Some doubt crept into the back of Craig Churchill’s mind.
New Hampton had graduated nine seniors from its 2023 Small School championship roster. On top of that, the Huskies head coach learned in the fall that top-line right winger Trinity Walsh would miss the season with a torn ACL.
“You’re bringing in eight new kids, and then one of our top players goes down,” Churchill said said. “So you're scrambling, like, ‘How is this even going to work? How are you going to not only just re-establish culture, but also win consistently?’”
Culture and consistency have been the keys for New Hampton. The team entered this season fresh off two straight Small School championship appearances. A potential repeat in a third straight trip or even a shot at the Elite 8 was up in the air, given the uncertainty entering this season.
“Some years, you know, you think, ‘I've got a good team.’ Other years, you're like, ‘What's our identity going to be like? How is this team going to fit?’ ” Churchill said. “I think for a while, that's what I thought, like, ‘Who are we going to be?’”
The Huskies opened their season with their first of six ties this season. Of their ties, four came in their first 11 games.
“We had more ties this year than I've ever had,” Churchill said. “We didn't have a lot of losses, but we got a ton of ties.”
But the season opener with Nobles, a 2-2 draw, laid the groundwork for New Hampton’s identity this season. The Huskies rallied from a 2-0 hole against the Bulldogs, who went undefeated this season en route to the Elite 8 title.
“The forecheck is why we tied them when we played them,” Churchill said. “They couldn’t get the puck out of the zone against us or generate any speed in the neutral zone, so they really couldn’t get much offense going. We didn’t do that early in the game, and we fell behind. Then we started to establish our forecheck, and we were able to score off of it.”
Despite the uncertainty entering the season, it was that forechecking mentality that helped New Hampton through a strong season and to the Small School title game for a third straight season and a second straight meeting with Groton.
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“I think it just is a real testament to the kids that we bring in and the way that they buy in to the culture that we are trying to create,” Churchill said. “The forecheck has always kind of been our M.O. We talk a lot about it in practice. We do drills to practice it. We call it hunting and tracking. The F1’s gotta be a good tracker and a good hunter. We say it on the bench, ‘Let’s go hunting.’”
In the championship, the Huskies hunted. They neutralized the Zebras’ dangerous attack and shut them down on zone exits and in the middle of the defensive zone. With 2:41 left in the third period with the score tied, 1-1, the forecheck paid off again.
Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan (Wells, Maine) won a battle behind the net and slipped the puck to Caroline Thomas in front, who jammed it home for a 2-1 lead.
“That line, they just feed off each other,” Churchill said. “One of them will forecheck hard, and the other one knows where to be when the puck gets turned over. The funny thing about it all was, that goal was the exact same second goal we scored against Groton last year. Michaud-Nolan forechecking hard behind the net, creating a turnover, popping the puck out front and us burying it. Averi Curran (Westboro, Mass.) last year, and Caroline Thomas this year. For me, the difference-maker was that line.”
Churchill knew from there that senior goalie Vera Lee, a New Hampshire commit, would need to be at her best, even if she hadn’t been heavily tested earlier in the game. She answered the call, making several big-time saves around the crease late en route to tournament MVP.
“The way she handles each situation, she is not fazed,” Churchill said of Lee. “It’s cliche, but she literally has ice running through her veins. Nothing bothers her. … In all my years of coaching, I think there’s only been one other goalie I’ve had that really had that same mentality, and that only came along for her as a senior, whereas Vera’s been living it for two years. She’s just got it.”
New Hampton scored 94 goals this season, the fifth-most in the NEPSAC. It hung six goals on Rivers in the semis, including goals from unsung heroes on defense like Reese Luber (Norwood, Mass.), who had a pair, and Drew Hayrhurst. Six different skaters reached at least 20 points this season, including top forward and UNH commit Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.). She had four assists across two tournament games, including three in the semis before setting up Luber’s opening goal in the final.
“Julia was possessed all weekend,” Churchill said. “Every time she jumped off the bench, she looked like she was shot out of a cannon.”
But in the final, it was all about the Huskies’ defense.
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“To limit a team like Groton to 15 shots, and limit them to the perimeter as much as we did, it’s a huge testament to the work our ‘D’ did, not letting Vera get tested too much until that last stretch when they pulled their goalie,” Churchill said. “We did a really good job of limiting Groton’s opportunities to get in between the dots.”
The sights are set even higher next season, be it a three-peat (plus a fourth-straight trip to the Small School championship) or making noise in the Elite 8.
“I think we’ll have the team to do it again, but our goal is the Elite 8,” Churchill said. “The kids always talk about it, like, ‘We don’t feel like we ever get much respect.’ The girls have this chip on their shoulder. … I think we can be an Elite 8 team. We’ve established this culture of winning here.
“This was just a great year for us, the way that we worked together and developed as a group. The buy-in from top to bottom was pretty special. You never know what you’re going to accomplish or how good you’re going to be. But I give all the credit to these kids. Three years in a row, to make it to a championship game, it’s not easy to do.”
