Few teams were hotter than Dexter Southfield at the end of last season.
After a 3-6-0 start, they went 11-4-1 and reached the Large School championship as the No. 3 seed. They came close to winning it all, too, falling to No. 4 BB&N in a 1-0 shutout.
"At the beginning of last year, we were struggling a little bit," Dexter coach Maggie Taverna said. "We were 1-5 coming out of the [Dexter Southfield Holiday] Tournament in December, and the kids were a little nervous. We kind of had a meeting and just talked about leadership and who's going to be the person that brings the team together and from that success will ensue. That's what happened."
Leadership will be key for this year's team. Last season, co-captain Grace Lynch (West Roxbury, Mass.) was the lone senior on the roster. Dexter brings back five seniors and eight juniors, each with critical experience from last season's ups and downs.
"Grace was kind of on an island by herself, being the only senior, but the juniors stepped up, really showed their leadership and helped Grace a lot last year," Taverna said. "We now have 13 upperclassmen this year. Yes, you do have captains and what not, but at the same time, every upperclassmen is a leader because their all veterans. If this core of 13 kids can be inclusive of the younger athletes, be inclusive of each other and have a seriousness of purpose and a singular goal in mind, they're going to have success."
Just a season removed from an Elite 8 berth, Dexter still maintains lofty goals on and off the ice.
