Girls MIAA hockey is in full force after the season's first few weeks. With that, it's a great time for our first in-season top 10 for 2023-24.
St. Mary's hasn't missed a beat from last year's dominant regular season, nor has defending Division 2 champion Duxbury. Malden Catholic has been battled tested early on, and the Lancers have passed with flying colors.
The bulk of the upcoming schedule will see several stalwarts square off in head-to-head matchups, whether during holiday tournaments or league play. Among the marquee events on the schedule is the Tenney Cup, which will continue on Friday, Dec. 29, before the championship and consolation on Monday, Jan. 1. That tournament sees Duxbury, Hingham, Notre Dame (Hingham) and Bishop Feehan face off at the Bog in Kingston, Mass.
Unlike our preseason rankings, we're going to incorporate Division 2 into the top 10. With all that in mind, let's dive in.
1. St. Mary's
Preseason rank: 2
Head coach: Frank Pagliucia
Record: 5-0-1
Next game: at Arlington Catholic, Jan. 6, 2:40 p.m.
Any concerns about the Spartans retooling after losing nine seniors have been squashed. SMH burst out of the gates with signature wins over Notre Dame (Hingham) and Lincoln-Sudbury. Four of the Spartans' five wins have been shutouts, too. Freshman forward Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.) and eighth-grade defender Vanessa Hall (Saugus, Mass.) have been dominant for SMH. Hall's two goals powered St. Mary's to a comeback 5-5 tie with Pope Francis on Wednesday. SMH trailed 4-0 in the second and 5-1 in the third.
STANDOUTS: 8 players who impressed in St. Mary's win over NDA (Hingham)
2. Duxbury
Preseason rank: NR
Head coach: Dan Najarian
Record: 3-0-0
Next game: vs. Bishop Feehan, Dec. 29, 7:20 p.m.
The Dragons have had a tremendous start, picking up a pair of huge D1 wins over Hingham and Whitman Hanson-Silver Lake on top of a big victory over Archies. Dan Najarian's group has a 17-2 scoring differential through three games, hanging seven on the board twice. Goaltender Anna McGinty and forward Maddie Greenwood have picked right up where they left off from last season, too. They continue the Tenney Cup against Bishop Feehan.
3. Malden Catholic
Preseason rank: NR
Head coach: Â Alexa Hingston
Record: 4-0-0
Next game: vs. Bishop Fenwick, Dec. 28, 2:10 p.m.
The Lancers have come out firing, looking to make a big leap from last year's 11-10-2 marker. They already have some big wins over Bishop Feehan, PLNR and Pope Francis to go along with a dominant 6-0 showing against Chevrus. MC has a 15-2 differential through their first four games, thanks in part to senior forward Antonia DiZoglio (Wilmington, Mass.) and junior defender Ava Baker (North Reading, Mass.). Both goaltenders, senior Taylor Daley (Malden, Mass.) and junior Megan Mullarky (Charlestown, Mass.), have been strong, too.
4. Notre Dame (Hingham)
Preseason rank: 3
Head coach: John Findlay
Record: 3-1-1
Next game: vs. Archbishop Williams, Dec. 29, 5:20 p.m.
The Cougars came out hot with a 3-0 shutout of Canton before a big 7-1 win over Pembroke. They've had an up-and-down 1-1-1 run since, falling to St. Mary's, 2-0, before a bounce-back win over Milton, 5-0, and a scoreless tie with Braintree. Senior goalie Ava Larkin (Canton, Mass.) has had a strong start, while junior forward Sarah White (Hanover, Mass.) and senior defender Sarah Francis (Scituate, Mass.) continue to do their thing. Sophomore Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.) has stepped in flawlessly on the top line.
5. Shrewsbury
Preseason rank: 1
Head coach: Frank Panarelli
Record: 2-1-2
Next game: at Methuen/Tewksbury, Jan. 10, 5 p.m.
The defending Division 1 champions have had a tough slate to start with tight games each time out, holding a 6-5 differential. The Colonials have yet to top two goals in a game, but senior goalie Marissa Montoya is right back to her dominant form that lifted Shrewsbury to last year's title. Bridget McLaughlin, Nat MacCausland and Lauren Albertson have had solid individual starts. The Colonials next face another stiff test in Methuen/Tewksbury after tying Boston Latin and dropping the shootout in the Michael Giordano Christmas Classic.
HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS:Â Click or tap here to see what happened in every girls prep holiday tournament
6. Hingham
Preseason rank: 5
Head coach: Courtney Turner
Record: 3-1-0
Next game: vs. Braintree, Dec. 29, 3:20 p.m.
The Harborwomen bounced back from a 3-1 loss to Duxbury with back-to-back shutouts. They first knocked off Weymouth, 4-0, before a tight 1-0 affair against Bishop Feehan to open the Tenney Cup. Caroline Doherty continues to fill the scoresheet. She scored the lone goal against Feehan after a pair versus Weymouth. Shea Richardson has had a terrific start on the top defensive pair as well.
7. Lincoln-Sudbury
Preseason rank: NR
Head coach: Paul Hardy
Record: 3-1-1
Next game: vs. Boston Latin, Dec. 30, 11 a.m.
The Warriors got their season going with an impressive 3-0 win over Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover another pair of big results. LS first knocked off Billerica/Chelmsford, 3-1, before a 1-1 tie with Shrewsbury. They stumbled against St. Mary's, though, as most have so far. Harper Friedholm has been fantastic with seven points to start, picking up her 100th career point against Billerica-Chelmsford. Lauren Kennedy has been the Warriors' rock in net, too.
8. Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading
Preseason rank: 6
Head coach: Michelle Roach
Record: 4-1-0
Next game: vs. Newburyport, Jan. 3, 5:15 p.m.
The Tanners are fresh off a massive win over Winthrop, 2-1, thanks to goals from two of their biggest contributors, junior Ava Buckley (Peabody, Mass.) and Catie Kampersal (Peabody, Mass.). PLNR opened their year with a pair of wins before falling to MC, 2-0. They've bounced back with two straight wins, though. Alyse Mutti (North Reading, Mass.) has been as stingy as ever in net, coming through against Winthrop. She has two shutouts and has yet to allow more than one goal in any start (the second goal for MC was an empty-netter).
9. Methuen/Tewksbury
Preseason rank: 8
Head coach: Dave O’Hearn
Record: 4-1-0
Next game: at Central Catholic, Dec. 30, 7 p.m.
Methuen/Tewksbury has had a terrific start, knocking off Andover, Beverly/Danvers/Ipswich and HPNA. They've won three straight after falling, 1-0, to Westford Academy. MJ Petisce (Methuen, Mass.) remains one of the best defenders in the state, and leading scorer Breena Lawrence (Methuen, Mass.) has been strong out of the gates. Five different skaters found the back of the net against Framingham in their 5-0 win on Wednesday.
10. Burlington
Preseason rank: NR
Head coach: Richard Sheehan
Record: 4-0-0
Next game: vs. Belmont, Dec. 28, 11 a.m.
The Red Devils have rattled off four straight wins to open the season with a 13-3 scoring margin so far. Captain Shea McDonald has had a great start offensively. She came through with the game-winner in their overtime win over Falmouth last time out. After facing Belmont on Thursday, Burlington will take on MC in a massive New Year's Eve test.
In the hunt:Â HPNA (2-2-0), Winthrop (4-1-0), Pope Francis (2-2-1), Boston Latin (5-1-1), Canton (4-1-0)
