Milton Academy was in uncharted territory last season.
The Mustangs reached the Elite 8 for the first time in program history. They fell to eventual runner-up Phillips Andover, 3-1, en route to a 14-8-2 season.
They also finished runner-up in the Harrington Holiday Tournament, their best placement to date. The Harrington Tournament featured some girls prep stalwarts, like Nobles, St. Paul's and BB&N.
"I thought those were really good efforts by our team," coach Ryan Stone said of last season's achievements. "We had a really solid season last year."
In what will be the 40th season of girls hockey at Milton, it's safe to say Stone's team is headed on the right trajectory.
"When I came into the program, it was a four or five-win-per-year program," Stone said. "We took a lot of time and it was a lot of special players along the way to help us change our culture to one which is really special right now."
Plenty of opportunities for returners
The Mustangs lost eight seniors after last season. While it may mean a rebuilding year on the surface, Stone believes Milton is still in a position to have another solid season.
There's still plenty of experience on a roster that will feature 11 upperclassmen (three seniors and eight juniors).
"You look across our lineup, and we have some strong players," Stone said. "But we don't have the ones that everybody wants to talk about all the time. Our kids kind of embrace that and say, 'We're gonna outwork people, we're gonna put a lot of pressure on people, we're gonna play fast, we're gonna play hard and we're gonna play strong.'"
Headlining the top six forwards will once again be junior Becca White (Orono, Maine). White was the Mustangs' top center, leading scorer and plus-minus leader last year, earning All-ISL honorable mention.
"I think she goes about her business fairly quietly and not very flashy," Stone said. "So, she doesn't get a lot of recognition, but generates a lot for us up front."
Along with White, Stone feels captain Christina Sweeney (Milton, Mass.) along with Julia Guden (Waltham, Mass.) will be key up front. Senior forward Emily Counihan (Deham, Mass.) has some big games up her sleeve in Stone's eyes as well.
"She's a little bit under the radar too," Stone said. "She's a pretty strong forward as a senior for us and is capable of breakout games like a hat trick against BB&N two years ago and things along those lines."
Rounding out some of the experience in the forward core is a pair of juniors in Maddie Bonavita (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Jessie Ward (Dedham, Mass.). Both could be in line for breakout seasons.
"They're two juniors who I expect bigger things from," Stone said. "Both have the capability to put the puck in the net and really make an impact on the ice."
As for newcomers, Stone has his eyes on two skaters who will make the jump from JV after practicing with the varsity throughout last season. He believes freshman Sadie Quatrale (Pembroke, Mass.) "is certainly one to watch."
A new look on defense
Last season's departures will be felt the most on the back end, where junior Susannah Ward (Dedham, Mass.) was the only defensive regular who wasn't a senior last season.
Ward, who will be an assistant captain, earned an All-ISL honorable mention last season. She had a good fall with the East Coast Wizards 16U squad.
"She will be the stalwart back there, and she will carry the minutes, for sure," Stone said. "Last year, most of the time, she was one of the best that we had. So I expect that again, and she's looked real strong this fall."
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Stone also expects a full bill of health to do wonders for versatile sophomore Mary Quatrale (Pembroke, Mass.). Quatrale only played six games, but was a point-per-game player for the Mustangs.
"She probably fell under the radar because she was injured for two thirds of last year," he said. "She will log a ton of minutes back there as a sophomore who is very, very good and is gonna have a huge impact."
Milton also has some strong newcomers entering the fold on the blue line, including freshman Mckenna Ruland and sophomore Ruth Chen. A smooth transition will be key for them. Among the new faces is a junior transfer out of Northfield Mount Hermon, Ashley Clarkson.
"I think her transition is obviously going to be a a lot smoother, having played in the prep school league last year," Stone said.
The Mustangs also return both goalies, Laure Deguire, who was an All-NEPSAC honorable mention, and Ava Scannell (Arlington, Mass.). Scannell battled some injuries, but both split the net when fully healthy, boasting save percentages over .950 and goals-against averages below 1.50. Scannell had a massive shutout over St. Paul's in the Harrington Tournament. Deguire made 51 saves in a 2-2 tie with Nobles to finish the regular season.
"It's a really nice luxury to have two strong goalies," Stone said. "So if somebody needs a day off or somebody's not feeling 100 percent, we're still going to be in really good shape back there. That's where it all starts. If we keep pucks out on the net, we're gonna be in every game."
Another difficult schedule
With a tough ISL slate and the Harrington Tournament, the Mustangs have their work cut out for themselves from the onset.
They finished third in the ISL last season before making it to the Elite 8. Stone knows there's still room to grow.
"I think any time you reach that pinnacle, you want to continue that," he said. "I think that's what the kids have their sights set on, that elusive and very difficult ISL championship."
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A strong start to the season in a league where there are "no nights off," will go a long way.
"I think it's very important to really get off on a good foot and win the ones we're supposed to," Stone said. "Last year, we ended up at 6-3 in the first nine. That gave us a good springboard for where we were going."
Still, it's important to not overplay it in his eyes. Even if things don't go as planned at the start, Stone knows Milton "certainly won't be out of it."
"Traditionally, we've had one of the strongest schedules in New England, by the metrics, pretty much every year," he said. "That allows us a little more flexibility, in terms of what our record is, to still make it into the tournament."
