MARLBORO, Mass. — The fall hockey season is officially behind us.
Over the weekend, Mass. Hockey crowned its 16U and 19U girls state champions. It came down to Lovell Academy and the Boston Americans for the 16U Tier 1 title, with the Americans winning it all in a wild comeback.
But what about the rest of the tournament? Which players impressed?
Earlier this week, we broke down nine uncommitted 19Us who stood out as well as nine 16U forwards who impressed. Now, it's time to take a look at the 16U defenders who stood out.
I did my best to see most teams at least once. Here’s who I saw:
- Assabet
- Bay State Breakers
- Boston Americans
- Boston Junior Eagles
- East Coast Wizards
- Islanders Hockey Club
- Lovell Academy
- Massachusetts Spitfires
- NAHA
- Valley Junior Warriors
Let's dive in.
MASS. STATE CHAMPS: Assabet beats Spitfires for repeat 19U title | Boston Americans rally against Lovell for 16U title
Maddy Humber
East Coast Wizards/St. Paul's, 2010, D, left shot, 5-9
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
Humber did a great job of taking away time and space from puck carriers. Against NAHA on Friday, she had a great stick to break up a tough 1-on-1 counter rush in a speed mismatch. She was also a difference-maker inside the offensive blue line as well, finishing with a pair of assists for the weekend. One of her plays included a terrific setup for Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.) in Sunday's semis against Lovell. Off a D-to-D pass with Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.), Humber knew exactly where she was going with the puck, zipping it through a seam right to Meyer's tape at the far circle for a good chance.
Mia MacDonald
Boston Americans/Rivers, 06/2009, D, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Walpole, Mass.
One of MacDonald's best assets is her confidence with the puck. She's unafraid to take chances and make any play. She also has a strong shot. On the weekend, she had six points (four goals) in six games.
All of the above was on display on several goals (outside of the beauty she scored in the finals). Against the Junior Warriors on Friday, MacDonald scored a terrific goal to tie it up before the Americans pulled away, picking up the puck in a reverse behind the net and skating the length of the ice. She curled behind the net back to the top of the point and fired a wrister from out high that had eyes. She scored a similar goal for key insurance in the quarterfinals against the Junior Eagles, curling at the top of the umbrella, getting the goalie moving and putting a quick release off the left post and in.
Maggie Chudzinski
Boston Junior Eagles/Dexter Southfield, 4/3/2010, F, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
Chudzinski was the best player on the ice in the Eagles' overtime loss to the Islanders on Friday. She was confident and excelled at skating the puck through the neutral zone, and she made plays at both ends of the rink. She had a textbook breakup of a 2-on-1, clogging the passing lane and taking away space from the puck carrier. Later, she did everything but score, weaving through defenders for a 2-on-1 with Lydia Kealty (Norfolk, Mass.), dangling the goalie and trying to slip it home from a tough angle.
MASS. STATE TOURNAMENT: 9 uncommitted 19U standouts | 9 standout 16U forwards
Chyna Taylor
Lovell Academy, 7/10/2009, D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Louisville, KY
NCAA: Wisconsin
Taylor's skillset needs no introduction. Nevertheless, she had a ridiculous weekend, scoring over two points per game and leading the tournament in scoring with 13 points (seven goals) in six games. She got pucks through from distance and showcased elite speed and edges, which made her a force in transition.
Taylor scored some highlight-reel goals, including a go-ahead tally with one second left in the first in Saturday's quarterfinals versus the Warriors. In what looked to be a broken play with time expiring, Lovell worked the puck to her at the right dot. Taylor changed the angle and ripped a wrister top shelf, literally popping the water bottle. In the semis against the Wizards, Taylor scored in a fast break off a defensive zone face-off, getting around a defender in alone and chipping one bar down.
Lexi Drevitch
NAHA, 2009, D, left shot, 5-2
Hometown: Middleboro, Mass.
Drevitch impressed with her slick skating and ability to make plays in transition. Against the Islanders on Saturday, she made a nice cutback inside her blue line on a regroup, shaking a forechecker and opening a skating lane the other way. She scored on Friday against the Junior Warriors, jumping into the rush and burying a rebound on a drive to the net as the trailer.
Chloe Rabazzi
Boston Junior Eagles/Dexter Southfield, 2010, D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Burlington, Mass.
Rabazzi's ability to effectively hold the blue line and make good pinches in the offensive zone was on display, particularly against the Islanders. She had one dominant shift in particular when it felt like the Islanders went at least 0-for-5 trying to get the puck out on her side. Rabazzi did a great job of using her reach and frame, cutting off forwards, winning battles and hemming the Islanders in.
NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT:Â Who won the 16U and 19U regional titles?
Camryn Wild
Valley Junior Warriors/Phillips Exeter, 01/2009, D, right shot, 5-9
Hometown: Arvada, Colo.
Wild was stout defensively for the Junior Warriors, and she made some good plays in the quarterfinals against Lovell on Saturday before the score got out of hand. She had two excellent poke checks defending 1-on-1 rushes against Taylor and Aubryn Monter. Wild did a good job of tying up Annabelle Lovell (Hingham, Mass.) in front of the net to prevent a clean one-timer in a bang-bang play to the slot. Wild also scored a pair of goals on the weekend.
Rylie Choi
East Coast Wizards/Phillips Exeter, 7/30/2010, D, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Orange County, Calif.
Choi was effective with her stick defending transition. She made a great play against Lovell in the semifinals, breaking up Taylor's rush and forcing her to the corner. Choi then tied her up in the battle as the Wizards won the loose puck.
Nicole Sciarretta
Boston Junior Eagles/Deerfield, 02/2009, D, left shot, 506
Hometown: Dix Hills, N.Y.
Sciarretta made a ton of heads-up plays throughout the weekend, and she was especially impressive in a thrilling loss against the Islanders on Friday, finishing with a goal and an assist. She smartly spun off from pressure before chipping the puck into space with the Eagles hemmed in, and she later made a great effort to get back and break up a potential breakaway. Sciarretta also scored a beauty to send it to overtime, sniping a quick shot off the bar and in after Teagan Beigel (Natick, Mass.) won another face-off.
GIRLS PREP BREAKOUT CANDIDATES: 24 forwards | 22 defenders | 8 goalies
