The MIAA will crown its girls hockey champions on Sunday.
Both Division 1 and 2 tournaments went chalk in their championship matchups as the top two seeds will square off.
The action begins with the D1 girls championship between No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham) and No. 2 St. Mary's at 9 a.m. at TD Garden. After the D4 boys championship at 11 a.m., it'll be time for D2 girls at 1 p.m. No. 1 Duxbury will face No. 2 Falmouth.
The top two seeds ending up in the finals doesn't mean there hasn't been drama throughout either the D1 or D2 tournaments. There were some big-time runs by lower seeds, whether it be Marshfield, Archbishop Williams or others, as well as massive upsets, like No. 27 Leominster toppling No. 6 Longmeadow in D2 girls. There have been plenty of nail-biting overtimes, too.
With all of that in mind, here are 10 takeaways from the MIAA girls tournaments, so far.
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1. Of course it had to end this way with the top seeds facing off. The parity in both D1 and D2 has been tremendous all season, but those four teams were a tier above almost all season. NDA and St. Mary's have been top of the class in D1 this season, as have Duxbury and Falmouth in D2. That's been the case in each tournament. SMH and Falmouth have each had scares during the tournament, but they found ways to win, as all championship-caliber teams should.
2. It's hardly a shock that Duxbury is the only team with a chance to repeat on Sunday. The Dragons were consistently at the top of our rankings, usually trading the No. 1 spot with St. Mary's off and on. Their biggest strength lies in goal with Anna McGinty, one of the top goaltenders in the entire state. Dan Najarian's group has allowed 20 goals all season, which is tied with Burlington for the fewest in the entire MIAA. If there's anyone who can stifle Falmouth's attack, it's McGinty. Make no mistake, though, Duxbury can score with the best of them, too, whether it's Maddie Greenwood, Meg Carney, Maeve Gallagher, Zoey Madigan, Addy Harrington or others.
3. We talk so much about goaltending and defense this time of year. That's one of the main reasons Notre Dame (Hingham) earned the No. 1 seed in Division 1 and has a shot at the title on Sunday. The Cougars have shut teams down all season, allowing just 22 goals, the second-most in all of MIAA hockey. That trend has held up throughout the tournament. They allowed just one goal in each of their first two games, and they have back-to-back shutouts in the Elite 8 and Final 4. They shut down a red-hot No. 4 Malden Catholic team, 3-0, in the semis. Ava Larkin has given them a distinct edge in goal in every game, while Sarah Francis and Lucy DelGallo do it all on the top defensive pair.
4. All season, St. Mary's seemed destined for a return to the Garden after falling short last season. The Spartans lost plenty from last year's team, bringing in 13 new players this season. It hasn't mattered. They've scored the second-most goals in girls MIAA hockey (107), finishing the regular season 18-3-1. The Spartans rolled through the first two rounds before grinding out 2-1 wins in the Elite 8 and Final 4. They've been shorthanded, but have found ways to win. Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.), the rest of the top line and goalie Gianna Tringale (Danvers, Mass.) have been massive parts of that. Tringale never started a game entering this season, but she has been lights out down the stretch. Freitas, meanwhile, has eight goals in the tournament. Assuming they can get some bodies back after dressing 13 skaters in the semis, St. Mary's could be destined for redemption.
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5. It's no surprise to see Falmouth playing for the D2 title, either. The Clippers have the most potent offense among girls MIAA teams. Their 130 goals this season are the third-most in all of MIAA hockey, and they're 23 clear of the next-highest girls team (St. Mary's). Falmouth had a scare in the Elite 8, needing double overtime to beat Canton, 4-3, but have had no trouble taking care of business. They rolled past Newburyport, 10-2, and King Phillip, 5-2, in the first two rounds before a 2-0 shutout of Marshfield in the Final 4. Avery Johnson, Riley Devlin and Casey Roth have continued their massive seasons in the tournament, and freshman goalie Aspen Devlin has been strong, too. She made 24 saves in the semis.
6. A tough ending for No. 3 Burlington in the Division 2 Elite 8, falling to Marshfield, 2-0. The Red Devils had huge offensive showings in the first two rounds, beating No. 30 Medway 5-1 before an 8-0 beatdown of No. 14 Plymouth South. They fell short in a 2-0 upset at the hands of No. 11 Marshfield. Still, props to Rick Sheehan's team on a great year with a program-best 17-1-2 regular season record. The Red Devils will graduate seven seniors, including Shea McDonald. But sophomore goalie Isa Fischer, who had 12 shutouts this season, junior Caitlyn Tremblay and younger players like Chloe Rabazzi and Sofia Cleary have Burlington in good hands moving forward.
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7. Make no mistake, Archbishop Williams could very well be a massive factor next season. The No. 11 Bishops took St. Mary's to overtime in the semifinals, falling 2-1 in a game they absolutely could have won. They were largely the better team, but simply ran into a hot goalie. Archies outlasted No. 22 Waltham, 4-3, in the Round of 32 before upsetting No. 6 Methuen, 2-1, in the semis. They put a stop to No. 14 Belmont's heater, winning 4-0 in the Elite 8. After starting the year 1-6-0, Doug Nolan's group caught fire, going on an 8-4-2 run to close the regular season. Archies did not have any seniors on this year's roster. They have a strong core of juniors and plenty of young talent that should take steps next season.
8. Give Marshfield credit for a great run to the semifinals as a No. 11 seed in the Division 2 tournament. The Rams dispatched No. 22 Scituate, 2-1, in the first round before a 4-1 win in the Sweet 16 over No. 27 Leominster, who upset No. 6 Longmeadow. Marshfield got their biggest test yet in the Elite 8 and passed with flying colors in a 2-0 upset of No. 3 Burlington. The Red Devils entered that game with a 13-1 scoring differential across their two tournament games, and the Rams shut them down. In the Final 4, Marshfield hung with No. 2 Falmouth, but couldn't break through in a 2-0 loss.
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9. A hat tip to Belmont/Watertown on a run to the Elite 8 as the 14th seed in the Division 1 tournament. Molly Driscoll was the hero with the game-winning goal in a 1-0 double-overtime win, Jill Costa's 10th shutout, against No. 19 Billerica/Chelmsford in the first round. The Marauders followed it up with a massive 4-1 upset win over No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury in the Sweet 16. Their run came to an end in a 4-0 loss to Archies in the Elite 8, though.
10. Evan Marinofsky touched on shootouts in his boys tournament takeaways, and I'm here to echo a similar sentiment. It was tough to see Andover's season end in a shootout loss to Boston Latin, 3-2. Nobody wants meaningful games to end like that, whether it's the MIAA tournament, the Beanpot, etc. It's especially true when high school seniors could be playing their last competitive hockey games. Andover coach Meagan Keefe said it best to the Andover Townsman, "I personally hate losing in a shootout. We battled for 45 minutes and then another eight minutes and another eight after that. To go out that way is just such an awful feeling, especially for our seniors." Four games have been decided by shootouts across all six MIAA hockey tournaments, and it's four too many. Let the players dictate the outcome on a true hockey play, not a shootout.
