LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Plenty of future collegiate and professional women's hockey stars were on the ice in Lake Placid this past week.
Forty-six of the best players in the nation from the 2008 through 2010 birth years took to the ice at the Olympic Center for USA Hockey's Under-18 Women's National Festival. In total, there were seven New Englanders on the U18 camp roster, including seven forwards and six defenders.
Just by being there, each player boosted their stock, regardless of whether they already have college commitments.
I made the drive to the Adirondacks to catch the final leg of the camp, taking in Thursday's and Friday's games. Last year, I looked at just the New Englanders. This year, I focused on everyone.
The camp, which ran in conjunction with USA Hockey's Women's National Team Festival, was also part of the selection process for the Under-18 women’s national team roster for the three-game U18 Series against Canada, which begins Wednesday in Lake Placid. Eight New Englanders made the U18 Series roster.
Here are the defenders and goalies who stood out. We broke down 13 forwards who impressed in a separate story earlier this week.
Maggie Averill
Phillips Andover, 4/3/09, D, right shot, 5-11
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Averill was terrific toward the end of Thursday's game, eventually scoring the game-winner. After a nice defensive effort to break up Lindsay Stepnowski's (South Glastonbury, Conn.) rush in overtime, Averill hustled to crash the net as the rush went the other way, redirecting Alaina Gnetz's centering feed on her backhand. It came after she and Gnetz nearly combined on another 2-on-1 early in OT. Averill also had a great play toward the end of regulation, curling away from a forechecker to protect the puck before finding Zahra Nauhaus for an outlet, which led to a good scoring chance and an offensive zone draw. Defensively, Averill's size, strength and high compete helped her make an impact.
WOMEN'S NATIONAL FESTIVAL: 13 forwards who stood out during U18 camp
Chyna Taylor
Lovell Academy, 7/10/09, D, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
NCAA: Wisconsin
Taylor missed Thursday's game but didn't miss a beat at all on Friday. She was active from the start, and she was flying in the third period in particular. The recent Wisconsin commit played with high pace and made quick decisions, identifying outlets on regroups and skating lanes in transition. She consistently activated in the play, which led to good pressure for her team.
Emma Cerruti
Shattuck-St. Mary's, 2/11/08, D, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Norwell, Mass.
NCAA: Wisconsin
Cerruti was quietly strong throughout both Thursday and Friday's games. She played a steady, smart game in all three zones, making quick decisions with the puck on breakouts, regroups and at the point. In the offensive zone, she was particularly strong at funneling pucks toward the net and middle ice, and she didn't waste any time with the puck on her stick. Her experience was evident.
Mae Steigerwald
Gilmour Academy, 12/3/08, G, catches left, 5-10
Hometown: Lakewood, Ohio
Steigerwald was sensational on Friday, and she was the biggest reason her side came away with a 1-0 win, despite facing heavy pressure in the defensive zone all game. She was calm and poised in the crease, and she saw the puck well from the start, tracking it through bodies in front. Through two periods, she had 25 saves and had 35 through the end of the third and overtime. Steigerwald made a handful of tremendous saves. The first was an unbelievable sprawling stop to her left to rob Talla Hansen at the far post on a bang-bang play in front. She later stoned Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) on a 2-on-1.
WOMEN’S RECRUITING: 2007 commitments | 2008 commitments | 2009 commitments
In the third, Steigerwald made another fantastic save, this time on Emily Pohl after she got a step on everyone and walked in alone, toe-dragging and trying to go to her backhand. Steigerwald read her the whole way and made the save. She came through again in the closing seconds of regulation, flat-out robbing Hansen's point-blank one-timer on a 2-on-0 with Jane Daley off a turnover out high. It had to have been the Save of the Week, and she went on to finish with a 36-save shutout.
Addy McLay
Hill-Murray School, 6/9/08, D, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Hastings, Minn.
McLay was one of the better defenders on the ice during both games. She had strong instincts in the offensive zone and anticipated well. On Thursday, she made a great play to cut off the high forward on the breakout, intercepting the pass along the boards and putting another shot on net. It continued a lengthy shift of sustained pressure in the attacking zone. She later scored to finish a pretty play. It started with a slick cut-back in the defensive zone to shake the forechecker before going D-to-D to open up the far side. McLay trailed the rush down ice, driving the net and burying June Semling's feed. On Friday, one of McLay's best plays came early on, stopping the rush dead in its tracks along the boards after some good physicality to knock the puck carrier off balance.
Bianca Birrittieri
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, 3/25/08, G, catches left, 5-7
Hometown: Flower Mound, Texas
NCAA: Providence
Birrittieri was just as good as Steigerwald at the other end on Friday, despite a lighter workload in the first two periods. The pressure picked up in the third, and she met it head-on, making 13 saves in the final frame after just three in the second. She made a fantastic save on Nauhaus in a 2-on-1 with Sydney Stoughton, shouldering away Stoughton's initial bid before making a sprawling kick save on Nauhaus' rebound bid. Birrittieri played more than well enough to win, finishing with 29 saves. The lone goal she let up was on a breakaway in overtime.
NOTABLE COMMITS:Â Maggie Averill, Annabelle Lovell land college commitments
Sloane Hartmetz
Shattuck-St. Mary's, 2/8/08, D, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Phoenixville, Pa.
NCAA: Minnesota
During both Thursday and Friday, Hartmetz was a strong complement on McLay's right side as the two made for a strong pairing. Hartmetz was shifty at the point. She was constantly in motion out high, making herself available for low-to-high plays and high cycles. She also did a good job of changing angles to open shooting lanes and putting quick shots on net.
Mirella Martinelli
Tabor, 3/28/09, D, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: North Providence, R.I.
Martinelli got better and more assertive from Thursday to Friday. She was strong defending in transition, keeping good gaps, doing a good job of reading the forwards' hands and anticipating where they were going. It led to a strong shot block against Stepnowski early on. Martinelli also came up with a block on a close-range slap shot from Addy McLay late in regulation with the score still at 0-0. One of Martinelli's best plays of the day came when she intercepted a stretch pass from Taylee Manion. It was a great read to cut off the pass and prevent a potential breakaway after her side got caught in a change.
Taylee Manion
Proctor/Hermantown High, 11/12/09, D, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Hermantown, Minn.
Manion had some strong reads on breakouts and on regroups, including a fantastic almost-stretch pass on Friday that nearly sprung a breakaway before Martinelli intercepted it at the last second. Retrieving a loose puck behind her net, Manion threw on the brakes to lose the forechecker. It completely opened up the ice amidst a change, and she made a heads-up stretch pass that looked to be perfectly timed until Martinelli came flying in at the last second to break it up.
