That's a wrap on the high school hockey season.
On Sunday, the MIAA state championships took over TD Garden in what's always one of the best days on the Massachusetts hockey calendar.
No. 2 St. Mary's took home the girls Division 1 title in a 5-4 marathon triple-overtime win over No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham) in the first game of the day. The Spartans earned redemption after falling to Shrewsbury in an upset last year. A few hours later, No. 1 Duxbury repeated as girls Division 2 champions with a 4-0 shutout of Falmouth.
Every year, there are players who step up in the clutch for their teams.
So, let's dive into 10 standouts from the girls championships. Evan Marinofsky has standouts from the boys action.
Bella Freitas
St. Mary’s, F, freshman
Freitas (Everett, Mass.) took the state by storm as a freshman this season, and it was evident why in the championship, putting up two goals and an assist. She set up Alyssa Norden's game-winner, dangling the goalie out of position and slipping the puck toward the left post, where Norden jammed it in. Freitas tied it, 3-3, in the second period with an electrifying end-to-end rush through multiple defenders before she buried a shot in tight. She put St. Mary's ahead in the third, finding the loose puck near the crease off Norden's chance and making no mistake on the rebound. It was her 48th goal of the season.
Alyssa Norden
St. Mary’s, F, freshman
Norden (Peabody, Mass.) showed a lot of resolve in the game, returning from a scary collision in the second period to score twice, including the championship-winning goal in triple overtime. She sparked SMH's comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the second period when she found open space behind the defense, putting herself in a perfect spot to jam a rebound in after NDA blocked Abby Malcuit's (Swampscott, Mass.) shot. She took a similar route toward the crease on the game-winner, crashing in to put home Freitas' feed. Norden added an assist on Freitas' go-ahead goal in the third period, pouncing on a turnover before deking for a chance in tight.
SPARTANS PREVAIL: St. Mary's outlasts NDA (Hingham) in 3OT thriller
Gianna Tringale
St. Mary’s, G, senior
Tringale (Danvers, Mass.) was sensational in net for the Spartans, finishing the game with 39 saves, 14 of which came after regulation. She kept St. Mary's in it amid a hot start for NDA with tons of offensive pressure, making 12 saves in the first. She was strongest in overtime, completely unfazed by the moment. Tringale made one of the saves of the game on Jocelyn Gray (Hanover, Mass.) in overtime, denying her backhand as she dangled toward the crease before reaching back to swipe away the loose puck. She again bailed SMH out, robbing Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.) in the slot off a turnover.
Sarah White
NDA (Hingham), F, junior
White (Hanover, Mass.) was the catalyst of a lot of NDA's offense on Sunday, scoring a pair of goals. Both goals came similarly with White forcing a turnover, motoring down the right wing and beating Tringale to her left with quick, heavy releases. She blocked a dump-in before going off to the races and shooting inside the left post above Tringale's pad on the first goal. On the second, she stripped the puck from Malcuit and picked the top left corner. She set up the late tying goal, winning a physical battle on a face-off and shoveling a backhand on net before the rebound went right to Emma Burke (Braintree, Mass.). White was constantly pushing the pace and looking to score. She had some chances at the hat trick, but couldn't break through again.
Vanessa Hall
St. Mary’s, D, 8th grade
Hall (Saugus, Mass.) picked up an assist, setting up the opening goal with a low wrist shot on net that Audrey Zinck (Melrose, Mass.) buried. Quarterbacking the power play on the overtime-winner, she drew the defending forward toward her high in the offensive zone before dishing to Twomey at the right point. It opened up more space for the play in front and for Norden to slip toward the back post. What was most impressive was Hall's efforts after regulation. She never left the ice in any of the three overtimes, playing every second since regulation. The youngster handled it well, still moving the puck, using her legs and playing solid defense. On the penalty kill in the third overtime, Hall blocked at least three shots in short order, including one that clearly stung her. She played through it and made plays nonetheless. A stick tap to her.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Division 1 | Division 2
Emma Burke
NDA (Hingham), D, 8th grade
Burke forced overtime when she tied the game, 4-4, with 7.8 seconds left. She set up practically at the opposite face-off dot on the draw before drifting toward the front of the net. She was in a perfect spot for White's rebound and did a great job controlling a bouncing puck in her feet before backhanding it home. The youngster shouldered a heavy defensive workload, mainly playing on her offside. Burke made good, smart decisions on the breakout and was strong defensively with a well-positioned, active stick. It said a lot about John Findley's trust in her to roll her out in some massive moments.
Ava Larkin
NDA (Hingham), G, senior
Larkin (Canton, Mass.) was equally as good for NDA as Tringale was for St. Mary's. She finished with 32 saves in total, including 13 across the three overtimes. Larkin was square to shots throughout the game and had a good glove. She gave the Cougars every chance to win. She made several huge saves, but none were bigger than in the second overtime, when she swiped the puck off Freitas' stick with an aggressive poke check in tight in the closing seconds to keep the game alive.
TWICE AS NICE: Duxbury dominates to repeat as D2 champions
Maddie Greenwood
Duxbury, F, junior
Greenwood shined in last year's title game and did so again this season. What made it even more impressive was that she had been battling through a lower-body injury, and subsequently, a scoring drought, over the last few weeks of the season. It didn't matter in the championship as she powered through to pick up a goal and an assist. She made it 3-0 in the second period when she powered through the middle of the ice, dangled toward the crease for a 1-on-1 with freshman goalie Aspen Devlin. She made the first save, but Greenwood stuck with her rebound and roofed it.
Anna McGinty
Duxbury, G, senior
There were times when McGinty wasn't overly busy. When Falmouth tested her, especially early in the first and late in the game as they sought to get on the board, she answered the bell, earning the shutout and a second straight title. She made a sprawling save to her left in the first period to deny a Grade-A for the Clippers. She again came up big later in the first, robbing Falmouth leading-scorer Riley Devlin with the glove off a gift-wrapped turnover by Duxbury. McGinty is quick and has strong positioning in the net, which showed when she made a positional stop through a screen before diving on the rebound during a third-period penalty kill. She finished with 17 saves.
Lucia Rose
Duxbury, D, sophomore
Rose had never scored in her high school career entering the D2 title game. She called her shot before the game, according to coach Dan Najarian, and delivered in the second period. Rose made it 2-0 in the second period when she rifled a wrist shot under the bar from the top of the right circle. Defensively, Rose made good reads and maintained strong gaps in transition, using her stick to disrupt puck carriers.
