The 20th edition of the Atlantic Hockey Association is sure to be a memorable one, with 10 teams vying for a conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament. American International has been the recent cream of the crop, winning three straight AHA crowns. The Yellow Jackets again are the team to … [Read more...]
Neil Shea gearing up for leadership role with Sacred Heart
When a skater is in a slump, he typically needs to see a puck go in to snap out of it. That’s what happened for Neil Shea in his first season at Sacred Heart. After a disappointing two years at Northeastern, the Marshfield, Mass., native arrived to the Fairfield, Conn., campus with little … [Read more...]
10 things to watch in girls prep school hockey in new season
The NEPSAC postseason was as competitive as ever this past spring, and there will be plenty of teams and players to follow when the puck drops this winter. From the top returners to teams primed to vie for championships, here are some of the top storylines for the upcoming NEPSAC season. Austin … [Read more...]
Austin Prep ready to tackle the challenge of joining NEPSAC
Ask anyone in the Austin Prep athletics department about the decision to compete in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council this fall, and the word challenge keeps popping up. There’s no denying that making the leap to the prep level is a massive adjustment. Yet Cougars girls coach … [Read more...]
How Rivers stacked up momentum all the way to a NEPSAC championship
In the NEPSAC Small School tournament semifinal on March 5, Rivers coach Courtney Sheary watched her team score a goal that coaches dream of. In overtime against top-seeded Dexter Southfield, freshman Lindsay Morin drove the net hard on a zone entry, screening the goaltender and pulling the Dexter … [Read more...]
How BB&N girls went from 2-7-2 start to NEPSAC champions
At one point in January, the Buckingham Browne & Nichols Knights were just 2-7-2. With 17 freshmen and sophomores on the roster, many of the girls needed time to adjust to NEPSAC competition. Knights coach Ed Bourget and his staff challenged the girls to keep working hard and not stress the results. … [Read more...]
Girls prep: Mainers Bella Schifano, Abbey Agrodnia boosting Frederick Gunn
As early as eighth grade, Bella Schifano knew she wanted to play prep school hockey. It wasn’t until her sophomore year at South Portland High School in Maine that Schifano realized which prep school she wanted to attend. Her former high school teammate, Abbey Agrodnia, had transferred to Frederick … [Read more...]
High school girls: Players to watch around the region this winter
John Findley has been around high school girls hockey for nearly two decades. As Notre Dame Academy’s head coach, he can’t help but notice the surplus of talent on the ice these days. “Girls hockey has just gotten so much better over the past five to 10 years,” Findley said. “I just see them all, … [Read more...]
Girls prep: Key players to watch for as the new season commences
In March 2020, Valerie Bono's Cushing Academy team reached a happy ending to the last full season of prep hockey in New England. The Penguins capped the regular season with five wins in six games and then beat the top three seeds to win the first-ever NEPSAC Small title on the girls side. Everyone … [Read more...]
Sacred Heart, AIC making things interesting in Atlantic
Sometimes the catalyst for a team’s success is simply extra motivation. Last season, the morning after Sacred Heart lost a three-game quarterfinal series to RIT in the Atlantic Hockey tournament, Pioneers head coach C.J. Marottolo got a phone call from Jason Cotton. The senior forward couldn’t stand … [Read more...]
New Atlantic overtime format could shake up the standings
Not everyone involved in Atlantic Hockey is a fan of the conference’s new overtime protocol, which now involves a 3-on-3 extra period and a shootout on top of a standard 5-on-5 overtime period. Army head coach Brian Riley counts himself as one of those naysayers. That being said, Riley admits the … [Read more...]
American International coach Eric Lang lifts team to Atlantic Hockey crown
When Eric Lang first returned to American International’s campus as head coach in 2016, he stressed a “crawl, walk, run” approach. Senior captain Shawn McBride remembers hearing that mantra consistently when he was a sophomore. “It speaks to how he wanted to do things, how he wanted to change … [Read more...]
