MARLBORO, Mass. — Some of the best players from around New England flocked to the New England Sports Center this past weekend to try out in the New England District’s girls player development camp tryouts.
A total of 302 players across the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 age groups took the ice.
I did my best to see each group an equal amount, minus the 2010s. I spent Friday night focusing on the 2007s before catching the 2009s and 2008s on Saturday morning. On Sunday, I caught the 2009s All-Star game before splitting time between the 2007s and 2008s
Going forward, players in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 groups will be selected to participate in the New England District development camp from June 21-25 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. The 2010 players selected from this tryout will participate in the New England Girls 14 Eastern Selects Camp from June 26-30 at Saint Anselm.
The 2007, 2008 and 2009’s will 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 in July at Miami University (Ohio). The Girls Under-18 Select (2006-2008) camp will be in August at the Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY.
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.
Let’s dive into eight standout 2009-born players from the weekend.
Brooke Fallon
Cushing/East Coast Wizards U14, 2009, F, left shot
Hometown: Bedford, NH
Fallon was all over the ice on both Saturday and Sunday. The speedy forward seemed to always be in the right place, closing in quickly on the opposition to disrupt breakouts and extend offensive zone shifts. She made good decisions in the cycle, and the puck constantly found her. On Saturday, she got back quickly on the back-check before picking off a breakout pass on the offensive blue line. She later blew through the defense with a slick inside-out move on the rush. She briefly lost her handle on the puck but still managed to get a solid shot on net.
On Sunday, she created some solid looks in transition, doing a good job of heading the puck through neutral ice and gaining the zone with possession. Fallon first sprung through the middle for a seam pass from Liza Demain (Wolfeboro, NH) for a partial break. She later forced a turnover at the defensive blue line to kickstart an odd-numbered rush the other way.
Mirella Martinelli
Lovell Academy U14, 3/28/2009, D, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: North Providence, R.I.
Martinelli was a dynamic presence on the blue line. She made quick decisions with the puck inside the offensive zone and in the neutral zone. On Saturday, Martinelli made a nice shimmy at the offensive blue line to deke the defender and open up a cross-ice seam, setting up Demain for a good chance at the left circle. On the same shift, she made a great pinch to keep the offensive pressure going, which led to a goal later in the sequence.
Martinelli excelled in transition on Sunday, leading the rush on several occasions and protecting pucks well from defensive pressure. There was one rush in which she fended off a defender, set her edges and drove to the net for a good backhand. She scored a gorgeous goal on a cross-zone feed to the right point, picking the top right corner after coming in as the trailer. She saw the play unfolding, recognized a chance for her to jump into the play and took it, flying into the zone behind the play. Defensively, Martinelli kept opponents to the outside and was physical along the boards. She made up for a turnover, stepping up and poking the puck away before leading another rush.
NE GIRLS FESTIVAL: 8 standout 2008-born skaters | 7 standout 2007-born skaters
Paisley Meyer
Phillips Exeter/Assabet Valley U14, 8/3/2009, D, left shot
Hometown: Greenland, NH
Meyer had plenty of scoring chances throughout the weekend. She showcased her speed with long, efficient strides, routinely powering through the neutral zone and gaining the offensive blue line with possession. It's easy to see why she was so productive as a freshman at Exeter, too. Meyer has a good release, and she showed when she scored from the left circle in the first period on Sunday. She later rang the post with a quick snap shot off the rush as well.
Liza Demain
Kingswood Regional/Valley Jr. Warriors U14, 2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Wolfeboro, NH
Demain created chances on nearly every shift. On Saturday, she drove down the wall, picked her head up and made a slick pass to set up Rose Robertson in the slot for a goal. She had a good chance of her own at the left circle off Martinelli's cross-ice feed but was stymied by a great save. Demain was strong in the defensive zone, too, particularly on Sunday. Helping the defense behind her net, she made a nice reverse to open things up for the breakout before jumping through the middle and springing Fallon for a partial break. Later, she hustled on the back-check to get her stick in the lane and disrupt a shot off the rush.
Frankie Cormier-McFarlane
Berwick/Casco Bay Mariners U14, 2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Old Orchard, Maine
Cormier-McFarlane, who put up 11 goals and 19 points as a freshman at Berwick, didn't have the flashiest offensive game this weekend, but she was very solid in all three zones. She was strong on her feet and skates, difficult to knock off the puck. On Saturday, she tracked down a puck carrier in the neutral zone and stripped it free before taking a hard bump and protecting the puck. She got a partial break on Saturday after blocking a shot and going the other way, managing to get a decent shot on net despite having two defenders all over her.
MASS. FINAL 40: 7 standout ’07-born players | 6 standout ’08-born players | 6 standout ’09-born players
Delaney Boynton
Nashville Jr. Predators U14, 2009, D, right shot
Hometown: Franklin, Tenn.
Boynton made a great defensive play on a partial break on Sunday, scrambling back to catch the puck carrier with good strides before getting her stick in the lane to prevent a better shot. On Saturday, Boynton made a nice read in the neutral zone to shade toward center ice, anticipating a seam pass up the middle. She got her stick on it and prevented an odd-numbered rush. She was solid on breakouts, and her defensive IQ was impressive.
Anna Davidson
Assabet Valley U14, 10/17/2009, F, left shot
Hometown: Merrimack, NH
Davidson's speed caused a lot of problems for defenders in transition. On Saturday, she took advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone, breaking free for a 2-on-0 with Samantha Ruzzo (North Smithfield, R.I.). Davidson scored a pretty goal to the top-right corner on Sunday, flying through neutral ice and into the attacking zone with a ton of speed.
Maria Gilshannon
Frederick Gunn/Mid-Fairfield CT Stars U14, 2009, F, left shot
Hometown: Woodbridge, Conn.
Gilshannon was a handful for opposing defenders. She did an excellent job of using her size and power to her advantage, holding off defenders and shielding the puck in transition and along the walls. She was difficult to contain down low and did a nice job cycling the puck, especially on Saturday.
