No other prep tournament had a repeat champion this year, except for the Small School bracket.
On Sunday, it was No. 2 New Hampton winning its second straight title. Not only that, but they beat Groton, this year's top seed, for the second season in a row as well. The Huskies won 2-1 this year after winning 3-1 in 2023. It was also the third straight season that New Hampton reached the championship game. In 2022, they fell to Rivers, whom they beat in the semifinals this season.
Craig Churchill's team was one of a few teams hovering around the Elite 8 bubble all season long, finishing 18-6-6.
In the championship against the Zebras, Caroline Thomas was the hero, scoring the game-winning goal in the third period to break the 1-1 tie. In the first, Reese Luber (Norwood, Mass.) opened the scoring on the power play. Vera Lee was at her best down the stretch.
In the semifinals against Rivers, the Huskies dominated from the start, winning 6-1. Luber and Kennedy Walker each scored twice, while Julia Loughlin (Scituate Mass.) had three assists. Drew Hayhurst had a goal and an assist.
CHAMP RECAPS: Nobles wins Elite 8 | BB&N takes Large School title | New Hampton repeats in Small School
Most Valuable Player: Reese Luber
This was a tough call because I'm not sure there's a clear-cut favorite for MVP. Luber, Loughlin and Lee, among others, each have strong cases to make.
I'm going with Luber, though, as she came through offensively in both games. In the semifinals, she made a great read on the power play to crash the net as Loughlin danced toward the crease. She was in a perfect spot to jam in the loose puck for the eventual game-winner, making it 2-1. Later in the second, she made a great read during a bad change for Rivers in transition, leaving a de facto 3-on-3 offensive zone sequence for New Hampton. Luber had all sorts of space to charge into the slot and put home a one-timer to make it 3-1.
In the championship, her connection with Loughlin paid off again. Luber recognized a seam in Groton's penalty kill, skated into open space at the left dot and blasted a one-timer off a perfect pass from Loughlin to make it 1-0 for the Huskies. An uncommitted junior defender, Luber finished with six goals and six assists in her first season at New Hampton. She spent the previous two seasons at Winchendon.
All-Small School Team
Forward:Â Caroline Thomas, New Hampton
Thomas came through with the championship-winning goal with 2:41 left in the third period. She was in the right place at the right time, jamming a feed home at the side of the net. Thomas led a quick regroup for the Huskies, gaining the offensive zone with possession before finding Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan (Wells, Maine). Michaud-Nolan curled around the net before getting tied up in a board battle. She got her stick free to poke the puck toward the front of the net, where Thomas had rotated down for the easy goal.
Forward:Â Julia Loughlin, New Hampton
Loughlin was the catalyst for much of the Huskies' offensive output on Saturday and Sunday, putting up four assists. Three came in the quarterfinals.
ALL-TOURNAMENT: All-Elite 8 team | All-Large School team
The University of New Hampshire commit did it all in the lead-up to Luber's first goal on Saturday. She bounced on a turnover on a failed clearing attempt from Rivers' penalty kill and made two nice moves around to defenders to get into Grade-A ice before the puck found Luber at the far post. Loughlin helped set up both of Walker's power-play goals, too. On the second, she sent a quick, low shot on goal looking for a rebound, which went right to Walker in the slot, and she made no mistake. In the third, Walker redirected Loughlin's shot for the 6-1 final. In the championship, Loughlin was dangerous all game once again. Her pass to set up Luber's goal was perfectly timed and in a perfect spot for Luber to one-time it.
Forward: Tina Scalese, Groton
Any one of Groton's top-liners could have slotted in here, be it Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.), Colgate commit Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) or Jaelyn Trudell (North Andover, Mass.).
Scalese scored the equalizer for the Zebras in the championship and had a pair of assists in their 5-2 semifinal win over Millbrook. She set up Trudell's first goal of the game on the power play, making a great pass through a seam to find her for a one-timer in front. In the second, Scalese zipped a heads-up pass across the ice to Cronan at the left circle. Cronan hit the post, but Trudell was there to put home the rebound. She also picked up the secondary assist on Dani Shyjan's (Westford, Mass.) first-period tally on the power play. Against New Hampton, Scalese and her linemates were again Groton's most dangerous unit. She tied it early in the third after Trudell led her into open space, sending her off to the races in a 1-on-1 on the rush. Scalese set her edges, protected the puck and scored short-side.
Defense:Â Reese Luber, New Hampton
Naturally.
BRACKET: Click or tap here for each result from the girls Small School Tournament
Defense: Drew Hayhurst, New Hampton
Hayhurst, a junior, hadn't scored a goal in her season-plus at New Hampton until she opened the scoring in the semifinal. Michaud-Nolan won an attacking-zone face-off back to Hayhurst, who didn't waste any time and sent a low snap shot on net that found a way in. In the second, she again made a good decision off a won face-off for a low wrist shot. Kelsey Baker (Concord, Mass.) got a piece of it on the way in. Hayhurst didn't find the scoresheet in the championship but was quick in transition and strong in her own end as the Huskies made it difficult for Groton to sustain pressure.
Goalie: Vera Lee, New Hampton
Lee wasn't overly busy in either of her two games, be it the lopsided nature of the semis or New Hampton's defensive performance in front of her during the finals. But she made the saves she needed to make. The UNH commit was at her best as the second period went on and early in the third when Groton generated the most pressure. She recovered nicely from giving up the goal to Scalese, standing tall the rest of the way. As the Zebras pushed for a late equalizer, Lee was poised in the crease, twice stuffing Scalese in tight.
