That's a wrap on the girls prep hockey season.
The season came down to Loomis Chaffee and Phillips Andover, two teams that began the season in the top five of our preseason rankings and two teams I picked to meet in the championship during our season preview podcast.
Loomis got it done in the end. The Pelicans rolled past Cushing, 7-2, in the quarterfinals before shutting down BB&N, 4-0, in the semis.
The championship was a thriller. After Loomis opened a quick 3-0 lead, it looked like they were headed for another high-flying win, but Andover battled back and gave them a hell of a fight. The Pelicans survived a wild third period to take a 5-3 win.
Various players throughout the tournament had outstanding showings. Let’s dive into this year’s Chuck Vernon Elite 8 All-Tournament team and MVP.
Most Valuable Player: Lindsay Stepnowski
Stepnowski's (South Glastonbury, Conn.) career season continued in the tournament, finishing with seven points (six goals) in three games. After a hat trick against No. 7 Cushing in the quarterfinals, Stepnowski came through with a pair of goals in the semifinals against No. 6 BB&N. The Harvard commit capped things off with a goal and an assist in the championship. Stepnowski went top shelf from the left dot on the power play to make it 2-0 in the first. The Pelicans' leading scorer, she drove the offense each game.
All-Elite 8 Team
Forward: Lindsay Stepnowski, Loomis Chaffee
Never a doubt.
CHAMPS: Loomis survives Andover in Elite 8 | Deerfield blanks Tabor in Large School | New Hampton three-peats in Small School
Forward:Â Emily Mara, Phillips Andover
Mara (Winchester, Mass.), Andover's leading scorer, left everything out there for the Big Blue, putting up two points in each of their three tournament games. She set up both of Andover's goals in their 2-1 upset of No. 4 Nobles in the quarterfinals. She scored a pair in the semifinals upset of No. 1 Williston. The Boston College soccer commit took a beating in the championship, but managed to earn assists on the Big Blue's first two goals.
Forward:Â Megan Duplantie, Loomis Chaffee
There were a couple other Loomis forwards who could have taken this last spot, especially Chloe Obser, but after scoring in all three tournament games, Duplantie took it. The postgrad gave the Pelicans a major advantage on their second line with Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.). Duplantie finished with three goals and five points in three tournament games. She had a three-point game with a goal and two assists against Cushing in the quarterfinals before adding another goal against BB&N in the semis. In Sunday's championship, the Union commit scored with a perfect shot from the slot, picking the top left corner to ice the win for Loomis.
Defense: Megan Hosman, Loomis Chaffee
Hosman finished with four assists in three Elite 8 games, picking up a pair in the quarterfinals and the championship. She was terrific at both ends on Sunday, effectively running the power play and playing strong defense. She set up Obser's opening tally in the final with a good wrist shot from the point that Obser got a stick on. Hosman then set up Stepnowski's power play goal. The Penn State commit shouldered a heavy defensive workload in the third period with Loomis in penalty trouble (they finished with 12 total and five in the third).
PREP BRACKETS: Girls Elite 8 | Girls Large School | Girls Small School | Boys Elite 8 | Boys Large School | Boys Small School
Defense:Â Catie Collins, Loomis Chaffee
Collins (South Burlington, Vt.) put a bow on a strong career at Loomis with an assist in each of the three Elite 8 contests. On Sunday, she helped set up Bella Zolezzi's second of the game with a slick keep and backhand dish at the point. Collins was in and out of the box in the third period on Sunday, but it followed dominant showings in all three zones against BB&N and Cushing. She finished her season with career-highs in assists (15) and points (17).
Goalie: Adeline Roper, Loomis Chaffee
Roper (Kennebunk, Maine) was fantastic all season for the Pelicans, and it continued in the Elite 8. After taking a .944 save percentage into the tournament, Roper made 28 saves against Cushing before pitching a 25-save shutout against BB&N. She was just as busy, if not more, in the championship. Roper made an array of high-quality saves in key spots as Andover tried to mount a comeback against Loomis. It took a rebound goal, a deflection and a ton of traffic in front for the Big Blue to beat her. She saved her best for last, making a phenomenal kick save in the closing seconds on Caroline Averill's (Wayland, Mass.) rebound bid in front. It was the save of the game.
