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 School title on the girls side. Everyone knows what happened next.
Finally, more than 19 months later, Cushing and its regional rivals are set for a "normal" season.
"COVID has made all of us realize how grateful we are to play in a beautiful rink on a beautiful campus against some of the best kids in the country," Bono said. "We didn't lose any players in that timeframe, nobody transferred or went elsewhere, so I think we have Penguins that are well-oiled machines and ready for the season. Getting back this fall was so exciting."
The roster that the Penguins will put on the ice during the 2021-22 season is a shining example of the program's outstanding growth. Only a handful of years after a winless season, Cushing returns all three of its 20-goal scorers from the title-winning team of 2019-20 and expects to roll a full four lines.
All three of the highest-powered Penguins from 2019-20 will play college hockey at Beanpot schools. Mia Langlois and Lily Brazis, who are both All-NEPSAC Small Honorable Mention players, are future Northeastern Huskies, while junior Sammy Taber committed to Boston College following a 25-goal rookie campaign.
Langlois had a team-leading 26 goals and 51 points in 34 games during her sophomore year when she moved from the wing to center.
"Right from the beginning, when I met her at 12 or 13 years old, Mia could put a puck in a teacup," Bono said. "She just has a nose for the net, but she's really developed into a great two-way player. In the offensive zone, she's always in the right places and finds opportunities to score. She and Lily do it better than anybody."
In total, five of Cushing’s seniors are committed to play at the Division 1 level. Goaltender Elle Sullivan, a Shrewsbury (Mass.) High transfer as a sophomore, has signed with Dartmouth. Defenders Shea Frost and Kailey Smith round out the class as BC and Sacred Heart commits, respectively. Taber’s junior classmate Rylie Jones is another Northeastern commit.
Players to Watch
Julia Pellerin, jr. F, New Hampton (N.H.)
It’s safe to say that hockey is in Julia Pellerin’s DNA.
Her father, Scott, won the Hobey Baker Award with the University of Maine in 1992 then enjoyed a solid NHL career. Those are big steps to follow, but Julia has the talent to do so.
Pellerin (Windham, N.H.) has 47 points in the past two years, including nine goals and five assists in nine games last season. The forward has shown promise from a young age, as she committed to Boston College in the seventh grade.
New Hampton coach Craig Churchill says skating and conditioning are Pellerin’s biggest strengths.
“She has a deep tank and skating skills that would make an NHL player jealous,” Churchill said. “She can do things with her edges and stride that many can’t even come close to doing, and because of that she creates so many opportunities for herself and her teammates”
Pellerin has continued working at manipulating defenders and even improving in the defensive zone. Her team-first attitude and mental strength also impact the game.
“I think the true gauge of talent is the effect a player has on her teammates,” Churchill said. “I challenge any coach out there to show me a player that has the same positive impact on her teammates as Julia. She definitely makes those that play with her better.”
Shauna Vadeboncoeur, jr. C, Phillips Exeter (N.H.)
Phillips Exeter Academy didn’t play other schools last season, instead holding a handful of team scrimmages.
Even so, what Vadeboncoeur (Brentwood, N.H.) showed in those scrimmages has Big Red coach Sally Komarek eager to see what the junior forward accomplishes this winter.
“Even in (those scrimmages), Shauna was a star,” Komarek said. “She just made her teammates look better regardless of who she was playing with. She just put up some really unbelievable numbers and was our leading scorer in the games against ourselves.”
Vadeboncoeur transferred to Phillips after racking up 42 goals and 17 assists as a sophomore at Exeter High School. She recently committed to Brown University.
Expect Vadeboncoeur to rely on her quick decision-making to turn heads in the Granite State this season.
“I think her ability to read the play is so impressive,” Komarek said. “She picks her moments well and wisely in terms of when she’s going to utilize her speed or her hands to make a play. That decision-making just helps her capitalize and make really smart plays, whether that’s taking it to the net herself or quite often finding an open teammate.”
Kaley MacDonald, sr., D, Noble and Greenough (Mass.)
The Bulldogs were one of New England's fortunate programs as they played 14 games last year, following up an undefeated (32-0-1), Elite Eight-championship winning season that ended just days before the impacts of the pandemic reached New England.
Throughout it all, MacDonald has proved that she is one of the best defenders to come through the strong Nobles program during Tom Resor's head coaching tenure. Her tenure on the blue line began as a seventh-grader and it will end this winter as a Harvard commit.
"She just has the ability to control a game at both ends of the ice," Resor said. "Her puck skills and vision are just phenomenal. She breaks the puck out, gets it up and makes plays in the offensive zone. She's got a tremendous shot. She does it all, as we're really lucky to have her back there."
An All-ISL player during her sophomore campaign, MacDonald will be a go-to player as the Bulldogs look to overcome the losses of two of their most experienced players in senior forwards Kate Ham (BC) and Sophie Hensley (Harvard) due to injuries.
"I'm really excited for her to have a senior year that will really mean something and that she'll be able to finish her Nobles career the way she should be able to," Resor said.
Kristina Allard, sr. D, St. Paul’s (N.H.)
Kristina Allard could likely play multiple sports at the Division I level.
On the soccer field, the senior is racking up goals for St. Paul’s, as she recently surpassed 80 career points. Allard also holds several school track records.
Allard (Kingston, N.H.) somehow tops those feats on the ice, helping guide St. Paul’s to a NEPSAC Large title in 2020 and earning a Lakes Region All-Star nod last season.
Despite starting on the blue line, Allard was one of St. Paul’s top goal scorers last winter. That’s because Pelicans coach Heather Farrell rarely takes her off the ice.
“She’s very in shape, she’s very fit, and a true competitor,” Farrell said. “She’s playing on the power play, she’s playing penalty kills, the last two minutes of the game we put her on the ice. … She’s just able to take over the game.”
A four-year varsity athlete and Northeastern commit, Allard and teammate Jade Arnone form arguably the top defensive duo in the region. Where Arnone relies on her strength, Allard’s speed and quickness helps her stand out.
Allard is also a two-year captain, which is no small feat at St. Paul’s.
“At a school like ours, that doesn’t always happen, so she should be proud of that,” Farrell said. “She’s able to reach a lot of different kinds of kids on this campus, it’s not just the hockey team.”
Jade Arnone, sr. D, St. Paul’s (N.H.)
Allard’s teammate at St. Paul’s is a Harvard commit from Sherborn, Mass., who shoots the puck hard and relies on her strength to stifle opposing offenses.
Molly Jordan, jr. D, Loomis Chaffee (Conn.)
Jordan, a Boston College commit, will compete with the USA National Development team at the IIHF U-18 Women’s World Championship in January.
Honorable Mention
Lily Brazis, F, Cushing (Northeastern)
Jules Constantinople, D, Williston Northampton (Northeastern)
Katie DeSa, G, St. George’s (Penn State)
Emily Evans, G, Milton
Cailin Flynn, D, Dexter Southfield (BC)
Mia Langlois, F, Cushing (Northeastern)
Danielle Longuemare, F, Portsmouth Abbey
Emmy O’Leary, F, Nobles (Princeton)
Lily Shannon, F, Governor’s (Northeastern)
Sammy Taber, F, Cushing (BC)
Charlotte Wensley, F, St. Paul’s
This article appears in the November/December print edition of New England Hockey Journal.
