It’s the busiest stretch of the girls prep hockey season, and the postseason is on the horizon.
There has been no shortage of parity in the NEPSAC this season. Once again, the holiday tournaments proved that anyone can beat anyone.
Cushing took down Groton for the Watkins Invitational crown, Groton beat New Hampton, Williston Northampton beat Nobles at the Harrington Invitational and Loomis Chaffee took the Patsy K. Odden Invitational over Phillips Andover.
It’s all shaping up for an exciting finish to January and February.
Here’s a look at what we’ve learned so far this season, and what we’ll be looking for before champions are crowned on March 9.
As good as advertised
1. Williston Northampton: Just a season removed from back-to-back Elite 8 championships, the Wildcats remain one of the dominant forces in NEPSAC, sitting a perfect 12-0-1 at the time of writing after entering the season ranked third. They took home the Harrington title with a win over BB&N and followed with some more hardware at the New Year’s Prep Puck Drop, beating Cushing for the second time this season. Other key wins include Nobles in a revenge game from last year’s Elite 8 championship, Tabor and Rivers.
Christa Talbot Syfu’s group has gotten balanced production, especially from the top two lines, led by Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) and Nora Curtis. Six different skaters have six or more goals in 13 games, led by Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.) with 10. Brooke Schlutter is second with nine goals, well ahead of her total as a freshman last winter (three). Even more impressive, the Wildcats hold a plus-51 differential, allowing just seven goals all season.
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2. Dexter Southfield: Last year’s Large School runner-up, Dexter entered the season at No. 6 and looked primed to move into the Elite 8 echelon. Dexter has lived up to that billing and then some. One of three undefeated teams left in prep at 9-0-4 at the time of writing, the Shields are firmly among the contenders. They turned heads with a big win at Phillips Andover in December before coming back from a 3-0 deficit to knock off Nobles in overtime to begin January. Most recently, Dexter went toe-to-toe with Williston in a dramatic scoreless tie. They've proven their mettle against the top teams they've faced.
Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) has been one of the most dominant producers in NEPSAC with 20 points (eight goals) in her first 12 games. Behind her, Maggie Taverna’s team has had balanced production, be it Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.), Maddie Funk (Duxbury, Mass.) or others.
3. Loomis Chaffee: The Pelicans, our No. 4 team entering the season, remain among the top of the pack at 11-1-1. After narrowly losing to Nobles, 1-0, in the season opener, Loomis has gone unbeaten in 12 straight, including wins over Kent, Deerfield and Berkshire, as well as a tie (and shootout win) over Andover for a second straight PKO title. Liz Leyden’s squad has found ways to win tight games while putting up high-scoring games, too. The top guns have been getting it done up front, especially Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.), who is the NEPSAC's second-leading scorer with 25 points (11 goals) in 12 games. Megan Hosman is having a big start on defense with 14 points (five goals), while Adeline Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) has stepped right into the starting job in net.
Three things that have surprised us so far
1. Cushing’s big start: The Penguins were our No. 10 team to start the season, looking to challenge for a spot in the postseason after barely missing the Small School field last year. So far, Valerie Bono-Bunker’s squad has shattered expectations, exploding out of the gates to a 16-2-0 record. Cushing has come up with good wins over Groton, Tabor, Rivers and Phillips Exeter, among others, while both its losses were against Williston.
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The offense is humming as seven skaters have 10 or more points. Madi Soderquist (Woburn, Mass.) has 23 points (13 goals) and Julia Lambert (Wilmington, Mass.) has 21 (11 goals), while Bella Freitas has had a terrific start to her debut season in NEPSAC, leading the league with 28 points and 18 goals. Sadie Bellissimo has been one of the top options in net, too. Cushing’s 82 total goals as a team are first in NEPSAC, 21 clear of the next highest.
2. Thayer’s run of dominance: The Tigers were barely on the outside of our preseason rankings. They’ve proved us wrong in the early going, sitting 11-0-2 and taking some early season hardware at the Dexter Southfield Holiday Tournament. Thayer picked up critical wins over New Hampton, Tabor, St. George's and Rivers as well as a tie (and shootout win) over Dexter. Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) is back at it, tied for the NEPSAC lead with 17 goals (24 points) as of mid-January. Most importantly, the Tigers are getting key depth production behind her, be it Kate Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.), Wren Abboud (Weymouth, Mass.), Abigail DeRoeve (Charlestown, Mass.), Abby DeAnzeris (Needham, Mass.) or Emersyn Fisher-Bailey (Duxbury, Mass.). Madison Hayes (Foxboro, Mass.) and Coleen Wallace (Duxbury, Mass.) have both been impressive in net.
3. New Hampton’s early ups and downs: After back-to-back Small School titles, the Huskies seemed poised to charge into the Elite 8 field with a deep core of returners, ranking No. 5 in the preseason. They backed it up with a season-opening win over Nobles and going 3-0-1 to start, but New Hampton stumbled with a 1-3-1 stretch entering the holiday break, including going 1-2-1 at the Watkins tournament.
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Craig Churchill’s group bounced back accordingly, though, with dominant showings over Middlesex and BB&N to begin 2025. The past week included an overtime loss to Tabor, putting New Hampton at 7-4-2, overall. They're currently outside of the Elite 8 field as of mid-January. Kennedy Walker and True Thompson each have 16 points on the year, while Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.) has 13. In net, Elizabeth Vincent has been strong in her debut prep season, and the Huskies will need her to keep it up.
Three questions for the stretch run
1. Can Nobles defend its title? After winning their 10th title under Tom Resor last March, the Bulldogs are again back among the contenders, sitting at 11-3-0 through 14 games. As strong as Nobles looks, it hasn’t replicated last year’s undefeated dominance. The team boasts a big win over Loomis Chaffee but has fallen to other contenders including New Hampton, Williston and Dexter. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs remain in good hands.
Outside of the experienced Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) and Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.), it’s been the next wave of forwards getting it done for Nobles, be it junior Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) or youngsters such as Alexa Georgantas (Foxboro, Mass.), Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) and Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.). Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.) and Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) have impressed on a young blue line, too, while Annika Jonas (Weston, Mass.) has stepped right into the No. 1 job in net. Nobles may not be one of the highest seeds when we get to the Elite 8 — should they make it — but they can certainly make noise once again.
2. Who else will emerge in the Elite 8 field? There is no shortage of teams pushing for the Elite 8 right now, be it Williston, Dexter, Loomis, Nobles, Cushing and Thayer. Phillips Andover is very much near the top of the list of contenders, too, at 9-1-1 so far. The same goes for BB&N at 8-4-1. Meanwhile, you also have New Hampton, Groton (7-3-2), Rivers (8-4-1), Phillips Exeter (9-1-1), Deerfield (8-3-2) and even St. George’s (8-4-1) all in the mix for playoff spots, at the very least. The stretch run will be critical, be it those top teams trying to solidify their standing or that next group trying to make a push into that upper tier.
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3. Who will continue their breakout seasons? Every season, there are plenty of players who emerge with career highs or impressive first impressions. So far, there are plenty to keep track of. Dexter’s Murphy, a Boston College commit, and Loomis’ Stepnowski, a Harvard commit, already were well-established prospects. Both have had excellent starts and already have matched or beaten their previous highs in goals and points.
Elsewhere, Freitas has had no problem adjusting from the MIAA to the prep ranks at Cushing. Fellow youngster Alexa Buco, an eighth-grader at Mount Saint Charles shares the NEPSAC lead in goals (17) and is tied for the fourth-most points (22) at the time of writing. Georgantas has shattered her totals from last season as she leads Nobles in goals and points. Thayer’s Fisher-Bailey and DeRoeve have taken big leaps in their production from last season. Meanwhile, McKenna Dockery (Boxford, Mass.) already has new bests just a month into her senior season at Kimball Union.
Key Dates
- March 2 — Tournament fields announced
- March 5 — Quarterfinals
- March 8 — Semifinals
- March 9 — Finals at Taft School
