Last season, Nobles was the team to beat.
A handful of others separated themselves from the pack as well as the season wore on.
This season figures to be very different.
Several teams graduated some of the best players to come through the NEPSAC in recent seasons. Meanwhile, some of those same teams, as well as others, return strong cores in addition to key newcomers. Others are sure to continue their rises.
It would hardly be surprising if any of these teams won the Elite 8. With all the depth around the region, there's sure to be plenty of movement in these rankings.
Let's dive in.
1. Nobles
Head coach: Tom Resor
Last season: 27-0-4, beat Williston in championship of Chuck Vernon Elite 8 tournament
The Bulldogs return a deep forward group, including last year’s top forward scorers Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.) and Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.). Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) and Rachel Zhao (Westwood, Mass.) are coming off breakout seasons as juniors, while Resor is eager to see what youngsters such as Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) can do after key experience last season. After graduating four pillars on defense, Nobles reloaded, bringing in Ava Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.) from Tilton as well as Reese Engel (Westwood, Mass.) and Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.) from the MIAA. In net, Annie Spring (Concord, Mass.) and Annika Jonas (Weston, Mass.) have big shoes to fill after Anya Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.) graduated. How well the goaltending and defense adjusts this season will be key to Nobles' bid at a repeat.
2. Phillips Andover
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Last season: 19-4-2, lost to Williston in semifinals of Chuck Vernon Elite 8 tournament
If anyone could be a favorite to unseat Nobles, it might be the Big Blue. They bring back nine of their top-10 leading scorers after graduating just three seniors last year. Fenton’s squad is as deep and skilled as they come, with eight double-digit point-getters back in the fold, including top forwards Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.), Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.), Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) and Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.). On defense, Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.) projects as one of NEPSAC’s top blueliners again, while Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) leads a strong group of underclassmen. Avery Rodeheffer (New Haven, Conn.) continues to improve in net, too. Not to mention, the Big Blue added to their roster, bringing in MIAA standouts like Vanessa Hall (Saugus, Mass.) and Molly Driscoll (Watertown, Mass.). Andover is firmly among the early favorites.
3. Williston Northampton
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Last season: 21-4-1, lost to Nobles in championship of Chuck Vernon Elite 8 tournament
The Wildcats fell short of their bid for a three-peat last year, but continue to project as a major factor. Despite graduating NEPSAC leading scorer Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.), top forwards including Nora Curtis, Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.), Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.) should help lead the way again. Riley Stocker and Brooke Schlutter, like Daley, showed plenty of promise as freshmen. Returning defenders Nina Coffee (Old Lyme, Conn.), Catie Putt (Norfolk, Mass.) and Malaya Anabe will shoulder heavier workloads, especially after captain Caroline Aufiero (Belmont, Mass.) graduated. Talbot Syfu can rely on a top option like Olivia Ferebee in net. Even without Lyons, Williston still has the core to get it done.
GIRLS PREP PREVIEWS: Groton | Loomis Chaffee | Dexter Southfield | BB&N | Cushing | Nobles | Williston Northampton | Phillips Andover
4. Loomis Chaffee
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Last season: 19-6-2, lost to Nobles in semifinals of Chuck Vernon Elite 8 tournament
Few NEPSAC squads can boast the plethora of talent on defense that Loomis Chaffee does between Catie Collins (South Burlington, Vt.), Carly Dann (Hanover, NH), Megan Hosman and more. After reaching the Elite 8 semis last season, Loomis is among the early contenders between its blue line and its deep group of returning forwards, be it established scorers like Chloe Obser and Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.) or breakout stars like Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.) and Lindsey Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.). The question mark lies in the crease. After splitting the net last season, Adeline Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) might have the inside track, but newcomer Emily Hosman is an exciting prospect.
5. New Hampton
Head coach: Craig Churchill
Last season: 18-6-6, beat Groton in championship of Dorothy Howard Small School tournament
If any team outside of last year’s Elite 8 has the chance to crack into that upper echelon, it’s New Hampton. The Huskies were the best team outside of the top tournament. They bring back a stacked group of forwards, including their entire top six from last season with Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.), Kennedy Walker, Caroline Thomas, Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan (Wells, Maine) and Kelsey Baker (Concord, Mass.) as well as Trinity Walsh, who is back in the mix after a torn ACL held her out last season. True Thompson leads the blue line as one of the most dynamic defenders in prep, while Addy Peel (Scarborough, Maine), a transfer from Brooks, adds high-end talent. The question mark lies in net after graduating Vera Lee. The Huskies certainly have the group of skaters to take the next step.
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6. Dexter Southfield
Head coach: Maggie Taverna
Last season: 16-10-1, lost to BB&N in championship of Patsy Odden Large School tournament
Dexter recovered from a sluggish start to last winter, going on a run to the Large School title game. Taverna’s group is in a terrific spot to run it back and build on last season after graduating just one senior. Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.) is poised to build on an excellent sophomore season in which she led Dexter in scoring, while top defenders and Boston College commits Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) and Alaina Dunn (Walpole, Mass.) are back as well. Forwards Alex Mitsakis and Maddie Funk should continue to hit their stride, too. Exciting newcomers such as Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.) and Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) should elevate the depth and firepower.
7. BB&N
Head coach: Ed Bourget
Last season: 16-10-4, beat Dexter in championship of Patsy Odden Large School tournament
BB&N got hot at the right time last winter, riding the momentum to a second Large School title in three seasons. The Knights have a chance to elevate this season, thanks to a three-headed monster of Division 1 commits on defense with Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.), Brenna O’Reilly (Burlington, Mass.) and Lexi Mara (Winchester, Mass.). Up front, Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.), a Yale commit, has a clean bill of health and could be in line for an explosive season. The key for BB&N will be how well Eva Mai Whyte and Barbara Ma can rise to the occasion in net, replacing Alexsa Caron (Dracut, Mass.).
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8. Deerfield
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Last season: 17-6-3, lost to Phillips Andover in quarterfinals of Chuck Vernon Elite 8 tournament
The Big Green boasted one of the most potent offenses in prep last season, thanks in part to Annie Dinges (Woodstock, Conn.), who is now at Harvard. They ran out of steam in the Elite 8 quarterfinals, though. Nonetheless, Fernandez’s team can feel confident, knowing they have one of NEPSAC’s top netminders in Campbell Krotee (Darien, Conn.). Meanwhile, returning forwards like Sophie Frost, Ava Giroux (St. Albans, Vt.) and Keira Austen (Darien, Conn.) as well as productive defenders like Allie Corrieri (Devens, Mass.) and Olivia Austen (Darien, Conn.) should continue coming into their own.
9. Groton
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Last season: 18-6-2, lost to New Hampton in championship of Dorothy Howard Small School tournament
The Zebras are still chasing that elusive trophy, coming off a second straight loss to New Hampton in the Small School final. Nonetheless, they remain a factor, running it back with their top line of Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.), Jaelyn Trudell (Andover, Mass.) and Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.), who is firmly among the top scorers in NEPSAC. Opportunity is afoot in net for Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.), while Maggie Whelden (Sandwich, Mass.) is a youngster to keep an eye on. Jamie Noonan (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and Sydney Nelson (Lowell, Mass.) have a chance to take the reins on defense, while Tatum Friedholm (Sudbury, Mass.), a newcomer from the MIAA, will be thrust straight into a premier role.
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10. Cushing
Head coach: Valerie Bono-Bunker
Last season: 14-14-1
The Penguins missed the Small School tournament by one spot — .0008 RPI points, to be exact. But Bono-Bunker’s team is poised to get back in the mix, featuring plenty of returning firepower from Brooke Harb (Atkinson, NH) to Julia Lambert (Wilmington, Mass.) to Madi Soderquist (Woburn, Mass.) and rising youngsters like Brooke Fallon and Molly Bardol (Walpole, Mass.). Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.) is an electric prospect coming off a stellar MIAA season as well. Taylor Buckley (Woburn, Mass.) and Lilly Tewksbury (Barre, Vt.) lead an experienced defense, while Sadie Bellissimo is ready to take over as the starter.
In the hunt: St. Paul’s, Choate, Tabor, Rivers, Kent, Phillips Exeter, Thayer, Westminster
