She had dreamed of the moment over the last couple of months.
She would win a New England championship with her best friends in the world. Everything was going according to plan this past Sunday.
In a battle of girls prep school heavyweights, top seed Williston Northampton was leading second-seeded Nobles, 2-0. Williston goaltender and Franklin, Mass., native Natalie Stott wanted to celebrate. There was one problem, though. No time seemed to be ticking off the clock.
“The last eight minutes were the slowest eight minutes ever,” the netminder said. “It felt like an eternity.”
Finally, the last second on the clock ran out. Williston had captured its first NEPSAC Elite 8 championship and the fans at Lossone Rink in Easthampton, Mass., erupted in joy.
“I still can’t kind of believe it,” Stott said two days after her shutout in the championship game. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet. This year was the closest team I’ve ever been on. Everyone played a key role. We talked about putting the team first.
“It was really a great year. I’m sad it’s over because it was a special team,” she added.
The senior, who is headed to Amherst College in the fall, received the Mark Harrington trophy as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The 5-foot-10 netminder allowed just two goals in the postseason as Williston defeated Kent, 5-0, Phillips Andover, 3-2 in overtime, and Nobles, 2-0.
The only loss of the season for Williston (24-1) came at the hands of Nobles (26-1-3) during a regular-season clash.
Stott stood tall in the rematch, putting the finishing touches on a memorable final season. Starting 20 of the 25 games, Stott compiled an outstanding .960 save percentage and put up a brick wall in front of her cage for most of the season. She had 10 shutouts this season.
“She’s just a competitor,” 19-year Williston head coach Christa Talbot Syfu said. “She’s an athlete. She’s been a fierce competitor from the day she arrived. This year she was a big difference maker. It gives you confidence when your goalie makes big saves. She went from being a pretty good goaltender to a real good goaltender. People are always trying to solve the goaltender and she’s hard to beat.”
Stott looked cooler than the other side of the pillow during her postseason run. But looks can be deceiving.
“I definitely do get nervous,” she said. “They’re good nerves. It kind of fuels me to play with even more intensity. I wanted to make the most of my moments at Lossone. That rink has meant so much to me and my teammates.”
In the championship game against Nobles, a 1-0 lead after one period became a 2-0 edge in the third.
“Getting to play on our home ice was cool. It was definitely a tough game. Our team showed a ton of grit, especially in the third period. They played amazing. I don’t know how many shots we blocked,” she said.
The road to the championship featured plenty of suspense. In the semifinal, with Williston leading 2-1, Phillips Andover forced overtime with a goal with just 16 seconds left in regulation.
“As a goalie I didn’t really like that,” she said with a laugh. “Getting off the ice I was definitely disgusted.”
Her head down when she walked into the locker room, Stott refocused prior to overtime. Less than a minute into OT, Williston scored to punch its ticket to the title game.
Williston had several special players.
“A big part of this is the senior group,” Talbot Syfu said. “It’s such an outstanding group. They set a standard from the beginning. They felt like, hey, this is our year. All of the seniors have contributed.”
Offensively, the Wildcats were paced by senior Maeve Reynolds (9-19-28) of Plymouth, Mass., who will play at Amherst next season; senior Teaghan Hall of West Springfield, Mass. (8-21-29), who is Endicott bound; and sophomore Monique Lyons of Bedford, Mass., (21-21-42), who’s on the radar of several colleges.
Playing airtight defense in front of Stott was Juliana Constantinople (10-11-21) of East Haven, Conn., who will take her talents to Northeastern. Other quality defenders were post graduate student Cora Webber of Johnstown, R.I., who play at the University of Maine, and senior Emma Merrill of Portland, Maine, who will skate for Bowdoin.
Reynolds scored 29 seconds into the championship game and Constantinople provided a key insurance goal with 8:40 left in the third.
“The defensemen in front of me are truly amazing. They block shots. I can rely on them. I would trust them against any team,” Stott said.
Having a tight group makes for a dangerous team. Having great chemistry and a special goaltender makes for a dream season.
“I think she’s one of the best goalies in the league,” Talbot Syfusaid of Stott. “I knew what she was capable of. She’s a gamer. Her competitive fire comes out in games and big games. She’s the backbone of the team. Amherst is lucky to have her.”
Goaltenders come in all packages and all personality types.
“Natalie is definitely a big personality,” Talbot Syfu said. “She’s a fun kid. She brings a lot of energy to the rink. The kids have a lot of respect for her. It’s not unusual to see her in the mascot costume. She’s always a kid who’s game for fun, but when it’s time to play she gets locked in. She’s adored by the group. There’s never a dull moment around Natalie.”
It’s not unusual to see Stott break into dance moves. It’s a long season, filled with plenty of hockey and academic pressure. When it comes time to lighten the mood, Stott is usually all for it.
“Before games we liked to have dance parties,” she said. “Having fun off the ice is really important.”
Stott attended Franklin High her freshman season. She transferred to Williston and repeated her freshman year.
Talbot Syfu said she’s improved every season.
“Mentally I’ve developed a lot more confidence in myself,” said Stott, who calls Marc Andre Fleury, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NHL Draft who now plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, her favorite goaltender.
Stott credits her parents, Jim and Jen, for instilling in her the right attitude to succeed in hockey, field hockey and softball. Her sister, Dana, is a junior on the Franklin High hockey team.
“They’ve had a huge impact. No matter what happens they’re supportive,” Stott said of her family.
Stott played mostly defense for much of her young career. She alternated between defense and goaltender when she was about 12 and then became a full-time goalie the next season. She’s never looked back.
“I just liked stopping pucks,” she said. “I liked having control of whether or not they go in. It’s something that I gravitated to. My father was probably a little annoyed when I kept asking for goalie equipment.”
Stott is excited to attend Amherst College for several reasons. She wants to see how she’ll fare when the competition in hockey gets tougher. She may even try to play softball. And she’s thrilled with how close the Amherst campus is to Williston.
She can’t wait to see her school, the one she led to a New England championship, play next season.
When she does, she’ll no doubt think of March 6, 2022, the day time agonizingly seemed to stand still before the final second on the clock expired.
“It felt really awesome,” she said. “We had a lot of alumni at the game. We made them proud.”
She had pictured the moment. When it happened, winning a New England championship lived up to her expectations.
“To have it happen was a surreal moment,” she said.
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