? It made for plenty of ease for her team in gaining the zone with possession and applying consistent pressure.
Sarah Powers
Phillips Andover, 8/30/2007, F, left shot, 5-5
Powers seems to do everything at a million miles an hour. Her feet were always moving and it felt like she was everywhere. Her speed made her hard to contain in transition and the offensive zone, and it allowed her to wreak some havoc on the forecheck. Powers' ability to close on defenders sped them up and forced turnovers, leading to more offensive pressure and chances for her team.
GIRLS FINAL 40: 6 standout 2008-born players | 6 standout 2009-born players
Evelyn Lacey
Tilton, 10/22/2007, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
Coming off a season at Tilton where she excelled while facing some of the most shots of any NEPSAC goalie, Lacey was strong in the crease this past weekend. She was consistently square to shots and took up a lot of net, doing a good job of keeping a big frame. Shooters didn't have much open space to look at. She did a good job of tracking things well through traffic and steering rebounds into the corners, particularly on Friday.
Maddie Murphy
Dexter Southfield, 4/24/2007, D, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
NCAA: Boston College
Murphy was on a pair with Paskowski, and she was just as effective in all three zones. On Friday, she scored a nice goal in a give-and-go, putting a quick release on net after some nice movement at the blue line. She found a skating lane, took it and scored from the right circle. She was strong in facilitating and rotating in high cycles inside the attacking zone. Murphy made good decisions on pinches, and she neutralized plays at the defensive blue line with her strong stick and reach.
Quinn Taylor
NAHA White 19U, 11/11/2007, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Centerville, Mass.
Taylor was a powerful presence, especially in the offensive zone. She protected the puck well and won battles along the boards and down low. On Saturday, she anticipated and made an aggressive play to pick off a breakout pass before finding a teammate in the high slot for a high-danger chance. On Saturday, with a defender closing in quickly at the half-wall, she made a good heads-up play to find Abby DeAnzeris (Needham, Mass.) in a give-and-go. She led DeAnzeris into the high slot for a Grade-A look before Liz Allen (Brookline, Mass.) buried the rebound.
NE DISTRICT: 302 players to try out at NE District girls festival May 10-12
Anika Singh
BB&N, 11/10/2007, F, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Lexington, Mass.
Like Powers, it felt like Singh was all over the ice on each shift. She was great on draws throughout both days. She was clearly a pain for the opposition, too, forcing turnovers both on the forecheck and in the neutral zone with strong puck pursuit and physicality. It created chances and more zone time for her team, plus some frustration for opposing players at times.
Caroline Averill
Phillips Andover, 1/14/2007, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
Averill's confidence with the puck and vision helped her open up space and create chances for herself and her teammates. On Friday, she made a great play down low to spin away from pressure and get an open look for a pass. She got a fortunate bounce when her centering pass deflected off a leg and in. On Saturday, Averill flew through the neutral zone after taking a nice breakout pass from BB&N's Brenna O'Reilly (Burlington, Mass.). She made a terrific setup for Milton's Maddie Bonavita (Longmeadow, Mass.) in transition, who buried it with a perfect shot to the top left corner.
