MARLBORO, Mass. — Some of the best girls hockey prospects in the nation, and even the world, took over Massachusetts last week.
USA Hockey held Tier I girls national tournaments at the trusty New England Sports Center. Among the 19U teams, five squads represented Massachusetts and New England, including Assabet Valley, the East Coast Wizards, the Massachusetts Spitfires, the Mid Fairfield CT Stars and NAHA.
The Bishop Kearney Selects took home the 19U Tier I crown, knocking off NAHA, 9-0, in Sunday’s championship. BK had to go through the Spitfires in the quarterfinals and Assabet in the semifinals.
I saw every New England team at least once, focusing on the 19Us on Wednesday before catching the Assabet, NAHA and the Spitfires throughout the weekend’s quarterfinals, semifinals and championship.
We broke down 18 standout 16U players earlier this week before getting into 14 standout 19U forwards. Now, it’s time to take a look at the standout 19U defenders and goalies.
Keira Austen
Mid-Fairfield/Deerfield, 6/28/07, D, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Darien, Conn.
NCAA: Brown
Austen played a clean, simple game in her own end for Mid Fairfield in their loss to Assabet on Wednesday. She made good decisions and had a quick stick. One play, in particular, stood out early on when Austen made a nice cutback at the near hash mark to shake a forechecker. It opened up a lane for a stretch pass to Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) on the far side for a clean exit and a rush the other way, leading to a quality scoring chance. Austen finished with one goal in three games.
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Maggie Averill
Phillips Andover, 9/9/2008, D, right shot, 5-11
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
Averill came through in the clutch, scoring the winner for Assabet in their 2-0 win over Mid Fairfield. She was a force and a major shooting threat in the offensive zone. After nailing the post with a big one-timer in the first, Averill broke the stalemate early in the third on the power play. She danced around a high forward and shot from the high slot, beating the goalie top shelf over the blocker for a sweet goal.
Sadie Bellissimo
East Coast Wizards/Cushing, 10/2006, G, catches left, 5-7
Hometown: Littleton, Colo.
NCAA: RPI
Bellissimo's numbers might not reflect it, making 21 saves on 23 shots, but she was awesome in the Wizards' loss to BK on Wednesday. She made an insane save on Nela Lopušanová, making a big push to her left and snagging the backhand with a glove as Lopušanova danced down the slot alone. Later, Bellissimo made a strong chest save on a quick, heavy shot from the circle by Stryker Zablocki. Moments later, she made another big left-to-right push on a one-timer on an odd-numbered rush. She didn't have much of a chance on the goals she gave up – a breakaway and a scramble in front. Bellissimo made 28 saves on 30 shots in two appearances.
Molly Boyle
Assabet/Phillips Andover, 1/5/06, D, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Boyle was one of the best players I saw all week, and her pair with Taylor Senecal (Essex Junction, Vt.) was fantastic for Assabet. Boyle was everywhere in Assabet's dramatic win over the Chicago Mission in the quarterfinals. She set up the sequence on Emily Mara's (Winchester, Mass.) late game-winner, smartly reversing to Senecal behind the net. It opened up the entire sheet and led to Assabet having numbers the other way. Boyle was stout defensively in the closing moments as Chicago pulled the goalie. She had three assists across five games.
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Rachel Gorbatenko
Chicago Mission, 3/7/2007, D, left shot, 5-11
Hometown: Barrington, Ill.
NCAA: Wisconsin
Gorbatenko's size and strength stood out the most defensively. She knew how to effectively use her frame to knock players off pucks, work down low and win battles in front of the net, essentially bullying forwards in front on penalty kills. Against Assabet, Gorbatenko had a couple of strong scoring chances, including a booming one-timer from the right dot before giving the Mission the lead on a 5-on-3. She put a quick wrister from the point perfectly inside the post. Later, Gorbatenko had a strong 1-on-1 against Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.), maintaining a good gap and easily blocking her shot.
Megan Healy
BK Selects, 1/16/2007, D, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: South Burlington, Vt.
NCAA: Princeton
Healy's skating and hockey IQ gave her a massive advantage on breakouts. She was a one-person breakout at times and could create something out of nothing, thanks to her quick feet and good reads. She scored a beauty in the final when she jumped into a lane to intercept a pass shorthanded before dangling to the front and going forehand-backhand. Healy had six goals (five assists) in six games.
Miami Jones
BK Selects, 4/7/2007, D, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Chevy Chase, Md.
NCAA: Dartmouth
Jones was strong offensively and defensively for BK. On the penalty kill, she made quick reads and did a good job of establishing body position in 1-on-1s. She set up Rhianna Mayer's power-play goal against the Wizards, curling at the point and skating to the middle for a shooting lane before firing a quick wrister for a redirect. Against Assabet, Jones had a strong 1-on-1 against Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.), cutting her off with the stick to prevent a shot before leaning into her with the shoulder to knock her off the puck.
Jones and Mayer combined again in the final. With no options on the near side, Jones took a tour of the neutral zone and drove across the ice. It opened space for a cross-ice dish to Mayer for an entry. Mayer drove to the corner as Jones darted through a seam to the front of the net, putting herself in a perfect spot to one-time Mayer’s feed. Jones had nine points (eight assists) in six games.
USA HOCKEY NATIONALS: 18 standout 16U players | 14 standout 19U forwards
Evelyn Lacey
Mass. Spitfires/Tabor, 10/22/07, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
Lacey was sensational in the Spitfires' shootout loss against Shattuck on Wednesday. She made some fantastic saves look easy, moving quickly in the crease and staying big. Lacey was the Spitfires' best penalty-killer, did a good job of sealing off the posts and she read pucks very well through traffic. Some of her best saves came in big spots in the third and overtime, robbing Mary Derrenbacher on a partial break immediately after Derrenbacher's second goal of the game. She flat-out robbed Derrenbacher again in overtime, reading her forehand-backhand deke before stoning the rebound in the slot. It came after she stoned Kylie Amelkovich in the slot off a turnover. Lacey had 62 saves on 73 shots in two appearances.
Liz Luong
Assabet/Governor’s, 05/2007, G, catches left, 5-5
Hometown: Framingham, Mass.
Luong came through in some massive spots in Assabet's win over the Mission. One of her best saves of the game came against MacKenzie Podewell in tight off a giveaway. Luong got to the top of her crease and made it look easy with the glove as Podewell danced below the dots. In the semis against BK, Luong did all she could, making 38 saves. She stoned Zablocki on a penalty shot and later robbed Addison Tremel, lunging over to the post to stymie the bid on a loose puck in front. Luong posted a 2.02 GAA and a .916 save percentage with one shutout in five games.
Eva Mayo
Mid Fairfield CT Stars/Kent, 11/16/2006, D/F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Honeoye Falls, N.Y.
NCAA: Delaware
Mayo's versatility and quick skating made her an impactful player for Mid Fairfield in their loss to Assabet on Wednesday. She led a great give-and-go with Ava Hunter (Southampton, Mass.). Mayo dished to her at the boards before flying up the middle through a seam. She closed on net and dished to Rachel Bishop at the backdoor, but Luong pushed over to make a hell of a save.
Taylor Senecal
Assabet/Essex High (Vt.), 5/18/2007, D, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Essex Junction, Vt.
NCAA: Colgate
Senecal was a dominant presence on Assabet's blue line, making an impact in all three zones and moving the puck quickly. She was at the forefront of their comeback against the Mission on Friday. Senecal tied it up on the third in the power play, rotating out high at the point before walking the blue line and putting a seeing-eye wrister on net. She had a lane and took full advantage. She later set up Mara's game-winner, hitting Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) with a terrific stretch pass coming out of a reverse with Boyle. Senecal posted five points (two goals) in five games.
