Thayer had its best season in program history last winter.
The Tigers set a new single-season high for wins, going 20-6-2 and nabbing the No. 1 seed in the Large School tournament. They ultimately fell to eventual runner-up No. 5 Tabor, 3-2, in overtime of the semifinals.
"We had a great season," said coach Michael Flynn, entering his second season at the helm. "We were in that top 10 all year and just kind of petered out with a couple of tough losses that, when you look back, you wish you had, but all in all, it was a really good season. I wish we had one more shot at that Tabor game."
Replicating last winter's success will be easier said than done. Thayer graduated four pillars from its forward group and lost a pair of key defenders to transfers. But a core foundation remains in place.
"I'm looking forward to it," Flynn said. "I think we're vastly different this year."
Handing over the keys to the forward group
Thayer graduated four Division 1 skaters from its forward group.
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There was the program's all-time leading goal-scorer in Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.), now at Harvard. Her dangerous linemate, Kate Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.), is now at UNH. There was also two-way force Wren Abboud (Wrentham, Mass.), now at Delaware, as well as key scorer Veronica Taylor (Hingham, Mass.), now at Sacred Heart.
"They are obviously extremely hard to replace," Flynn said.
But core youngsters are returning to the mix in sophomores Maddy Call (Dedham, Mass.) and Lydia Kealty (Norfolk, Mass.). Call, voted a captain by her teammates, had 22 points (nine goals) last season. She skated at USA Hockey's National 16/17 camp in July. Kealty, who skated at National 15 camp, posted 19 points (13 goals).
It's their turn to take the keys to the forward group.
"Everyone keeps saying we have this young team, but this is their third year on varsity with significant playing time as freshmen and eighth-graders," Flynn said. "They played a ton last year, and they're national team caliber girls. They're both very fast. Both have a high work ethic, and I'm expecting a lot out of them this year."
Expectations are high for freshman Abby Macauley (Avon, Mass.) as well. She had six points (four goals) as an eighth-grader playing important minutes last season.
"She took a giant step this summer and is now on everyone's radar," Flynn said. "She's another one. She played third-line center and second power play for us last year. These are the types of girls coming back that we will be relying heavily on for offense.
"Abby's got the physical stature, and she's got a massive shot that is as good as anybody's. She was probably our best face-off person last year. I used to joke, if it really came down to it for a critical face-off, we'd be putting her out there and Morgan at the top of the cycle for a goal, instead of vice versa."
PREP PREVIEWS: Nobles | Exeter | Cushing | Tabor | Groton | New Hampton | Andover | Dexter Southfield | BB&N | Williston Northampton | Loomis Chaffee
The Tigers are also eager to add Jenna Henley (Whitman, Mass.) to the forward mix. She led Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake in scoring as an eighth-grader in the MIAA, posting 22 points (17 goals).
"She's another 200-foot player, a lot like Maddie Call, with a ton of upside," Flynn said. "She's a future Division 1 player."
Big additions on defense
The Tigers bring back two key defenders in senior Abby DeAnzeris (Needham, Mass.) and freshman Emery Deroeve (Charlestown, Mass.). The latter had eight assists as an eighth-grader.
The two will be important holdovers after Deroeve's older sister, Abbey, transferred to St. Mark's, while fellow sophomore Emersyn Fisher-Bailey (Duxbury, Mass.) transferred to Cushing.
DeAnzeris, a St. Anselm commit, has been a productive presence on defense for the Tigers, earning All-NEPSAC honorable mention for three consecutive seasons. She had 30 points (five goals) as a junior last season.
"I thought she was one of the best defenders in the ISL last year. I think a lot of people who watched our games would agree with that," Flynn said. "Saint Anselm really got a steal in the college process. I kept telling coaches that she's going up against one of the best forwards in the country (McGathey) every day in practice, and she's very rarely getting beaten."
Entering her second season as a captain, DeAnzeris' experience and leadership will be vital as one of the older players on the roster. Flynn knows he can rely on her to set the tone.
"She's one of the best leaders I've ever been around," he said. "People are going to follow her. Putting the right person with her and getting the right pairs and line combos will be the trick, I think."
The Tigers are also welcoming two critical additions to the blue line in Lilly Busconi (Milton, Mass.) and Shea Richardson (Hingham, Mass.). Busconi had 12 points (two goals) in 58 games for Winchendon's 16U squad last season. Richardson, meanwhile, was a crucial piece to Hingham High's success over the previous two seasons.
BOYS PREVIEWS: Belmont Hill |  Milton | Tilton | Berkshire | Deerfield | St. George’s | Brunswick | Winchendon | Salisbury | Choate | Nobles | Kent | Holderness | Dexter Southfield
She had 31 points (eight goals) in 26 games last season as the Harborwomen won the Division 1 state title, finishing with 47 points (13 goals) in 51 games over two years.
Flynn believes her transition to the prep ranks will be seamless.
"She'll have a big 'wow' factor," Flynn said. "When she gets a couple of games under her belt, people are going to notice how good she is. She plays exactly like Abby. We're going to have two extremely offensively gifted defenders, which is going to help a lot."
Another big help to the defensive outlook is the goaltending situation.
Thayer returns junior Madison Hayes (Foxboro, Mass.) and sophomore Coleen Wallace (Duxbury, Mass.), who both played well in a timeshare last season. Hayes posted a .928 save percentage, while Wallace posted a .965.
"It gives us a huge leg up," Flynn said. "It gives me, as a coach, a tremendous amount of confidence, knowing that we have two extremely good goaltenders. ... Good goalies cover up a lot of mistakes, right? I'm sure, because we have a young team, there will be some of those out there. It's comforting to know that we have the D and the goaltending back there that are all very good and have all played varsity games."
Continuing to improve
With several important departures and such a young group, it would be understandable if Thayer experienced some sort of regression this season.
But Flynn's expectations remain high. The program wants to continue to reach new heights after making big strides a season ago.
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"As a program, if we continue to compete and have a chance to win every game, that's all we ask for, right?" Flynn said. "I think we have a group that can certainly do it this year or over the next couple of years."
The Tigers plan to push themselves against many of the top teams in prep. The schedule has only gotten stronger.
"We had some really good battles against some really, really good teams like Dexter, Tabor and Nobles," Flynn said. "This year, we've added Deerfield. We've added (Phillips) Andover. We added Cushing. We're trying to play the best teams we can possibly play, challenge the team and see what we can do.
"Because of our skill level, we're probably going to win some games that people don't expect."
