KINGSTON, Mass. — Duxbury had a plan.
The Dragons set out to overwhelm red-hot Milton both on the forecheck and in the neutral zone. Everyone could hear Duxbury head coach Dan Najarian shouting "backcheck" throughout the game, reminding his skaters of the blueprint.
The plan worked, and the Dragons rang in the new year with some hardware.
They battled to a 3-1 win over the Wildcats for the fifth annual Lee and Mike Tenney Cup championship. It was the second time, overall, and the first time since 2022 that the hosts took home the Tenney Cup title.
Addy Harrington had a goal and an assist for Duxbury (6-1-1), while Ceci Tremante and Alannah Gallagher each scored as well. Brooklyn Metzler pitched the shutout.
Abby Coughlin scored for Milton, and Caera Hart was stout in net for the Wildcats (5-1-0).
Harrington opened the scoring when she picked the top left corner from the left circle just 1:09 into the game.
Coughlin tied it late in the first, burying a loose puck after Maeve Lovett worked it to the slot.
Tremante restored Duxbury's lead less than a minute later, finishing a 2-on-1 with Harrington.
Neither Hart nor Metzler blinked the rest of the way, but it wasn't for a lack of chances for either side. Gallagher iced it with an empty-netter from distance in the final minute for the 3-1 final.
Let's dive into 10 standouts from the game.
Addy Harrington
Duxbury, Class of 2026, F, right shot
Harrington's size and strength made her a force all game, alongside Shae Martin. On her goal, she curled off the wall and into the slot before roofing a shot over Hart's blocker. On the 2-on-1 with Tremante, Harrington got the puck and went back to Tremante at the last second to set her up on a de facto open net with Hart down and out.
In the second, Harrington did a great job of fishing the puck free from a battle and driving down the right circle, slipping a perfect feed to Brooke Hanley for a slot chance. Late in the period, Harrington had a monster shift, hustling on the back check and winning the puck. She sent herself on the rush with a self-pass before drawing a penalty as she drove around the defender.
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Ceci Tremante
Duxbury, Class of 2028, F, right shot
Tremante and Bryn Martin were strong on the Dragons' first line, working pucks through neutral ice and giving Milton fits on the forecheck. Tremante set up a good look for Martin on the opening shift after a turnover down low. Later, Tremante emphatically answered after Milton's equalizer. As she and Harrington were off to the races on a 2-on-1, Tremante dished the puck off and kept driving to the net, one-timing Harrington's return feed at the left post.
Caera Hart
Milton, Class of 2028, G, catches left
Hart was fantastic for the Wildcats, especially when under heavy pressure from Duxbury. She tracked pucks well from distance and reacted quickly all game. She made some big saves on the penalty kill, especially on a late 5-on-3. Hart made the Save of the Game in the second period with a ridiculous stop on Hanley's one-timer in the slot from Harrington, reacting in a split second for the kick save.
Alannah Gallagher
Duxbury, Class of 2026, D, left shot
Gallagher was excellent in the defensive zone on a pair with Lucia Rose. The former played with a strong stick and forced plays to the outside. She made a great stick check in the first to hold the defensive blue line and stop Sabrina Stone's rush in its tracks before eventually taking full advantage of a skating lane out of the zone. Gallagher was also smart when taking chances at the offensive blue line and in the neutral zone. She got rewarded with an empty-netter from her own blue line to finish off the win.
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Abby Coughlin
Milton, Class of 2028, F, right shot
Coughlin was in the right place at the right time for Milton when she came through with the equalizer late in the first. After a high-to-low play from Elise Hinckle at the point, Coughlin fed Lovett below the goal line and drove to open space in the slot, where Lovett's centering feed found her through a maze of bodies. Coughlin wasted no time and swiped it home five-hole for the goal.
Maeve Lovett
Milton, Class of 2029, F left shot
Lovett's line with Coughlin and Noelle Gorham was strong below the dots for Milton, and it was on display on Milton's goal in the first. After battling in front of the net, Lovett cycled below the goal line, getting open for a dish from Coughlin. Lovett darted to the other side and sent a dish in front, looking for Gorham and Coughlin. It found Coughlin, and she buried it, giving the Wildcats life after they weathered an early storm from the Dragons.
Lucia Rose
Duxbury, Class of 2026, D, right shotÂ
Rose maintained good gaps and showed good backwards skating when defending the rush, and she had some good shots from the point in the first. In the first, Rose also made a heads-up play in the neutral zone, patiently letting a passing lane open up before finding a short outlet for the center up the middle. She made one of the biggest plays of the game for the Dragons in the dying minutes of regulation, dropping to a knee to block Mia Cataruzolo's shot on a 2-on-1 with Stone.
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Sabrina Stone
Milton, Class of 2026, F, right shot
Duxbury threw everything it had at Stone and Milton's top line, but the senior was still a constant offensive threat. She was elusive in the neutral zone, finding lanes for entries and taking advantage of some mismatches in the second period. One of her best chances of the game came when she powered past the defense to get in alone at the right dot for a chance. She hung in the play and won the puck back along the boards, feeding Lindsay Butt flying into the slot all alone. Later, Stone forced another turnover along the boards in a 4-on-4 before cutting to the right dot and trying to pick the corner.
Abby Carter
Duxbury, Class of 2029, D, right shot
I was so impressed with Carter's compete, poise and instincts as a freshman playing huge minutes. She was fantastic quarterbacking the power play, making high-to-low plays and staying in constant motion to either open lanes out high or jump into cycles with Harrington. She had a terrific setup for Shae Martin in the slot on a first-period power play, before getting a couple of looks of her own in the high slot in the third.
Carter was also terrific on pinches at the offensive blue line, consistently keeping Milton hemmed in. She showed good vision when skating the puck out of her zone, finding lanes and making a nice cut-back around a forechecker on a second-period penalty kill before getting an exit.
Brooklyn Metzler
Duxbury, Class of 2029, G, catches left
Metzler wasn't tested as much as Hart, making 12 saves by my count, but she still made some high-quality saves in key spots. One of her best came late in the first when she made a solid pad stop on a long-range shot that changed directions in tight. Early in the second, she made two key back-to-back saves, denying Stone in alone off the rush, before standing tall again when Stone fed Butt all alone down the middle. Metzler also had a heads-up play late in the second to paddle away a centering feed from behind the net.
