We’re coming up on the busiest stretch of the girls prep hockey season — the postseason.
So far this season, the parity in the NEPSAC has been off the charts. Anyone can beat anyone, and that was none truer at the holiday tournaments.
At the Harrington, St. Paul’s handed Williston Northampton its first loss since December 2021, while Loomis Chaffee caught fire at the Odden to topple Andover.
Here’s a look at what we’ve learned so far this season, and what we’ll be looking for before a champion is crowned on March 3.
As good as advertised
1. The contending teams so far: Going into the season, Williston Northampton, Phillips Andover, Tabor, Nobles and Kent, among others, were all at or near the top of our rankings. That remains the case after the first half of the season.
Nobles is one of few teams to have wire-to-wire dominance so far. Meanwhile, Williston, Andover, Kent and Tabor have taken their lumps at various times, but each has gobs of elite talent and depth. There’s plenty of hockey left for these teams to prove themselves, and for others, like Loomis Chaffee, to continue to enter the fold.
2. Morgan McGathey: There was a ton of hype around McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) entering the season, and she’s lived up to it so far for Thayer. The junior captain has put up nearly a goal per game with 12 tallies to go along with 20 total points in 13 games this season. McGathey was also over a point per game in Team USA's run to a gold medal at the U18 Women's World Championship.
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The Harvard commit is a dominant player. She’s a powerful, dynamic skater with an elite release. McGathey plays in all situations for the Tigers and can flat-out take over shifts and games at any given moment.
3. Tina Scalese: Speaking of hype, Groton coach Tim LeRoy called Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) a “program changer” heading into the season. It’s no wonder why.
The sophomore is on track to lead the Zebras in scoring for the third straight season. She's put up over two points per game with 14 goals and 25 points in 12 games. Beating last year’s career-high 42 points isn’t out of the question at all.
Scalese drives the play every time she’s on the ice. She has elite vision and patience with the puck, plays above her size and is always looking to get to grade-A ice.
Three things that have surprised us so far
1. Nobles’ dominance: We knew the Bulldogs were going to be good ahead of the season, but we didn’t know they were going to be this good. Noble and Greenough School is 13-0-1 with a plus-56 goals differential. They've allowed fewer than two goals in 10 of 14 games with eight shutouts. Tom Resor’s group is determined to deliver another strong run in his final season.
It all starts with Nobles’ supremely effective forecheck and stout defense, headlined by Sophia Levering (Westwood, Mass.), Olivia Maffeo (Canton, Mass.), Ainsley Gray (Wellesley, Mass.) and Jaime Griswold (Concord, Mass.).
2. How packed the race for the Elite 8 is: There are 10 to 12 teams, at least, that have legitimate cases to make for being in the top tournament come March. Outside of the top contenders mentioned above, there’s Loomis. The Pelicans recovered from an up-and-down start to put itself right back into the mix. St. Paul’s remains strong after toppling Williston last month.
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Meanwhile, teams that might have been overlooked at the start of the season, such as Westminster, Deerfield and New Hampton, have burst out of the gates to garner well-deserved attention. Thayer and Groton have also played at a high level.
3. Violet Carroll’s success on defense: A Milton, Mass., native, Williston Northampton’s Carroll made up one-third of the Wildcats’ top line last season, a lethal trio that combined for 132 points. So far because of injuries, Williston has needed Carroll on the blue line. She played some defense as a freshman, and the transition back in her junior season has been flawless.
Through 12 games she has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists). In the defensive end, she has maintained strong gaps and good stick positioning. Offensively, Carroll boasts a lethal shot from the point to go along with terrific skating and vision when carrying the puck up ice.
Three questions for the stretch run
1. Which under-the-radar teams can keep it up? New Hampton came out firing with some impressive results, including a tie with Nobles, a win over St. Paul’s and a tie with Thayer. Save for some tests with Andover, SPS and Tabor, the Huskies’ schedule sets up nicely for a late run.
Westminster’s tests with Williston, Tabor and Loomis over the next month will tell us a lot about the Martlets. Choate and Exeter had terrific starts, but their schedules get significantly tougher down the stretch. Meanwhile, Deerfield has surged, boasting big wins over Loomis and New Hampton. But it has one of the toughest schedules from the end of January through February. Loomis, Westminster, SPS, Williston, Andover and more are waiting.
2. Who can continue their breakout seasons? Some of the season’s biggest breakout performers include Williston’s Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.), Westminster’s Bella Zapata, SPS’ Maude Niemann (Weston, Conn.), Thayer’s Abby DeAnzeris (Needham, Mass.) and Nobles’ Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.) and Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.).
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Niemann, Brown and Hulbig already have either matched or beaten their goal totals from last season. They're tracking to easily set career highs in points. Brown and Hulbig have been huge reasons for Nobles’ success, too. Daley and Zapata have been impactful play-drivers on their respective top lines. Meanwhile, DeAnzeris has sparked a ton of offense from Thayer’s blue line, adding another weapon in addition to McGathey.
Elsewhere, Tilton’s Morgan Brady (Middleboro, Mass.) and Austin Prep’s Lexi MacKinnon (Burlington, Mass.) have had no trouble adjusting from the MIAA to the prep ranks.
3. Can Williston Northampton make it three in a row? Williston took a gut punch at the Harrington Tournament, suffering its first loss in two years in a defeat to St. Paul’s. A day later, Westminster took the Wildcats to a tie. But Christa Talbot Syfu’s team responded strongly. They beat a tough Groton team with Monique Lyons’ (Bedford, Mass.) late game-winner before a 7-1 drubbing of Tabor.
The Wildcats quickly squelched doubts of whether or not they would be just fine. Between Lyons, Carroll, Daley, Nora Curtis, Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.), Liv Ferebee and more, Williston has tons of talent. Experience and depth are most important when the postseason rolls around, and this team has plenty of both.
Key dates:
Feb. 25 — Tournament fields announced
Feb. 28 — Quarterfinals
March 2 — Semifinals
March 3 — Finals at Noble & Greenough School
