Two weeks into the girls prep hockey season, and our rankings have already seen their fair share of turnover.
Some teams are still just starting to get going, while others have found a groove.
Like last week, there's a lot to unpack. Over the weekend, I made the drive to Marion, Mass., to take in Tabor's 2-1 win over Groton on Saturday. That game led to some shakeup in the rankings.
Elsewhere in the top 10, New Hampton makes its first appearance of the season, while Thayer and BB&N moved up after more wins. Loomis Chaffee dropped out after losses in two of three games this past week.
With holiday tournaments beginning this week, there will surely be massive ripple effects across the rankings.
Let’s break down this week's top 10.
1. Williston Northampton (3-0-0)
Previous rank: 1
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: vs. BB&N, Dec. 15, 3:30 p.m. (Harrington Tournament)
The Wildcats kept rolling with a pair of huge wins this week, first knocking off Cushing, 6-1, before a 10-0 drubbing of Hoosac. Eight different skaters found the scoresheet against Cushing, and five had a goal and an assist: Caroline Aufierio (Belmont, Mass.), Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.), Nora Curtis, Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) and Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.). Piekarski had a pair against Hoosac, and Curtis also scored again. They wrapped up the week with a 4-4 scrimmage tie against Northwood. They're back at it in a stacked Harrington Tournament this weekend.
2. Phillips Andover (1-0-0)
Previous rank: 2
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: vs. Tabor, Dec. 14, 9:30 a.m. (Odden Tournament)
Andover finally got their season going in a 4-2 win over Dexter Southfield, who opened the season No. 8 in our rankings. Highly-touted freshman blue-liner Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) earned her first career goal with a one-time blast from the point, picking the top left corner. The Big Blue heads to Taft this weekend to defend it's back-to-back Odden Tournament titles.
3. Tabor (4-0-0)
Previous rank: 4
Head coach: Eric Long
Next game: vs. Andover, Dec. 14, 9:30 a.m. (Odden Tournament)
Tabor ripped off three wins last week. The Seawolves knocked off Rivers, 5-2, before Lawrence, 5-1, and Groton, 2-1. Adeline Paskowski (Plymouth, Mass.) and Juliana Goffredo found the back of the net against Groton in a game that saw a terrific defensive effort from Tabor in the first and third periods. Goffredo continues her hot start, while the top pair of Paskowski and Kaitlin Sullivan (Needham, Mass.) was a force defensively. They face their toughest test yet against Andover in the Odden Tournament.
TAKEAWAYS: 6 observations from Tabor's win over Groton
4. Nobles (3-0-1)
Previous rank: 3
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: vs. Lawrence, Dec. 15, 9:30 a.m. (Harrington Tournament)
Nobles picked up a pair of wins this week, a 4-2 victory over St. Mark's before shutting out Choate, 3-0. The Bulldogs came back from a 2-1 hole against St. Mark's, thanks to a pair of goals from Boston University commit Maddie Krepelka (Arlington, Mass.) and one from Sophia Levering (Westwood, Mass.). Levering had two against Choate before Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) added insurance. They have Lawrence on tap to open the Harrington Tournament.
5. Kent (3-0-0)
Previous rank: 6
Head coach: Sam Ftorek
Next game: vs. Taft, Dec. 14, 9 a.m. (Odden Tournament)
New coach Sam Ftorek and the Lions move up to the top 5, staying undefeated with a 3-1 win over Westminster last Wednesday. Kent scored three unanswered goals to come back for the win. Megan Duplantie continued her torrid start with a pair of goals, while Mia Montanari (East Hampton, Conn.) picked up the eventual game-winner. They'll open the Odden Tournament against hosts Taft after seven off days.
6. St. Paul’s (3-2-0)
Previous rank: 5
Head coach: Kelli Mackey
Next game: vs. Milton, Dec. 15, 1:30 p.m. (Harrington Tournament)
St. Paul's slips to sixth after a 2-1-0 week. Wins over Lawrence, 6-2, and Holdrerness, 3-1, bookended a 4-2 loss to New Hampton. Cami Bell (Barre, Vt.) had five goals and two assists on the three games, including a hat trick and an assist against Lawrence. Ava Hunter (Southampton, Mass.) tacked on a pair late against Lawrence, and Maude Niemann (Weston, Conn.) had a goal against New Hampton and Holderness. In the loss to New Hampton, the Big Red couldn't capitalize on a strong first period and start to the third, falling behind 2-0 early in the second and 3-1 at the start of the third. Kelli Mackey's stars are producing as they head to the Harrington Tournament.
7. Thayer (4-0-1)
Previous rank: 10
Head coach: Brandy Fisher-Bailey
Next game: vs. Kimball Union, Dec. 15, 2 p.m. (Dexter Tournament)
Thayer had a 2-0-1 week with wins over St. George's and Portsmouth Abbey, outscoring them by a combined 8-1 margin, before a 3-3 tie against New Hampton, who made a three-goal comeback on the Tigers. Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) stayed hot with a pair against St. George's, while four different skaters scored against Portsmouth Abbey. They face Kimball Union in the Dexter Southfield Holiday Tournament this weekend.
HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS:Â Full schedules, results for the girls prep holiday tournaments
8. BB&N (3-0-1)
Previous rank: 9
Head coach: Ed Bourget
Next game: vs. Williston Northampton, Dec. 15, 3:30 p.m. (Harrington Tournament)
The Knights went 1-0-1 on the week with a tidy, 1-0 win over Brooks before a 3-3 tie with Deerfield. Senior goalies Aleksa Caron (Dracut, Mass.), a Stonehill commit, and Annabelle Najarian (Duxbury, Mass.) have gotten off to a terrific start as BB&N had shutouts in each of its first three games before Saturday's tie. Ed Bourget's team faces its stiffest test so far when they open the Harrington Tournament against Williston. They have more tough draws against Milton and St. Paul's on Day 2.
9. Groton (3-1-0)
Previous rank: 8
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game:Â vs. Proctor, Dec. 14, 8 p.m. (Watkins Tournament)
The Zebras suffered their first loss of the season in a tough 2-1 result at Tabor on Saturday. Groton had some strong pockets of pressure, especially in the second period, but couldn't break through, save for Keira Ley's (Wayland, Mass.) third-period goal. Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) continued her torrid pace with a goal in their win over Tilton earlier in the week. She was one of the Zebras' best against Tabor, too. They look to get back on track against Proctor in the Watkins Tournament at Cushing.
10. New Hampton (3-0-2)
Previous rank: NR
Head coach: Craig Churchill
Next game: vs. Berkshire, Dec. 14, 6:15 p.m. (Watkins Tournament)
New Hampton has had a tough schedule out of the gates, facing Nobles, Milton, St. Paul's and Thayer in four of their first five games. So far, they've faired really well, going 3-0-2 with wins over Milton, 4-0, and St. Paul's, 4-2, and impressive ties against Nobles, 2-2, and Thayer, 3-3. Their other win was a 4-1 result over Governor's. Against St. Paul's on Friday, UNH commit Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.) had all four goals for the Huskies. Kelsey Baker (Concord, Mass.) and Emma MacPherson (Sandwich, Mass.) have had also strong starts offensively, and Vera Lee has been terrific in goal. It doesn't get any easier for the Huskies as they'll see Groton in the Watkins Tournament. Tabor and BB&N also await after the holiday break.
Dropped out:Â Loomis Chaffee (1-3-0; 7)
