Tracking the 2023 New England high school hockey champions

Thornton Academy players celebrate after winning the Maine Class A final. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ)

It’s championship season for high school hockey across New England.

It’s been a long year full of hard work put in by girls and boys throughout the six-state region. Early mornings and late nights at practice. Hockey, schoolwork, training — now is the time for all that effort to pay off.

New England Hockey Journal will capture the details of all of New England’s high school champions on this page.

Winners will be crowned between now and March 21. Check back here to learn the details as new champions emerge.

Connecticut

Girls

Champion: Darien

Daren defeated Southington/Avon 5-3 to capture the championship. It was the fifth state title for Darien, which has been in the championship game six straight times. Natalie Beach scored twice for Darien, which finished with a record of 22-1-2.

Boys

The boys state finals will be contested over several days: the Division 3 final will be held on March 16, Division 2 on March 20 and Division 1 on March 21. 

Maine

Girls, Class A

Champion: Cheverus/Old Orchard Beach/Kennebunk/Windham

Lucy Johnson scored a hat trick in the second period to provide all the scoring needed by the Cheverus co-op  in a 3-2 win over Yarmouth/Freeport to claim Maine’s single-division girls title. Cheverus ended the season with an 18-3 record.

Boys, Class A

Champion: Thornton Academy

Thornton Academy rallied for a 5-3 win to claim the championship over South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete. Gavin Pellerin (two goals), Jacob Marcotte, Shane Bergeron and Evan Beaudette scored for Thornton, which finished with a 17-4 record.

Boys, Class B

Champion: Cape Elizabeth

Nick Laughlin and Sebastian Moon each scored twice to lead a 4-3 championship win for Cape Elizabeth over Messalonskee. Cape Elizabeth scored the first three goals before Messalonskee rallied to within a goal at 3-2, but Moon’s second strike provided the winning margin for Cape Elizabeth, which finished with a record 19-2. 

Massachusetts

Boys, Division 1

Champion: Pope Francis

Pope Francis finally got its long-awaited state championship after many great seasons and close calls.
Longtime head coach Brian Foley has had more talented teams, but his Cardinals were able to get over the hump and win the Division 1 championship with a 3-2 victory over Xaverian.

Boys, Division 2

Champion: Canton

It was a slow start, but for came alive to win the championship with a 4-1 over Hopkinton. Four Canton players scored as the Bulldogs’ size and depth prevailed. The result was the finishing touch on a revenge tour after coach Brian Shuman’s team lost to Tewksbury in the final last season.

Boys, Division 3

Champion: Nashoba

Captain Joseph Quinn’s tally at the 4:08 mark of overtime gave Nashoba the championship with a 2-1 win over Scituate. Quinn received a great feed from Ryan May, who was at the left point. Once Quinn collected the puck, he took the puck to his left and backhanded a shot past the glove of Scituate goaltender Thomas McMellen for the winner.

Boys, Division 4

Champion: Norwell

After a double overtime heartbreak against Sandwich a year ago in the semifinals, Norwell got its revenge. It took overtime, but Norwell defeated Sandwich, 4-3, to win the championship. Senior first-line center Tim Ward scored the game-winner 3:31 into the extra session on a beautiful goal.

Girls, Division 1

Champion: Shrewsbury

With roughly 10 minutes to play in a tied game, Shrewsbury defender Yasmine McKenzie fired a bullet from the point that went through a sea of players and past St. Mary’s goalie Angelina Catino to give Shrewsbury the lead. They never looked back, adding two more goals and upsetting No. 1 St. Mary’s, 4-1, to win the title.

Girls, Division 2

Champion: Duxbury

It got close in the final moments of the third period, but in the end, Duxbury emerged with a 5-2 victory over Canton for the title. It’s Duxbury’s first championship win since 2014 when the Dragons won four in a row.

New Hampshire

Girls

Champion: Bishop Guertin

Jill Scanlon scored twice and Riley Goldthwaite scored another as Bishop Guertin held on for a 3-2 win over Oyster River/Portsmouth in the final. Jenna Lynch added two assists. It marked the second title in three seasons for Bishop Guertin (16-2-3).

Boys, Division 1

Champion: Bishop Guertin

Logan Vogel scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot in overtime as Bishop Guertin beat Bedford in the final. Officials assessed the penalty shot after Vogel emerged on a breakaway in the extra frame and a defender threw his stick to break up his opportunity. Bishop Guertin finished with a 16-5 record.

Boys, Division 2

Champion: Dover

Dover outlasted a challenge from Merrimack with a 4-2 win for the championship. Jackson Carroll, Brady McDonough, Jacob Lapierre and Logan Spagna all scored for Dover.

Boys, Division 3

Champion: Belmont-Gilford

Belmont-Gilford avenged a loss in last year’s title game to Berlin-Gorham with a 4-1 win over their rivals this time. Evan Guerin scored his team’s first three goals and Nathan Gerbig added another for Belmont-Gilford (19-1).

Rhode Island

Girls

Champion: Smithfield

Quinn Fair scored in the second overtime to clinch a 3-2 win for Smithfield over La Salle in the championship game. Smithfield rallied from a 2-1 deficit when Suzanne Laflamme tied the game in the third period.

Boys, Division 1

Champion: Bishop Hendricken

Bishop Hendricken beat La Salle 2-0 in the final. Will Cavanagh scored for Bishop Hendricken in the first period to provide a 1-0 lead. Cavanagh then added an empty-net goal in the third period to clinch the victory.

Boys, Division 2

Champion: Rogers/Middletown/Tiverton

The Rogers/Middletown/Tiverton co-op defeated Portsmouth 3-1 in the final. Matt O’Hagan, Keaton O’Shea, Johnny Lopes (an empty netter) scored the goals for Rogers/Middletown/Tiverton.

Vermont

Boys, Division 1

Champion: Essex 

Goaltender Ian Boutin led Essex to a 2-0 shutout over Rice Memorial in the final for the school’s second straight championship. Gavin Blondin notched the game-winning goal on a power play in the third period before Brendan DuBray sealed it on an empty-netter at the end. Essex ended the season with a 15-4-1 record.

Boys, Division 2

Champion: U-32

The U-32 Raiders took a circuitous route to the title. They were down two goals in the third period and still trailed with mere seconds left in regulation. but Tae Rossmassler scored with two ticks left on the clock to force overtime. Then in the second overtime, Brenden Tedeschi scored on a shorthanded breakaway 8:19 into the frame to clinch a 4-3 win for U-32 (20-2-2) over Mt. Mansfield.

Girls, Division 1

Champion: Spaulding

Spaulding beat Burlington/Colchester 4-1 to clinch an undefeated season in the championship game. Spaulding finished with a record of 21-0-1 and a goal differential of plus-98.

Girls, Division 2

Champion: Woodstock

Woodstock captured its second straight state title after beating the Kingdom Blades co-op, 4-1. Isabel Konijnenberg led the way with a hat trick for Woodstock (19-4-0).