Established 1996
 
 

 

Vermont’s Skodova Blanks Groton
USHR traveled out to the Groton School on Saturday to watch Vermont Academy, undefeated and ranked #1 in Div. II, take on the Groton Zebras. While Vermont Academy came away with a 3-0 win, we were surprised with the overall performance from the Wildcats. Whether it was playing a game on Friday night and/or the long bus ride down, Vermont Academy was not the same team we saw when they bested New Hampton in mid-December at the finals of the Cushing tournament. Groton, which has struggled in recent years and sits on the edge of the D-II rankings and the NEPSAC playoffs, battled the Wildcats deep into the third period in a sluggish penalty-filled affair. 

After a scoreless first period, Vermont Academy broke through on a Lotti Odnogo slap shot from the point on a power play midway through the second. Despite controlling the offensive play, Vermont could not break Groton senior goaltender Min Shin in the second as Groton junior Bridget Cornell and senior Angelina Joyce’s aggressive defensive play continually frustrated Vermont’s talented forwards.  A third period unassisted shorthanded goal from Vermont sophomore Kristyna Kaltounkova off a Groton defensive zone turnover gave the Wildcats a 2-0 cushion; an empty net goal late in the third capped the scoring.

Vermont Academy, despite their impressive 16-0-1 prep record, appeared to be a little off and, at times, undisciplined. Northeastern commit Chloe Aurard had several quality scoring chances, but was unable to capitalize and appeared to sustain an injury late in the third. While Groton was unable to convert on its chances, if Vermont Academy is willing to continually put teams on the power play, despite the talent of goaltender Blanka Skodova, it may prove to be their downfall.

Groton (7-6-2) battled and competed, and looked like a different team from when we last saw them in December. While juniors Nicole Pollis and Lily Delaney put forth solid efforts, Groton appears to have adopted a more conservative defensive approach and, as a result, struggled to sustain any consistent offensive zone pressure.  If Groton can find some offense, goaltender Shin will give them a chance to grab a playoff slot. 

With the New Hampton rematch on tap for Vermont Academy on Friday, we will be very interested in seeing how the Wildcats respond as they are clearly getting everyone's "A" game at this point.

 

 

Girls' Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Jan. 29, 2018

Mon. Jan. 29
Tilton @ New Hampton, 4:30 pm
Greenwich @ Millbrook, 4:30 pm
Canterbury @ Taft, 5:00 pm
Andover @ Lawrence Academy, 5:00 pm
Portledge @ Rye Country Day, 5:30 pm

Tues. Jan. 30
Chartham-Madison @ Rye Country Day, 4:45 pm

Wed. Jan. 31
Berkshire @ Hotchkiss, 2:15 pm
Groton @ Middlesex, 2:30 pm
Proctor @ Vermont Academy, 3:00 pm
Westminster @ Pomfret, 3:00 pm
Governor's @ BB&N, 3:30 pm
New Hampton @ Cushing, 3:30 pm
Thayer @ Brooks, 3:30 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Milton, 3:30 pm
Tabor @ Andover, 3:30 pm
St. Mark's @ St. Paul's, 4:00 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Pingree, 4:00 pm
Rivers @ Tilton, 4:00 pm
Southfield @ Worcester Academy, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ Albany Academy, 4:00 pm
Newton CD @ Winsor, 4:15 pm
Noble & Greenough @ St. George's, 4:30 pm
Taft @ Williston-Northampton, 4:30 pm
Greenwich @ Kent, 4:30 pm
Lawrenceville @ Canterbury, 4:30 pm
Hebron @ Holderness, 4:45 pm
Kimball Union @ Brewster Academy, 5:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Northfield - Mt. Hermon @ Choate, 5:15 pm
Winchendon @ Deerfield, 5:30 pm

Thurs. Feb. 1
Kents Hill vs. Canterbury, 6:30 pm -- at Harvard University

Fri. Feb. 2
St. Paul's @ New Hampton, 2:30 pm
Dana Hall @ BB&N JV, 4:00 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Holderness, 4:30 pm
Winsor @ Pingree, 4:30 pm
Tilton @ Thayer, 5:00 pm
Greenwich vs. Newton CD, 5:30 pm -- at Pomfret
Northfield - Mt. Hermon @ Cushing, 5:15 pm
Hebron @ Middlesex, 5:30 pm
Albany Academy @ Vermont Academy, 5:30 pm
Winchendon @ Noble & Greenough, 6:00 pm
Berwick @ Proctor, 6:00 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Tabor, 7:00 pm
China Women's National Team vs. BB&N, 7:30 pm (S) -- cancelled

Sat. Feb. 3
Worcester Academy @ Winchendon, 1:00 pm
New Hampton @ Andover, 1:15 pm
Middlesex @ Southfield, 2:00 pm
Milton @ Thayer, 2:15 pm
Proctor @ Kimball Union, 2:30 pm
Pingree @ Tilton, 2:30 pm
Brooks @ Noble & Greenough, 3:00 pm
Tabor @ St. Mark's, 3:00 pm
Exeter @ BB&N, 4:00 pm
Newton CD @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
Hill School @ Greenwich, 4:00 pm
Groton @ Governor's, 4:15 pm
Kents Hill vs. St. George's, 4:30 pm -- at Belmont Hill
Vermont Academy @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 5:00 pm
Lawrenceville vs. Northwood School, 5:15 pm -- at Union College

Sun. Feb. 4
Rice @ Stanstead College, 2:00 pm
Patriots vs. Eagles, 6:30 pm

Mon. Feb. 5
Newton CD @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
Greenwich @ Rye Country Day, 4:45 pm 


 

USHR Div. I Poll, Week of Jan. 29th

1. Kent (12-1-0) -- The Lions took care of business yesterday vs. the red hot Taft Rhinos and are back to #1. We looked at the remaining Kent schedule and it does not look very difficult. Hopefully, they will try to reschedule their 1/20 game vs. Williston, which would be a must-attend event.

2. Nobles (13-2-2) -- May be the best coaching job in Tom Resor's career as Nobles continues to get it done with an overachieving, young lineup. Top scorer Kate Tresca left the St. Paul’s game yesterday with an undisclosed injury; hopefully they get her back soon. The Nobles schedule looks pretty favorable over the next few weeks.

3. Loomis (12-3-2) -- The Pelicans had the weekend off but dropped a few spots after being shutout by Taft for the second time in a week.

4. Andover (10-3-0) -- Look out, here comes the Big Blue, jumping all the way to #4. PA has an unbelievably difficult schedule over the next 5-6 games so stay tuned.

5. Taft (12-4-0) -- Tough loss vs Kent yesterday. The Rhinos have a big test this week, traveling to Williston.

6. New Hampton (10-4-2) -- Major statement this weekend with a dominating win over previously undefeated Vermont Academy. New Hampton looks like they are getting ready to make another run at a title.

7. St. Paul’s (10-3-3) -- We are still waiting for the Pelicans to make their move. Huge test this Friday at New Hampton.

8. Williston (10-5-2) -- Tough week for the Wildcats as they lost to Westminster and then had a disappointing tie vs. Hotchkiss yesterday. They will need to figure it out pretty quickly: they have Taft, Choate and Andover this week.

Honorable Mention:

Tabor (11-4-0) -- We hear Kelly Browne put on a show yesterday with four goals vs. Westminster to singlehandedly try and keep Tabor in the hunt for a playoff spot. Three games this week -- Andover, LA, and St. Mark's.


 

Nobles, St. Paul's Battle to a Draw

Dedham, Mass. -- In a highly competitive contest, #3 Nobles and #7 St. Paul’s skated to a 1-1 draw here today.

After a scoreless first period, Nobles took the lead with six minutes remaining in the second period on a power play goal, an easy tap-in for junior Courtney Hyland that came out of a multiplayer scrum in front of the net.

In the third, St. Paul’s sophomore Gaby Roy, a Boston College commit, tied the game with seven minutes left on a puck that had trickled out from a scrum in front. The goal was an open-netter as Nobles senior goalie Kelly Pickreign had lost sight of the puck in the chaos of the scrum.

Both teams looked fantastic today and there was not much to split the difference between the two.

For St. Paul’s, they looked like a much more disciplined team than when we saw them earlier this season. Staying out of the penalty box is critical against opponents, given the parity in the league this year, and it seemed like St. Paul’s had changed their ways exponentially since we saw them play New Hampton at the beginning of the year. In that game, a 5-2 loss in early December, we saw them go to the sin bin five times in the third period alone.

There was also talk among most of the parents we talked to at the game that there is a widespread flu-like illness going around school that a handful of the girls were playing with. If this was the case, it should be really exciting to see what the Pelicans can do at full health.

For Nobles, they played their usual well-coached and tightly-drilled team game, but the Bulldogs struggled to create chances when in front of the St. Paul's goal. We thought junior defenseman Lily Farden played a terrific game, Nobles did not have a weak line, nor did they give St. Paul's any area of the ice to exploit.

 

 

Norcross Leads New Hampton Past VA

A pair of first period goals from BC commit Savannah Norcross sparked #6-ranked New Hampton as the Huskies made a major statement tonight, beating D-II #1-ranked and previously undefeated Vermont Academy, 4-1, in a penalty-filled game that didn't quite live up to its billing.

New Hampton, as we have said several times this year, is as good as anyone when they show up to play -- and they certainly proved that tonight. The line of Norcross, Anna Shelden and Lily Humphries was all over the ice with each having multiple-point games. New Hampton was missing a few of its key forwards, which made the win all the more impressive. The New Hampton D also played well, with Courtney Colarullo, Lauren DeBlois and Maddie Cahill having very good games. Junior Olivia Sollows continues to impress in net. If New Hampton, now 13-4-0 in NEPSAC play, continues to play like this down the stretch they will have a solid chance to repeat as the D-I champs.

For Vermont Academy, it was the second week in a row that we watched them play, and it was the second week in a row that we left the rink disappointed with what we saw. This VA team is not the same team that we watched beat up New Hampton, 4-0, in the Watkins championship game back on December 16th. VA continues to take many undisciplined penalties, and in a game against New Hampton -- with its firepower -- 10 plus penalties is almost impossible to overcome. We hope Vermont Academy, now 17-1-1 in prep play, will get back to playing hockey like we saw in December. If they do, there are very few teams in either D-I or D-II that can keep up with them. The Wildcats are loaded with talent, but they need those players on the ice -- and not in the penalty box. 

Note:

We heard at the rink last night that Vermont's sophomore superstar -- and Czech U18 national player -- Kristyna Kaltounkova committed to Colgate after receiving multiple D-I offers. In addition, VA senior forward Chloé Aurard formalized her commitment to Northeastern, and VA senior D Lotti Odnoga committed to Dartmouth earlier in the week. Congratulations to all.


 

Jan. 25th Div. II Poll

With less than a month to go until the end of the season, the D-II playoff field is starting to shape up. At this point, Vermont Academy, Brooks, Rivers and Worcester Academy look to be in solid playoff position and will be trying to lock down their seeding over the next month. The remaining four spots appear up for grabs, with Gunnery and Greenwich holding the inside positions. However, while their D-I heavy schedules will help their D-I opponent percentage, their overall records could take a hit. The remaining slots? Five teams -- Kimball Union, St. George’s, Canterbury, Groton and Proctor -- are all jockeying for position. It should be a wild final month. 

This week’s poll:

1. Vermont Academy (18-0-1) – The Wildcats suffered their first blemish on the season when KUA tied them with 6 seconds remaining but they bounced back with 3 straight convincing wins over Brewster, Groton and Hebron. Friday’s much-anticipated matchup with New Hampton will pose a risk to their undefeated status.

2. Brooks (6-3-4)​ – Goaltending and defense wins championships and Brooks has shown that they can keep teams from scoring as evidenced by their 2-0 win over Worcester on Wednesday. While still undefeated in D-II, they have at times struggled to score, as evidenced by their 0-0 tie with Proctor last weekend.

3. Rivers (11-3-0) – The Red Wings followed up their big win over BB&N with three convincing wins over Groton, Brewster and Thayer; they have now won six in a row. They have a light schedule with three games in the next 14 days leading up to a February 7th tilt with #4 Worcester Academy.

4. Worcester Academy (11-3-1) – The Hilltoppers dropped their first D-II game of the year, falling to Brooks 2-0 on Wednesday. After games with Millbrook and Southfield, Worcester will have back-to-back games with #3 Rivers and #1 Vermont Academy in early February.

5. Kimball Union (8-4-4) – Kimball Union is looking for some consistency, going 2-2-2 in its last six. After tying #1 Vermont Academy 1-1 last week, they went 1-1-1 in their next three including a surprising 3-3 tie vs. Hebron. 

6. Greenwich – (8-4-0). Winners of 3 straight and 4 of their last 5, Greenwich jumps into this week’s poll. They face D-I powers Loomis and Kent in 2 of their next 3.

7. Gunnery (7-5-0) -- Gunnery took down Canterbury, 3-1, last week and followed that up with a 1-0 win over Lawrenceville and a 3-0 loss to Taft, a D-I squad that is making a strong playoff push.

8. St. George’s (7-5-0) – Winners of 3 of their last 4, the Dragon’s grab the #8 slot in this week’s poll. They are off until next Wednesday when they host Nobles.

Under Consideration: Canterbury (11-6-1), Groton (7-6-2) and Proctor (7-6-2).


 

USHR Div. I Poll, Week of Jan 22, 2018

1. Loomis (10-2-1) -- A nice bounce back win for the Pelicans over Tabor after a tough loss at Taft. Loomis plays Taft again Wednesday, at home, which could be very interesting.

2. Kent (8-1-0) -- No activity at Kent with the flooding of the Housatonic River having closed school until Wednesday at the earliest. Kent, after a two-week hiatus, travels to Taft on Saturday night, which suddenly looks like must-see hockey.

3. Nobles (9-2-1) -- Hanging on for dear life in close games vs. Choate and Exeter, Nobles continues to find ways to win with a young lineup. Big week ahead with games vs. Lawrence, Cushing and a rematch vs. St. Paul’s, to whom they lost in the Harrington Tournament.

4. Taft (7-2-0) -- Quickly becoming the biggest surprise team in girls' prep hockey. Taft, which was 3-3 in mid-December, has won seven in a row since. Looks unstoppable right now. This week will tell us a lot about the Rhinos with games vs Gunnery, Loomis and Kent

5. Williston (9-3-1) -- Scrimmaged Stanstead on Saturday when Kent had to cancel. Have Westminster and Hotchkiss this week.

6. New Hampton (6-2-0) -- Had a last-second win to shock Deerfield on Friday. Big rematch with Vermont Academy looms on Friday.

7. St. Paul’s (5-3-2) -- We keep waiting for SPS to make its move. Tough week ahead with NMH on Wednesday and then the big rematch with Nobles on Saturday.

8. Tabor (6-4-0) -- The Seawolves have lost three out of four and are in free fall right now. It's hard to imagine this team possibly missing the playoffs with all its D-I talent.

Honorable Mention: Andover (4-3-0)

 

 

#1 Loomis Edges #4 Tabor in OT 

In a battle of two Div. I heavyweights, Loomis junior defenseman Abby Kuhns scored her second goal of the day early in overtime when a Tabor defenseman fell, leading to a partial breakaway and giving #1 Loomis a much-needed win over the suddenly struggling #4 Tabor Seawolves on Saturday.

For Loomis, it was great to see them bounce back after a tough loss to Taft on Wednesday. Loomis is not as deep as usual but they work extremely hard as a team. Up front, Kuhns and junior Jess Schryver, a Northeastern commit, had standout games. On defense, Loomis is solid and keeps things simple. We were impressed with the play of sophomore defenseman Bree Bergeron, who was a standout in the game. Senior goaltender Taylor Stadeli was once again very impressive, with well over 30 saves, many of them highlight-reel quality. If Stadeli continues to play like this, Loomis is going to be really tough to beat down the stretch.

For Tabor, the game was actually a good all-around effort, but it just seems like they should be doing better at this point in the season (we had the Seawolves ranked #1 going into the season). Tabor also had a big setback on Wednesday, losing to a scrappy, well-coached Milton team, but they also let the New Hampton game of. Jan. 20th slip away as well. They have now lost three of their last four after a 9-1-0 start. It might be time for coach Eric Long to shake things up. Up front, Tabor has a group of six D-I commits who really should be producing more. On the backend, Tabor is not as deep and definitely struggled with Loomis’s team speed. Sophomore goaltender Christine Steege has looked solid at times, but will need to be a lot more consistent if Tabor is going to have any chance at making a playoff run.


 

Girls' Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Jan. 22, 2018

Mon. Jan. 22, 2018
Portsmouth Abbey @ St. George's, 4:45 pm
Taft @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Andover @ BB&N, 5:15 pm

Wed. Jan. 24, 2018
Gunnery @ Berkshire, 2:30 pm
Hotchkiss @ Millbrook, 2:30 pm
Holderness @ Kimball Union, 2:30 pm
Tilton @ Exeter, 2:30 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Westminster, 2:45 pm
Brewster Academy @ Berwick, 3:30 pm
Worcester Academy @ Brooks, 3:30 pm
Andover @ Cushing, 3:30 pm
Choate @ Kent, 3:30 pm -- cancelled, river flooding at Kent
Deerfield @ Pomfret, 3:30 pm
Middlesex @ Portsmouth Abbey, 4:00 pm
Proctor @ Kents Hill, 4:00 pm
Princeton Day School @ Hill School, 4:00 pm
Portledge @ Lawrenceville, 4:00 pm
Beaver Country Day @ Winsor, 4:15 pm
Winchendon @ New Hampton, 4:30 pm
St. Paul's @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 4:30 pm
Thayer @ Rivers, 4:30 pm
St. George's @ St. Mark's, 4:30 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Newton CD, 4:30 pm
Southfield @ Governor's, 4:45 pm
Canterbury @ Rye Country Day, 4:45 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Noble & Greenough, 5:00 pm
Vermont Academy vs. Hebron, 5:00 pm -- at Phillips Exeter
Taft @ Loomis-Chaffee, 5:00 pm

Fri. Jan. 26, 2018
Princeton Day School @ Rye Country Day, 3:30 pm
Holderness @ Newton CD, 4:00 pm
Southfield @ Thayer, 4:15 pm
Vermont Academy @ New Hampton, 4:30 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Groton, 4:30 pm
Woodstock Academy @ Winsor, 4:45 pm
Albany Academy @ Pingree, 5:00 pm
Rivers @ Exeter, 5:00 pm
Dana Hall @ Portsmouth Abbey JV, 5:00 pm
Berwick @ Hebron, 5:15 pm
BB&N @ Berkshire, 6:00 pm
Cushing @ Noble & Greenough, 6:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Greenwich, 6:00 pm
Pomfret @ Choate, 6:30 pm
Governor's @ Kimball Union, 7:00 pm
Northwood School @ Stanstead College, 8:15 pm

Sat. Jan. 27, 2018
Tilton @ Governor's, 1:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Winchendon, 1:00 pm
BB&N @ Cushing, 2:00 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Hotchkiss, 2:00 pm
Thayer @ Middlesex, 2:00 pm
Worcester Academy @ Millbrook, 2:00 pm
Pomfret @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 2:00 pm
Nichols @ Stanstead College, 2:15 pm
Deerfield @ Andover, 2:30 pm
St. Paul's @ Noble & Greenough, 3:00 pm
Hebron @ Exeter, 3:00 pm
Pingree @ North Yarmouth Academy, 3:15 pm
Berkshire @ Canterbury, 4:00 pm
Groton @ Holderness, 4:00 pm
Southfield @ Brooks, 4:00 pm
Washington Pride @ Lawrenceville, 4:00 pm
Westminster @ Tabor, 4:00 pm
New Hampton @ St. Mark's, 4:30 pm
Portsmouth Abbey vs. Beaver Country Day, 4:45 pm -- at Dexter Southfield
Hill School @ Gunnery, 7:00 pm
Kent @ Taft, 7:00 pm
Hoosac School @ Stanstead College, 9:15 pm

Sun. Jan. 28, 2018
Washington Pride @ Lawrenceville, 9:00 am
Trinity College @ Stanstead College, 2:15 pm

Mon. Jan. 29, 2018
Tilton @ New Hampton, 4:30 pm
Greenwich @ Millbrook, 4:30 pm
Canterbury @ Taft, 5:00 pm
Andover @ Lawrence Academy, 5:00 pm
Portledge @ Rye Country Day, 5:30 pm 


 

Wed. Jan. 17th Postponements/Cancellations

Please send any additions/changes to cwarner@ushr.com Thank you!

Loomis-Chaffee @ Taft, 2:45 pm
-- ppp. to Thurs. 1/18 at 6:00 pm
Hebron @ North Yarmouth Academy, 3:00 pm -- cancelled
Andover @ Lawrence Academy, 3:00 pm -- ppd., makeup date Mon. 1/29 at 5:00 pm
Kents Hill @ Brewster Academy, 3:00 pm -- cancelled
Winchendon @ Noble & Greenough, 3:15 pm -- postponed
Pomfret @ Kent, 4:30 pm -- postponed; Kent closed due to Housatonic River flooding
Hill School @ Morristown Beard, 5:00 pm -- cancelled
Berwick @ Southfield, 6:15 pm -- cancelled



Jan. 17th Div. II Poll
Vermont Academy keeps rolling along with three wins last week and remains undefeated on the season.  Senior Chloé Aurard, a Northeastern commit, is on a ridiculous hot streak, posting a 20g-16a-36pts scoring line in Vermont’s last 8 games. Worcester Academy kept pace, going 2-0-1 on the week.  From what we have seen so far, the top seven teams in this week’s poll have remained consistent throughout this season, but the race for the 8th spot looks like a 4-team race with St. George’s, Groton, Proctor and Greenwich bunched up.  No one yet appears ready to grab hold of that last spot.

1. Vermont Academy (15-0-0) -- Hard to find flaws with ​​Vermont Academy right now, #5 Kimball Union comes to town today and will try to upset the Wildcats.  A rematch with New Hampton looms next week.

2. Worcester Academy (9-2-1) -- After a 1-1 tie with D-I Exeter with 6 seconds remaining, the Hilltoppers rolled over #8 Groton and capped their week with a 5-3 road win at Portsmouth Abbey.

3. Brooks (5-3-3)​ -- Brooks's undefeated record is no longer: they suffered three losses this week, but it's hard to justify dropping them when the week consisted of an overtime loss to Andover, a road loss at Tabor, and dropping a 3-1 game to Lawrence. Road games with Tilton and Proctor lead up to a date with #2 Worcester Academy next week.

4. Rivers (7-3-0) -- After dropping games to Brooks and Nobles, the Red Wings seem to have righted the ship posting shutout wins over St. George’s and Winchendon.  ISL matchups with BB&N and Groton on the slate this week.

5. Kimball Union (7-3-2) -- After dropping a hard fought 3-2 north-of-the-border battle to Canadian power Stanstead College, the Wildcats rebounded with a 4-1 win over Holderness. Back-to-back road games this week against #1 Vermont Academy and D-I #6 St. Paul’s will pose a challenge. ​

6. Gunnery (5-4-0) -- Gunnery followed up a 4-2 loss to Vermont Academy with shutout wins over Hoosac and Hotchkiss.

7. Canterbury (11-3-1) -- While Canterbury has racked up 11 wins on the season, we are looking for that marquee win to justify a higher ranking. Today’s match with Gunnery will provide that opportunity.

8. TBD -- With four teams under consideration, we are leaving the #8 slot open this week.
Under consideration: Groton (6-4-2), Proctor (7-5-1), Greenwich (7-4-0), St. George’s (5-4-0)

 

 

Loomis Tops Div. I Poll

1. Loomis (10-1-1) -- The Pelicans are coming off a huge win vs. #1-ranked Kent last week. In our Twitter poll, most readers agreed Loomis should be at the top of the pack. Big week ahead for the Pelicans as they play at Taft (Wed.) and then host Tabor (Sat.).

2. Kent (11-1-0) -- Watch out. When the season is over Kent might look back and say the loss to Loomis last Wednesday may have been the best thing that could have happened to them.

3. Nobles (9-2-1) -- Didn’t play on Saturday. Nobles’ schedule is very favorable until the Jan. 27th rematch vs St. Paul’s. Nobles needs to get healthy.

4. Tabor (9-2-0) -- Tough loss vs. New Hampton but Kelly Browne is back from Russia. We will be very interested to see how they handle red-hot Loomis on Saturday.

5. Williston (10-3-0)
-- Will only play St. Paul’s this week as their big game vs Kent on Saturday has been postponed.

6. St. Paul’s (8-3-1)
-- A nice bounce-back win for the Big Red over Andover on Saturday after being shocked at home by BB&N on Wednesday. They will be tested tomorrow at Williston.

7. New Hampton (11-3-0)
-- More of the same from the mystery New Hampton Huskies team. They can be really good or really bad. We saw both on display last week when they lost to BB&N and then traveled down to Tabor and shocked the Seawolves.

8. Taft (8-3-0)
-- Pretty excited to see the Taft Rhinos at #8. What an amazing turnaround spearheaded by coach Gretchen Silverman. A tough week ahead, though, as they face Loomis (Wed.) and Deerfield (Sat.).

Honorable Mention:

BB&N (7-4-1) -- Crazy week for the Knights, starting with a loss to Milton and then wins over St. Paul’s and New Hampton. We still can’t figure out what they are doing with a four-goalie rotation.

Lawrence (10-5-0) -- Not a deep team but LA already has ten wins.

NMH (9-3-2) -- Has nine wins but hasn’t really beaten anyone yet. They play at Andover on Friday, which will be big.


 

Girls' Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Jan. 15, 2018

Mon. Jan. 15, 2018 -- MLK Day
Gunnery @ Hotchkiss, 4:30 pm
Berkshire @ Millbrook, 5:00 pm
Westminster @ Loomis-Chaffee, 6:00 pm

Wed. Jan. 17, 2018
Canterbury @ Gunnery, 2:30 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Taft, 2:45 pm -- ppd., makeup date Thurs. 1/18 at 6:00 pm
Northfield - Mt. Hermon @ Berkshire, 3:00 pm
Exeter @ Holderness, 3:00 pm
Hebron @ North Yarmouth Academy, 3:00 pm -- cancelled
Tabor @ Thayer, 3:00 pm
Andover @ Lawrence Academy, 3:00 pm -- ppd., makeup date Mon. 1/29 at 5:00 pm
Kents Hill @ Brewster Academy, 3:00 pm -- cancelled
Winchendon @ Noble & Greenough, 3:15 pm -- postponed
St. Paul's @ Williston-Northampton, 3:15 pm
Cushing vs. Hotchkiss, 3:30 pm -- at Trinity College
Dana Hall @ Beaver Country Day, 3:30 pm
Hoosac School @ Albany Academy, 3:30 pm
Rivers @ BB&N, 3:45 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Newton CD, 3:45 pm
Kimball Union @ Vermont Academy, 4:00 pm
Proctor @ Groton, 4:00 pm
Brooks @ Tilton, 4:00 pm
Portledge @ Rye Country Day, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ Westminster, 4:00 pm
Milton J.V. @ Winsor, 4:15 pm
Governor's @ Milton, 4:30 pm
St. Mark's @ Middlesex, 4:30 pm
Pomfret @ Kent, 4:30 pm -- postponed; Kent closed due to Housatonic River flooding
Hill School @ Morristown Beard, 5:00 pm -- cancelled
Choate @ Deerfield, 5:30 pm
Berwick @ Southfield, 6:15 pm -- cancelled

Thurs. Jan. 18, 2018
Loomis-Chaffee @ Taft, 6:00 pm -- rescheduled from Wed. 1/17

Fri. Jan. 19, 2018
Dana Hall @ Nobles JV, 3:15 pm
Winsor @ Newton CD, 4:00 pm
Brewster Academy @ Vermont Academy, 5:00 pm
Groton @ Rivers, 5:00 pm
Shady Side Academy @ Rye Country Day, 5:00 pm
Kents Hill @ Berwick, 5:00 pm
Kimball Union @ St. Paul's, 5:30 pm
Cushing @ Middlesex, 5:30 pm
New Hampton @ Deerfield, 6:00 pm
Milton @ Tabor, 6:30 pm
Worcester Academy @ Pomfret, 6:45 pm
Choate @ Noble & Greenough, 7:15 pm

Sat. Jan. 20, 2018
Lawrenceville @ Gunnery, 1:00 pm
Kimball Union @ Hebron, 1:00 pm
Canterbury @ Albany Academy, 1:00 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Exeter, 2:00 pm
Newton CD @ Middlesex, 2:00 pm
Deerfield @ Taft, 2:00 pm
Tabor @ Loomis-Chaffee, 2:30 pm
Brooks @ Proctor, 2:45 pm
Tilton @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 3:00 pm
BB&N @ Winchendon, 3:30 pm
Pingree @ Portsmouth Abbey, 3:30 pm
St. Mark's @ Andover, 3:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ Rivers, 4:00 pm
Hotchkiss @ Westminster, 4:00 pm
Pomfret @ New Hampton, 4:00 pm
Kent @ Williston-Northampton, 4:00 pm -- postponed; Kent closed due to Housatonic River flooding
Stanstead @ Williston-Northampton, 4:00 pm -- replaces Kent game
St. George's @ Governor's, 4:00 pm
Holderness @ Southfield, 4:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Groton, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ Greenwich, 4:00 pm
Beaver Country Day @ Gloucester HS, 4:00 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Worcester Academy, 4:30 pm
Thayer vs. Kents Hill, 4:30 pm -- at Phillips Exeter
Berkshire @ Lawrence Academy, 5:00 pm
Shady Side Academy @ Rye Country Day, 5:45 pm

Sun. Jan. 21, 2018
Berkshire @ Cushing, 12:00 pm
Stanstead College @ Noble & Greenough, 12:15 pm (S)
Hill School @ Canterbury, 1:00 pm

Mon. Jan. 22, 2018
Portsmouth Abbey @ St. George's, 4:45 pm
Taft @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Andover @ BB&N, 5:15 pm 


 

#5 New Hampton Sinks #2 Tabor, 4-2

With the game tied 2-2 late in the third period, New Hampton senior forward Savannah Norcross blocked a power play shot from Tabor defenseman Julia Shaunessy and raced the length of the ice to score a short-handed goal and give New Hampton a much-needed road victory over #3-ranked Tabor in a battle of D-I heavyweights Saturday.

New Hampton got off to another slow start, allowing Tabor to dominate the first period, outshooting them 15-2. The Huskies were fortunate to get to the locker room tied. For that, credit great goaltending from junior Olivia Sollows. In the second period, New Hampton settled down and had a much better period. Up front, Anna Sheldon, Norcross, McKenzie Haberl (2 goals), Lily Humphries and Kelly Mathews had very strong games. The New Hampton defense is underrated and, when they are involved in the offense, they are very good. Lauren DeBlois, Courtney Colarullo and Bri Nolan all had great games. We have said it all along, when New Hampton is on its game they are as good as anyone we have seen. Unfortunately, they have also been inconsistent in the few times that we have watched them. Today, it was the slow start. Coach Craig Churchill will need to fix this for the Huskies to have any chance at repeating as NEPSAC champs.

For Tabor, we were impressed with what we saw from the Seawolves, particularly as they were playing without senior forward Kelly Browne, who was in Russia with the US U18 team. Tabor had a clear game-tying goal scored by UNH recruit Annie Berry with just a few minutes left called back for goaltender interference. To us, it looked like a bad call as it was actually a New Hampton defenseman accidentally interfering with her own goalie. Tabor isn’t as deep as New Hampton up front, but their top two lines can play with anyone. Cindy Giandomenico, PC recruit Ashley Clark, Berry and BC recruit Olivia Finocchiaro all had very strong games. On the backend, Tabor struggled at times trying to handle New Hampton's speed but sophomore goaltender Christine Steege, a Californian, looks like a real prospect. If coach Eric Long can tighten things up -- and with Browne back this week -- we expect the Seawolves to be a serious contender for a NEPSAC title. Tabor has three games this week, including a big one Saturday at Loomis (2:30 pm).

 

 

BB&N Stuns #5 New Hampton in OT

Cambridge, Mass.
-- Sophomore Maya Mangiafico, a Brown commit, scored her second goal of the night on a power play in OT to lead host BB&N to a 3-2 win over #5 New Hampton in the latest major upset in girls prep hockey this season. 

For BB&N, coach Ed Bourget has done a great job bringing along his Knights: they are much better than the team we saw at the Harrington Tournament in December. Tonight, BB&N got off to a great start, as Mia Biotti and Mangiafico scored on their first two shots of the game. BB&N has an excellent all-sophomore first line of Mangiafico, Molly Griffin and Jenna Hallice -- and they were all over the ice tonight. BB&N also received nice contributions from junior Lexi Schmaltz, freshman Dehlia Fallon and senior Maddy Burns. All played a very strong game. BB&N has a solid core of defensemen led by freshman Biotti, senior Kayla Duran, junior Lauren Jackson and freshman Aimée Seppenwolde. All had outstanding games. Coach Bourget played two goalies tonight -- sophomore Danielle Bernstein and then junior Rei Halloran. The latter did not give up a goal.

As far as New Hampton goes, maybe it was just a long bus ride, but there is no excuse for showing up to a game like that and basically handing BB&N a 2-0 lead just a few minutes into the game. Up front, the Huskies are loaded with talent but as a group they were not sharp tonight and you have to give BB&N some credit for that. The Huskies' unheralded sophomore Anna Shelden, a Kenai, Alaska native, had an outstanding game, but the other New Hampton forwards looked disinterested at times and took some really dumb penalties. On the back end, New Hampton is deep and, overall, did a really good job after the disastrous start. Junior Lauren DeBlois, freshman Courtney Colarullo, sophomore Maddie Crowley-Cahill and junior Bri Michaud-Nolan all had strong games. Junior goalie MJ Peters got off to a shaky start but settled down after that and did a pretty good job. It will be very interesting to see which New Hampton team shows up tomorrow against Tabor. If it’s the team that showed up to play BB&N tonight, it could be a long ride home for the Huskies.


 

#3 Loomis Stuns #1 Kent, 2-1
Windsor, Conn. -- A goal from junior defenseman Avery Flynn late in the second period lifted #3 Loomis to a 2-1 win over #1 Kent Wednesday at Loomis.

The goal came after Kent senior Jesse DeVito had tied things up at 1-1. The host Pelicans held on for dear life in the third period to stun Kent, knocking them from the ranks of the undefeated (10-1-0) and sending shockwaves through the girls' prep community.

For Loomis, , bow 8-1-1, there is no question that this is the best coaching performance that we have seen from Liz Leyden over the last few years. Loomis has become almost an automatic to make the tournament every year. But, like many others in girls' prep hockey, we assumed that Loomis would be down this year after losing so many key players to graduation. That, however, is clearly not the case. Loomis is not as deep as usual, but plays very well in all three zones and goaltender Taylor Stadelli has been tremendous. In yesterday's game she must have made close to 40 saves, some of them in spectacular fashion.

For Kent, we have seen them play a few times this year, and they were not the team we had seen cruise to victory in the Odden Tournament at Taft a few weeks ago. The Lions came back from the long Christmas break and had a very impressive 1-0 win over Nobles so we figured they were back in business, but they seemed a step slower than usual yesterday and lost a lot of 1-on-1 puck battles that we had never seen from them before. Sometimes great teams need to have games like this to get to the next level. Our guess is that in a couple months Kent will look back at this loss, their first of the season, and say it was the best thing that could have happened to them. We are already looking forward to watching the Lions take on Williston on January 20th (4:00 pm).

 ***

Undefeated Vermont Academy Tops Gunnery, 4-2

PG forward Chloe Aurard scored 3 goals and added an assist, and PG goaltender Blanka Skodova made 34 saves as Vermont Academy stays unbeaten (12-0-0 in prep play) with a hard fought 4-2 victory over Gunnery. Aurard has had 9 points in the two games VA has had to play without its two superstars, Krystyna Kaltounkova and Klara Jandusikova, who are currently in Russia playing in the U18 World Championships for the Czech Republic.


 

 

Feeney's OT Goal Gives Andover 3-2 Win

Phillips Andover sophomore Lilly Feeney scored with less than a minute left in overtime to give her team a 3-2 win and hand an impressive Brooks team its first loss of the season. The win gives Andover a much-needed boost as they start the second half of the season and their drive for a playoff spot.

Andover has a first line that generates the majority of the team’s offense. Senior Charlotte Welch – a Yale recruit -- was all over the ice and freshman Anna Bargman was also very impressive. Andover also got nice contributions up front from soph Maddy Silveira and juniors Meghan Ward and Emily Batchelor. On the back end, Andover is solid with senior Elizabeth Holubiak and juniors Erin Kelley and Brooke Keough, each of whom had strong games. In net, Andover is looking for consistency, still waiting for a #1 goalie to step up. On this day they were able to successfully work around the issue, as senior starter Alexa Matses was off her game, got pulled by coach Martha Fenton, and was replaced with new sophomore Sophia Merageas, who came off the bench and did a great job.

For Brooks, we have clearly underestimated them as a team: they are much better than we realized. Up front, they were led by Caroline O’Keefe, who had both goals and played a strong game. Quin Healy and Lucy Verdone also impressed. On the back end, Emma English is a force at both ends of the ice. Goaltender Caroline Kukas is playing as well as any goalie we have watched this season -- and will keep Brooks in every game. We expect the Bishops to be a major factor in the D-II playoff race.


***

Nobles Blanks Rivers, 3-0

Senior Katie Tresca, a Harvard commit, scored late in the first period and the Nobles Bulldogs never looked back, rolling to a relatively easy 3-0 road win over Rivers. 

For Nobles, the injuries continue to pile up as another one of their dynamic 9th graders, Ellie Bayard, was out with a wrist injury. Coach Tom Resor was forced to juggle his lines, and he pulled all the right strings as all three Nobles lines played well. It seems that every time we watch Nobles play, Katie Tresca is playing with someone different, yet she continues to deliver big goals for the Bulldogs. Nobles needed some of their other forwards to step up and freshman Madison Michaels and 8th grader Kate Hamm looked very good with Tresca. Junior Maddie Bayard continues to impress and scored the second goal for Nobles, which essentially put the game away. Nobles also benefitted from all-around hustle up front from Cassidy Piersiak, Maeve Connolly and Courtney Hyland. The Nobles defense continues to be solid with Steph Nomicos, Rose O’Connor. Nicky Lutschaunig and Kaley MacDonald all playing well. Kelly Pickreign wasn’t tested much in net but is always there when needed. The Nobles schedule definitely eases up for the next few weeks and the timing is good for the dinged-up Bulldogs' players.

Rivers looked decent at times, but let a chance to take down a beat-up Nobles team slip away. Rivers has some talent up front with a first line of Jenna Letterie, Kate Shaughnessy and Rylee Glennon. Camille Phelan and Casey Cunningham also had good games and created some chances. The Rivers defense definitely needs some work, although junior Leslie Schwartz played a ton of minutes and stood out. Senior goalie Meagan Gazard can win a game all by herself, but didn’t have her best game tonight. Rivers will definitely need to clean some things up with their defense if they want to make a run for a D-II title this season.


 

Vermont Academy Tops USHR D-II Poll

Vermont Academy started off the New Year the same way it ended 2017: with two solid wins, particularly impressive given the absence of top scorer Krystyna Kaltounkova and top defender Klara Janusikvoa to the Czech U-18 team in Russia. Most of the top teams held check, with the lone poll movement being Rivers and Brooks swapping spots due to Brooks's 3-2 win over the Red Wings on Saturday.

1. Vermont Academy (12-0-0) -- Vermont Academy keeps rolling along. A Wednesday matchup with Gunnery will be a test, especially without Vermont down two top players (see above). 

2. Worcester Academy (7-2-0) -- Unfortunately, snow claimed Friday's anticipated matchup with St. Mark’s. This Friday's tilt at  Groton will be a test of two ranked teams. First, Worcester has to get by Exeter on Wednesday.

3. Brooks (5-0-3) -- ​A big 3-2 road win over Rivers moves Brooks up one slot. With matches vs. Andover and Lawrence on tap this week, their undefeated record will be tested.

4. Rivers (5-2-0) -- With the loss to Brooks, Rivers drop back a slot. A three-game week starts off with a tough matchup with Nobles on Monday.

5. Canterbury (10-2-1) -- After dropping two of three to start the New Year at the Winchendon tournament, the Saints bounced back with a tie against #6 KUA and a win over Tilton.

6. Kimball Union (6-2-2) -- With two wins and a tie in 2018, KUA holds down the #6 spot. Five road games in a row for KUA starts Wednesday with a trip north of the border to play Canadian power Stanstead College. It also includes back-to-back road games next week against Vermont Academy and St. Paul’s. ​

7. Gunnery (3-3-0) -- A light schedule to start the season with only a 2-0 win over St. George’s in 2018.  #1 Vermont Academy is on tap on Wednesday and Williston on Saturday.  ​

8. Groton (5-2-2) -- A tough 3-2 loss to BB&N followed a 7-2 win over Pingree.  Back-to-back Friday/Saturday matches with Worcester Academy and Milton Academy this week.

Honorable Mention: Proctor 7-4-1; St. George’s 5-3-0


 

Undefeated Kent Remains #1 in USHR D-I Prep Poll

USHR D-I Poll, Week of January 8, 2018

1. Kent (10-0) -- The more we watch them play, the more we start thinking they might not lose a game all year. Although the Nobles score was close on Saturday (Kent, 1-0), it was all Kent. The Lions are loaded with D-I talent and may have the top goalie in prep school hockey in senior Nina Prunster. Big matchup on Wednesday @ Loomis. After Loomis, Kent has a very favorable schedule.

2. Tabor (8-1) -- Tremendous win for Tabor on the road vs. Williston Saturday, a 2-1 decision in a game played without Kelly Browne, who is in Russia playing for the US U18 team. The Seawolves have a huge matchup at home on Saturday vs. New Hampton. Tabor is loaded with D-I talent and it looks like their goaltending situation has improved dramatically.

3. Loomis (7-1-1) -- In what we thought might be a rebuilding season, Loomis just keeps winning. They beat up a good BB&N team, 4-0, on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how they do at home on Wednesday vs #1-ranked Kent.

4. Nobles (7-2-1) -- Nobles played Kent very tough on Saturday, losing 1-0 although Nobles goaltender Kelly Pickreign was locked in all afternoon. Nobles lost its second-best forward, freshman Katie Pyne, for the remainder of the season to a shoulder injury, so the Bulldogs will need some of their impressive young players to continue to step up. The Nobles schedule eases up a bit over the next few weeks so we expect Coach Tom Resor to use the time to continue to develop his young talent.

5. New Hampton (7-2) – The Huskies beat up on a weak Albany Academy team, 11-0, on Saturday. Of great interest will be the New Hampton at Tabor tilt on Saturday -- a battle of D-I heavyweights. As we all know, if New Hampton shows up to play they can beat anybody.

6. St. Paul’s (7-2-1) – SPS beat up on both Lawrenceville and the Hill School over the weekend. We wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the Big Red get on a little bit of a roll. To put a fine point on it, they will need to, because a difficult January schedule lies ahead of them. They have a big matchup at home Saturday vs Andover.

7. Williston (8-3) -- Had a good start to the week, cruising to victory at the Winchendon Tournament, but lost a tough game at home on Saturday vs. #2 Tabor. Up front, Williston can play with anyone, but will need to be much better on the back end if they are going to have a chance this year.

8. Taft (6-3) – To some observers, it may come as a bit of a surprise to see Taft in the #8 spot but, coming off three wins in a row, the Rhinos deserve it. This final spot is wide open right now.

Honorable Mention:

Andover (4-2) -- PA hasn’t played much hockey this season. Stay tuned, though, because they were very good when we saw them at the Odden Tournament. If they can figure out their goalie situation Andover will be tough down the stretch.


 

Girls' Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Jan. 8, 2018

Mon. Jan. 8, 2018
New Hampton @ Holderness, 4:00 pm
Andover @ Brooks, 4:30 pm
Milton @ BB&N, 5:15 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Rivers, 5:15 pm

Wed. Jan. 10, 2018
Deerfield @ Northfield Mt. Hermon, 1:30 pm
Holderness @ Tilton, 2:00 pm
Millbrook @ Canterbury, 2:30 pm
Westminster @ Choate, 3:00 pm
Cushing @ Brewster Academy, 3:30 pm
Exeter @ Worcester Academy, 3:30 pm
St. Mark's @ Lawrence Academy, 3:30 pm
Pomfret @ Taft, 3:30 pm
Brooks @ Tabor, 3:30 pm
BB&N @ St. Paul's, 4:00 pm
Newton CD @ Pingree, 4:00 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Groton, 4:00 pm
Governor's @ Berwick, 4:15 pm
Greenwich @ Hotchkiss, 4:15 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Winsor, 4:15 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Berkshire, 4:30 pm
Middlesex @ Noble & Greenough, 4:30 pm
Winchendon @ Proctor, 4:30 pm
Rivers @ St. George's, 4:30 pm
Kimball Union @ Stanstead College, 4:45 pm
Morristown Beard @ Rye Country Day, 4:45 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Albany Academy, 5:00 pm
Hill School @ Portledge, 5:00 pm
Kent @ Loomis-Chaffee, 5:00 pm
Gunnery @ Vermont Academy, 5:15 pm

Fri. Jan. 12, 2018
Hebron @ Kents Hill, 4:00 pm
Brewster Academy @ Tilton, 4:00 pm
Dana Hall @ Milton J.V., 4:15 pm
Hoosac School @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Berwick @ Thayer, 5:00 pm
Worcester Academy @ Groton, 5:15 pm
Vermont Academy @ Pingree, 6:00 pm
Gilmour Academy @ Hill School, 6:00 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Pomfret, 6:00 pm
St. Mark's @ Williston-Northampton, 6:00 pm
St. George's @ Southfield, 6:30 pm
Greenwich @ Canterbury, 6:30 pm
New Hampton @ BB&N, 7:00 pm

Sat. Jan. 13, 2018
Parent Daughter @ Pomfret, 12:00 pm (S)
DU Club Hockey @ St. George's, 12:30 pm (S)
Williston-Northampton @ Gunnery, 1:00 pm
Worcester Academy @ Portsmouth Abbey, 1:30 pm
Andover @ St. Paul's, 2:00 pm
Middlesex @ Governor's, 2:00 pm
Gilmour Academy @ Hill School, 2:00 pm
Cushing @ St. Mark's, 2:00 pm
Milton @ Groton, 2:00 pm
Deerfield @ Exeter, 2:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Thayer, 2:15 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Brooks, 2:30 pm
Hotchkiss @ Loomis-Chaffee, 3:00 pm
Winchendon @ Rivers, 3:00 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Berkshire, 3:15 pm -- ppd. due to predicted icy highways
New Hampton @ Tabor, 4:00 pm
Kimball Union @ Holderness, 4:00 pm
Dana Hall vs. Beaver Country Day , 4:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Millbrook, 5:00 pm
Taft @ Choate, 5:00 pm
Lawrenceville @ Kent, 5:30 pm
Hebron @ Proctor, 5:45 pm
Westminster @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 6:00 pm
Kents Hill @ Brewster Academy, 7:00 pm

Sun. Jan. 14, 2018
Lawrenceville @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 11:00 am

Mon. Jan. 15, 2018 -- MLK Day
Gunnery @ Hotchkiss, 4:30 pm
Berkshire @ Millbrook, 5:00 pm
Westminster @ Loomis-Chaffee, 6:00 pm 


 

Williston Captures Fourth Straight Winchendon Invitational Crown

Winchendon, Mass. – Williston-Northampton junior Kate Holmes, a Northeastern recruit, scored on the first shift of the game and the Williston Wildcats cruised to an easy 4-0 championship game win over an overmatched Northfield-Mt. Hermon squad to win their fourth consecutive Winchendon Invitational Championship.

Williston Northampton

The Wildcats (8-2-0) looked particularly good Tuesday and seem to be coming together as a team. We were quite surprised to see them beat up on a pretty good Lawrence Academy team, 7-1. Up front, Williston gets its usual strong contributions from Holmes, Marielle McHale, Caroline Difiore and Gaby Jones but we were pleasantly surprised by the strong contributions they get from an impressive group of younger players that included Christina Vote, Mary Kate O’Brien, Madison Cardaci and Katherine McDermott, the latter scoring a huge goal in the finals.

On the back end, Williston wasn’t tested much. However, they will need some players to step up as they recently lost one of their top defensemen, senior Julia MacLean, for the season. They moved one of their best forwards, Bryn Saarella, back to D and are playing an 8th grader as well. Senior Victoria Palumbo showed some nice offensive flashes. Williston will need to step up their game defensively as they take on Tabor this weekend. In net, Danielle Marquez saw very little action but came up big when she was called on. If Williston is going to have continued success this season, Marquez is going to have to be great.

Northfield Mount Hermon

We were disappointed with what we saw from NMH yesterday in the championship game. After dismantling Canterbury, 8-2, in the morning game, we were really expecting a better showing from the Hoggers, a deep team with the talent to be a factor down the stretch. NMH, though, never recovered from an early Williston goal and took some untimely penalties, never a good idea in a tournament title game vs. a team like Williston.

Up front, NMH is led by the dynamic duo of senior Nicole Unsworth and junior Ally Watrous, both of whom had strong tournaments. Senior captain Melissa Alexander had two goals in the Canterbury game. Seniors Ellie Fellows and Sophie McLaughlin had decent showings but did not do much in the finals.

On the blue line, NMH is led by senior Stephanie Voge, who had an excellent tournament, and junior Alisa Canney, who was solid. Senior goalie Amanda Aalto, who has had a great season thus far, did not have a great game and we’re sure she would like to have a few of those Williston goals back. We expect NMH, now 6-3-0, to be a strong contender for a playoff spot as we get into the second half of the season.

 

Girls' Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Jan. 1, 2018

Mon. Jan. 1, 2018
Winchendon Invitational (Day 1)
See schedule and results below.


Tues. Jan. 2, 2018
Winchendon Invitational (Final Day)
See schedule and results below.

Middlesex @ Albany Academy, 6:00 pm

Wed. Jan. 3, 2018
Middlesex @ Rice, 1:30 pm
Hill School @ Taft, 1:45 pm
Proctor @ Tilton, 2:00 pm
Rye Country Day @ Greenwich, 3:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ Kimball Union, 4:00 pm
Groton @ Pingree, 4:00 pm
BB&N @ Loomis-Chaffee, 4:15 pm
Thayer vs. Deerfield, 4:15 pm -- at Winchendon
St. Mark's @ Southfield, 4:30 pm
Kents Hill @ North Yarmouth Academy, 4:45 pm
Portledge @ Albany Academy, 5:15 pm

Fri. Jan. 5, 2018
Trinity College School vs. Stanstead, 3:00 pm -- NAPHA Tournament at UMaine
Dana Hall @ BB&N JV, 3:15 pm -- cancelled
Rye Country Day @ Pingry, 3:45 pm -- cancelled
Vermont Academy @ Holderness, 4:30 pm
Winsor @ Middlesex, 5:00 pm -- cancelled
Pingree @ Hebron, 5:00 pm -- cancelled
Worcester Academy @ St. Mark's, 5:30 pm -- ppd., makeup date TBA
St. George's @ Lawrence Academy, 5:30 pm -- cancelled
Greenwich @ Proctor, 6:00 pm -- cancelled
Milton @ Southfield, 6:00 pm -- cancelled
Noble & Greenough @ Hotchkiss, 7:00 pm

Sat. Jan. 6, 2018
Noble & Greenough @ Kent, 1:00 pm
Pingree @ Kents Hill, 1:00 pm
Big Dogs @ Andover, 1:15 pm (S)
Hebron @ Southfield, 1:30 pm
BB&N @ Groton, 2:00 pm
Worcester Academy @ Middlesex, 2:00 pm
Greenwich @ Vermont Academy, 2:00 pm
Cushing @ Lawrence Academy, 2:00 pm
Berwick @ Portsmouth Abbey, 2:00 pm
Hoosac vs. Stanstead College, 2:15 pm -- NAPHA Tournament at UMaine
Brewster Academy @ Exeter, 2:30 pm
Tabor @ Williston-Northampton, 2:30 pm
Brooks @ Rivers, 2:30 pm
Holderness @ North Yarmouth Academy, 3:15 pm
Hotchkiss @ Pomfret, 4:00 pm
St. Mark's @ Governor's, 4:00 pm
Canterbury @ Kimball Union, 4:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Berkshire, 4:15 pm
Gunnery @ St. George's, 4:30 pm
Westminster @ Taft, 4:30 pm
St. Paul's @ Lawrenceville, 5:00 pm
Proctor @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 5:00 pm
Deerfield @ Hill School, 5:00 pm
Albany Academy @ New Hampton, 6:00 pm
Millbrook @ Tilton, 6:30 pm
Stanstead College vs. Nichols, 7:30 pm -- NAPHA Tournament at UMaine

Sun. Jan. 7, 2018
St. Paul's @ Hill School, 10:30 am
Stanstead College vs. Northwood, 10:45 am -- NAPHA Tournament at UMaine
Deerfield @ Lawrenceville, 11:00 am
Millbrook @ Kimball Union, 1:00 pm
Canterbury @ Tilton, 1:00 pm

Mon. Jan. 8, 2018
New Hampton @ Holderness, 4:00 pm
Milton @ BB&N, 5:15 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Rivers, 5:15 pm 



2018 Winchendon New Year's Invitational
At the Winchendon School; Winchendon, Mass.
Mon.-Tues. Jan. 1-2, 2018

Ritchie Division: Cushing Academy, Northfield Mt. Hermon, Canterbury School.
Wapiti Division: Winchendon School, Lawrence Academy, Williston Northampton School.

Mon. Jan. 1, 2018
4:00 pm -- Williston Northampton 2, Winchendon 0
5:30 pm --  Northfield Mt. Hermon 3, Cushing Academy 2 (OT)
7:00 pm -- Lawrence Academy 3, Winchendon 0
8:30 pm -- Canterbury 3, Cushing 0

Tues. Jan. 2, 2018
8:00 am -- Williston Northampton 7, Lawrence Academy 1
9:30 am -- Northfield Mt. Hermon 8, Canterbury 2
Lunch
1:00 pm -- Ritchie 3 vs. Wapiti 3: Winchendon 2, Cushing 0
2:30 pm -- Ritchie 2 vs. Wapiti 2: Lawrence 4, Canterbury 1
4:00 pm -- Championship: Williston 4, NMH 0

 

Around the Rinks

Middlesex's Kylie Quinlan had two goals in a 2-2 tie vs. Governor's on Jan. 13th.
Middlesex's Kylie Quinlan had two goals in a 2-2 tie vs. Governor's on Jan. 13th. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)
 
BB&N junior Lauren Jackson tees one up.
BB&N junior Lauren Jackson tees one up. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)
 
Nobles senior forward --  and Harvard recruit -- Katie Tresca in recent action.
Nobles senior forward -- and Harvard recruit -- Katie Tresca in recent action. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)
 
St. Mark's senior Lindsey Dumond at the Harrington Tournament.
St. Mark's senior Lindsey Dumond at the Harrington Tournament. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)