Talk about getting hot at the right time.
That's what happened for BB&N and Dexter Southfield in the second half of the season. Each struggled out of the gates but went on a tear in the second half, reaching the Large School championship.
On Sunday, it was No. 4 BB&N who stayed hot. They shut out No. 3 Dexter, 1-0, to claim the NEPSAC girls Large School title.
Aleksa Caron (Dracut, Mass.) was sensational in net for the Knights, preserving the lead after Savana Littlewood (Braintree, Mass.) scored four minutes into the game.
Each of BB&N's previous two tournament wins was by one goal, too.
They came back to upset No. 1 Choate, 2-1, on the road in the semifinals. Bowdoin commit Meg Britt (Arlington, Mass.) tied it in the third before Harvard commit Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) won it in overtime. In the quarterfinals, the Knights also erased a 1-0 deficit against No. 5 Thayer, outlasting the Tigers in a 3-2 win. Yale commit Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.) scored a pair in the second, and Anika Singh (Lexington, Mass.) scored the eventual game-winner in the third.
The title run capped off a 16-10-4 season for Ed Bourget's group, who went 4-6-2 out of the gates before a 12-4-2 run to close the year.
CHAMP RECAPS: Nobles wins Elite 8 | BB&N takes Large School title | New Hampton repeats in Small School
Let's dive into this year's Patsy Odden Large School All-Tournament team and MVP.
Most Valuable Player: Alexsa Caron
Caron was outstanding for BB&N down the stretch, especially in the tournament. She was strong in a 3-2 quarterfinal win over Thayer before helping the Knights come back to beat top-seeded Choate in the semifinals. Her signature performance, however, was in her championship shutout of a deep, potent Dexter offense that had entered the game averaging 4.67 goals in its previous three. She made 33 saves, helping BB&N defend its lead over 46 minutes of elapsed time. The Stonehill commit was poised, sound in her movements and rarely gave Dexter rebound opportunities. It was especially important in the second and beginning of the third when Dexter poured chances on. Her playoff run capped off a year in which she had a career-high .95 save percentage in the regular season.
All-Large School Team
Forward: Savana Littlewood, BB&N
Littlewood came through in the clutch on multiple occasions for the Knights. The junior had a big-time shift in the lead-up to her goal in Sunday's championship. She went to work on the forecheck fresh off the bench, winning a 50-50 puck to the side of the net before starting the cycle. She rotated to the slot before getting a feed from Singh and putting a perfect backhander top shelf. In the quarterfinals, she assisted Singh's goal to make it 3-1, critical insurance before Thayer cut it to 3-2 late. Littlewood made a nice move to skate the puck into the slot before slipping a backhand feed to Singh at the top of the crease.
ALL-ELITE 8: Who made the All-Tournament team in the girls Elite 8?
Forward:Â Hannah Weyerhaeuser, BB&N
Weyerhaeuser missed most of the season due to injury. When she returned down the stretch, she made an immediate impact for the Knights. Her two goals in the second period of the quarterfinals against Thayer put BB&N up 2-1 after they fell behind early. She used her speed to her advantage on both, scoring the first on a wraparound and the second with a backhander on a fast break, turning defense into offense. The junior was one of the Knights' more dangerous skaters in the final, but couldn't crack Dexter goalie Annabelle Aitken (Winchester, Mass.)
Forward: Alex Mitsakis, Dexter Southfield
Mitsakis (Winchester, Mass.) was a huge part of Dexter's offensive in the quarterfinals and semifinals. She had a three-point game in the semis with a goal and two assists. Mitsakis pounced on a loose puck and found Maddie Bibeau (South Natick, Mass.) across the slot to make it 2-0. She made it 3-1 late in the second, quickly answering Westminster's tally. She found open ice as the defense lost her, putting herself in a perfect spot to bury a rebound. In the third, she had the secondary assist on Hadley Austin's (Winchester, Mass.) goal to make it 5-1.
Defense: Emi Biotti, BB&N
Biotti came through with the overtime winner against Choate to send BB&N to the finals. She led the rush up ice before scoring with a quick wrist shot from range. Biotti did well on breakouts, making good passes and using her legs when needed. She used her frame and reach in the defensive zone to take away space from puck carriers and kill plays.
BRACKET:Â Click or tap here for all of the results from the girls Large School Tournament
Defense: Maddie Murphy, Dexter Southfield
Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) did it all for Dexter on the blue line. She's a smart, effective puck mover who consistently uses her size and skating ability to her advantage. Offensively, she did an excellent job of getting shots away quickly, through traffic and in spots where teammates could redirect them. She had a goal and an assist in the quarterfinals against Exeter, scoring with a wrist shot from the point to make it 3-0 in the third. The Boston College commit helped open the scoring in the first when Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) tipped in her wrister from the point. In the semis against Westminster, she had a goal and an assist. Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.) tipped in her wrist shot from the point on the power play. In the third, Murphy roofed a wrister from the slot on the power play to make it 4-1.
Goalie:Â Alexsa Caron, BB&N
Naturally.
