It's all led to this in girls prep hockey.
On Sunday, the NEPSAC will crown champions in the Elite 8, the Large School and the Small School title games at Nobles.
In the semifinals. No. 1 Nobles outlasted No. 3 Loomis Chaffee, 1-0, while No. 2 Williston took down No. 3 Phillips Andover, 3-1, in the Elite 8. The Large School Tournament featured a pair of upsets with No. 3 Dexter Southfield taking care of No. 2 Westminster, 5-1, and No. 4 BB&N toppling No. 1 Choate, 2-1 in overtime. The Small School Tournament had No. 1 Groton beating No. 4 Millbrook, 5-2, and No. 2 New Hampton getting it done against No. 6 Rivers, 6-1.
Here's Sunday's full schedule:
- Small School: No. 1 Groton vs. No. 2 New Hampton, 11 a.m.
- Large School: No. 3 Dexter Southfield vs. No. 4 BB&N, 1:30 p.m.
- Elite 8: No. 1 Nobles vs. No. 2 Williston, 4 p.m.
With that, it's time for another round of predictions ahead of Sunday's championships.
That's right, I went a perfect 6-for-6 in my semifinal picks across the three tournaments. So far, I'm 6-for-6 with my Elite 8 predictions, 4-for-4 in the Large School and 3-for-4 in the Small School. So, make that 13-for-14, overall.
Can I keep it going? Will everything go chalk? Will there be more upsets in store?
Let's dive in.
Elite 8: No. 1 Nobles vs. No. 2 Williston
It had to end this way, didn't it?
In one corner, you have the top-seeded Bulldogs. They're looking to write a storybook ending to an undefeated season, which is also legendary coach Tom Resor's last. He's looking for another chapter in his dynasty.
In the other corner, you have Williston. Christa Talbot Syfu's team is on the verge of their own dynasty. They're in search of one more win to make it an Elite 8 three-peat.
These teams haven't met previously this season, and each is the best team the other will have faced, too.
GIRLS BRACKETS: Elite 8 Tournament | Large School Tournament | Small School Tournament
For the Bulldogs to go wire-to-wire this season, goaltender Anya Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.) and their deep blue line will need to be at their best. It's easy to imagine Yale commit Sophia Levering (Westwood, Mass.) and Boston College commit Jaime Griswold (Concord, Mass.) drawing the toughest matchup against Williston's top line. Nobles will also need BC commit Olivia Maffeo (Canton, Mass.) to be a game-breaker from the blue line once again. Up front, foot soldiers like Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.), who scored the lone goal in the semis, Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) and others will need to be effective on the forecheck and around the net as they have all season.
For Williston, it comes down to whether or not the offense can keep humming, and whether Olivia Ferebee can stay hot in goal. Brown commit Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.) and the rest of the Wildcats' first line has been an absolute force in the postseason. Lyons is coming off back-to-back two-goal games. Nora Curtis and Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) have been equally as dangerous, even if the production hasn't matched Lyons. Meanwhile, Ferebee was at her best in the postseason last year, and she's replicated it again this season. She made some huge saves to help Williston close out Andover in the semis.
Williston looks so good offensively right now, but if there’s any defensive group that can stop them, it’s Nobles.
Prediction:Nobles wins, 2-1.
Large School: No. 3 Dexter Southfield vs. No. 4 BB&N
Allow me to use this line for a third time with my predictions. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
Dexter and BB&N have embodied "getting hot at the right time" for the better part of two months now. The former is 12-3-1 since Jan. 6, while the latter is 11-4-1 since Jan. 27. Everything has come together at the perfect time for each side.
Dexter's offense has been scorching. They've scored four or more goals in three straight, fresh off their drubbing of Westminster in the semis. Their depth has been on full display in the postseason with top scorers Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass) and Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) leading the charge. Sophomore Alex Mitsakis (Winchester, Mass.) had a strong showing in the semis as well with a goal and an assist. In net, Annabelle Aitken (Winchester, Mass.) has found a groove. In her last four starts, she has two shutouts, while only allowing one goal in the other two.
The key for Maggie Taverna's team has been its ability to close out games. When Westminster got on the board late in the second period on Saturday, Dexter answered 18 seconds later for a 3-1 lead going into the third. They tacked on two more to put the game well out of reach. It was a similar script against Exeter in the quarterfinals, putting up three goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation for the 4-0 win.
MVP CANDIDATES: 17 players who could win Elite 8 MVP
While Dexter's youth has gotten it done, it's been all about BB&N's experience. The Knights feature four seniors and 11 juniors. Senior captain and Bowdoin commit Meg Britt (Arlington, Mass.) came through with the third-period equalizer against Choate. In overtime, junior Harvard commit Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) scored the game-winner. Junior Yale commit Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.) has been sensational since returning from injury. In net, Stonehill commit Alexsa Caron (Dracut, Mass.) has been getting it done amid a heavy volume of shots.
The Knights have been resilient all season, evidenced by the overtime comeback against top-seeded Choate. Plus, as I've said all along, Weyerhaeuser is truly an X-factor for Ed Bourget's group. BB&N also beat Dexter, 2-0, to open their season.
This is really, really close. But Dexter's offensive depth and ability to put games away so far have me leaning their way.
Prediction:Â Dexter wins, 3-2.
Small School: No. 1 Groton vs. No. 2 New Hampton
Another title matchup where both teams have been on a collision course with one another.
New Hampton is seeking to defend its Small School title from last season, while Groton is looking to avenge that 3-1 loss.
The Zebras got some revenge in the regular season, beating New Hampton, 3-0, in December. But Sunday is for the last laugh.
Both offenses showed out in the semifinals, too.
Groton's power play was especially effective against Millbrook, cashing in three times. Colgate commit Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.; two goals, one assist) and Jaelyn Trudell (Andover, Mass.; two goals) each had massive games, too.
But Tim LeRoy's group can't expect to rely on its power play again. They'll need sophomore Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.), who's averaging over two points per game, to do what she's done all season. The same goes for Veronika Hadamovsky (Groton, Mass.) in net.
QUARTERFINALS: 13 takeaways from the Elite 8 quarterfinals
The Huskies' power play also had a good day in its trouncing of Rivers. Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.) had her fingerprints all over New Hampton's production, despite not finding the back of the net. Instead, it was Drew Hayhurst, Reese Luber (Norwood, Mass.) and Kennedy Walker each coming up with a pair.
Craig Churchill's team needs its depth to shine through again.
Both offenses have had similar production (92 goals for New Hampton this season, and 86 for Groton). But the latter's defense and goaltending have been stronger (30 goals-against for Groton, and 48 for New Hampton).
Like the previous two, I went back and forth on this one.
Prediction: Groton wins, 4-3.
