We're hitting the final stretch of the girls prep hockey regular season.
As the tournaments loom, some teams like Deerfield and Groton are getting hot at the right time as they make late surges for the Elite 8, while others are trying to solidify their standing.
Over the past week, several players across the region have risen to the occasion with high-scoring outings and clutch performances.
A friendly reminder: attending every NEPSAC girls prep hockey game in New England is impossible, so we rely on reports from coaches, parents and social media accounts to help us select the performers in a given week. If you have a nominee, please email me at patrick.donnelly@hockeyjournal.com.
Let's dive into the top performers in girls prep from Jan. 29-Feb. 4.
Adia Murphy
Austin Prep, 7/11/2008, F, right shot
Hometown: Dedham, Mass.
Murphy had four points across AP's two wins last week in a 2-1-0 stretch. She scored in a tight, 2-1 win over Kents Hill before putting up a three-point performance in a 6-3 win over Mount Saint Charles, finishing with a goal and two assists. Murphy now has six points in her last five games after she had a two-assist outing versus Milton Academy two weeks ago.
Nani Keyes
Choate, Class of 2025, F, right shot, 5-2
Hometown: Guilford, Conn.
Keyes helped power Choate to a 2-1-0 run over the past week, putting up four points across the two wins. She scored in a 3-0 shutout at Millbrook. She later factored in on all three goals in a 3-0 win at Pomfret, posting a goal and two assists.
Campbell Krotee
Deerfield, 1/19/2007, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: Darien, Conn.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Krotee has once again been a force in net for the Big Green, and that remained the case against Phillips Andover. She put up a 35-save shutout to lead Deerfield to a 1-0 upset. She helped push the Big Green to five straight wins, extending their unbeaten streak to nine straight (8-0-1) as they make a surge for the Elite 8.
BIG GREEN KEEP ROLLING: 7 standouts from Deerfield's win over St. Paul's
Brady Wierl
Deerfield, 01/2007, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: South Salem, NY
Wierl's numbers from the past week won't jump off the page with two points in two games, but she was clutch. After posting an assist in a 3-0 win over Pomfret, Wierl came through with the lone goal in a massive victory of Phillips Andover.
Maggie Lovering
Dexter Southfield, 09/2008, F, left shot, 5-3
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
Lovering, who has points in three straight, had four points across a pair of wins for Dexter. She scored in a 3-1 win at Tabor before a three-point game in an 8-0 win over Brooks. She had a goal and two assists in the latter.
Maddie Murphy
Dexter Southfield, 4/24/2007, D, right shot, 5-9
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
NCAA: Boston College
Murphy was a big factor in a pair of wins for Dexter last week, picking up four assists. She had two helpers in the win at Tabor before adding two more assists against Brooks. Murphy leads all NEPSAC defenders in scoring with 24 points in 16 games.
Maddie Cronan
Groton, 9/10/2006, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Ashland, Mass.
NCAA: Colgate
Cronan has been a big factor in Groton's five-game winning streak with seven points (three multi-point outings) in that span. She had five points last week across two of the Zebras' three wins. She factored in on both goals in a 2-0 win over Governor's, scoring a goal and an assist. The senior followed it up with three points, including two goals in a 4-0 win at Holderness.
RANKINGS:Â Thayer cracks top 5; Groton re-enters the fold in latest girls prep top 10
Nora Wilson
Groton, Class of 2027, G, catches left
Hometown: Weybridge, Vt.
Wilson has found a groove for the Zebras, posting three straight shutouts, two of which came last week. She had a 28-save outing for the clean sheet versus Governor's before making 25 stops for the shutout against SPS.
McKenna Dockery
Kimball Union, Class of 2025, F, right shot
Hometown: Boxford, Mass.
Dockery showed out in KUA's 4-3 win over Holderness, factoring in on every goal with a four-point game. She had a hat trick and added an assist.
Annie Schwarz
Loomis Chaffee, 2/2008, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Fairfield, Conn
NCAA: Yale
Schwarz continued her career season with five points in three games for Loomis Chaffee over the last week. She scored in a 4-1 win at BB&N before putting up two assists in a 4-2 win at Phillips Exeter. She finished the week with a pair of goals in a 7-0 win at Westminster. Schwarz hasn't gone longer than a game without a point this season.
Julia Loughlin
New Hampton, 2/5/2006, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
NCAA: New Hampshire
Loughlin put up two points per game over the last week for the Huskies, finishing with six points in three games. She had a goal and an assist in a 7-0 win at Vermont Academy before adding a helper in a 3-3 draw at St. Mark's. Loughlin capped things off with a goal and two assists in a 6-0 win at Tilton.
Kennedy Walker
New Hampton, 5/25/2006, F, right shot, 5-9
Hometown: Middleton, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Make it four straight weeks in the top performers for Walker after she had seven points in three games for New Hampton. She posted a goal and an assist at Vermont Academy and had an assist versus St. Mark's. She finished this latest stretch with a four-point outing, posting two goals and two assists at Tilton. Walker now has a 10-game point streak, going back to Dec. 21. Over that span, she has 21 points and 12 goals.
STATEMENT WIN: 11 standouts, takeaways from Phillips Andover’s win over Cushing
Gretta Hulbig
Nobles, 8/11/2007, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Foxboro, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Hulbig extended her point streak to eight straight games across a pair of wins last week. She had four points with a goal and three assists in an 8-0 win at Lawrence Academy last Wednesday. She followed it up with a goal in a 2-1 win at St. Paul's, scoring the game-winner late in the third. Over the eight-game scoring streak, she has 16 points (seven goals). She also has 18 points (eight goals) in her last 10 games.
Maria Gray
Phillips Exeter, 8/7/2007, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Monona, Wisc.
NCAA: Vermont
Gray's point streak reached 10 straight games last week as she finished with five points in three games. She scored both goals for Exeter in a 2-1 win at Tilton before picking up a goal and an assist in a 5-3 loss at Rivers. She also had an assist in a 4-2 loss to Loomis Chaffee. During her scoring streak, Gray has 18 points (10 goals). Her six-game goal streak came to an end in the loss to Loomis.
Erin Sears
Phillips Exeter, Class of 2027, F, left shot
Hometown: Cornwall, Vt.
Sears reached new career highs with five points in three games for Exeter last week, bringing her to 18 points (eight goals) in 15 games so far. She had an assist in the win at Tilton before adding a goal and an assist versus Rivers. She also scored a pair of goals in the loss to Loomis. Consistency has been the motto for Sears this season. She hasn't gone more than a single game without a point.
Maeve Molloy
Pomfret, 5/2/2008, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.
Molloy had a whopping nine points in Pomfret's two wins during a 2-1-0 week. She had a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Worcester Academy before exploding for six points (five goals) in a 12-0 triumph over Northfield Mount Hermon.
Chloe Chitkara
Rivers, Class of 2026, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
Chitkara finished the week with three goals in four games for the Red Wings. She scored in a 3-2 loss at Thayer before scoring twice in a 5-3 win over Exeter.
Nora McLean
Rivers, Class of 2028, F, right shot, 5-10
Hometown: Canton, Mass.
McLean had points in three straight to close out the four-game week for Rivers. She had an assist in the win over Exeter before showing out with a hat trick in a 3-1 win over Milton Academy. She followed it up with another assist in a 3-1 loss to Tabor.
Kate Sullivan
Thayer, 1/18/2007, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Hingham, Mass
NCAA: New Hampshire
Sullivan finished with four points in three wins for Thayer last week. She had an assist in a 3-2 win over Rivers before adding two more helpers in a 3-0 shutout against Tilton. She ended the week with a goal in a 4-2 win at Middlesex. Sullivan now has points in four straight and 10 points in her last seven games.
Coleen Wallace
Thayer, Class of 2028, G, catches left, 5-5
Hometown: Duxbury, Mass.
Wallace was a force in the crease in a three-win week for Thayer. She made 20 saves in the win over Rivers before posting a 20-save shutout against Tilton. The freshman then had 29 saves against Middlesex, finishing with a .925 save percentage across the three games.
Violet Carroll
Williston Northampton, 5/22/2007, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Carroll became the 11th player in program history to reach 100 career points when she had a four-point game with a goal and three assists in a 9-0 blowout of AP. She followed it up with three points (one goal) in an 11-0 drubbing of Hotchkiss, making for seven points in two games.
Nora Curtis
Williston Northampton, 1/9/2006, F, right shot, 5-10
Hometown: Skaneateles, NY
NCAA: Cornell
Curtis, who also crossed the 100-point threshold this season, had seven points in the two wins for the Wildcats. She scored twice and had an assist in the win over AP. She finished the week with four points (two goals) in the win over Hotchkiss.
Lauren Moran
Worcester Academy, Class of 2026, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Framingham, Mass.
Moran had five points across a 2-1-0 week for Worcester Academy last week. She had an assist in a 3-0 win over Brooks before scoring a goal and an assist in a 5-2 loss at Pomfret. She followed it up with two helpers in a 4-1 win over Kents Hill. Moran now has seven points in her last six games.
