ROCKLAND, Mass. — Fall hockey season is officially here.
The NAHA Labor Day tournament took over the Bay State this weekend with droves of players, parents and teams spending the unofficial last weekend of the summer in area rinks.
I spent Friday and Saturday focused on the U19 and U16 divisions. Of course, it's not possible to see everybody in a field so large, but I did my best to cover as much ground as I could.
Among the U19s, I caught the Boston Jr. Eagles, Northwood School, Stanstead College and the Valley Jr. Warriors at Lovell Rink on Friday morning before watching Winchendon against the Bay State Breakers at Babson College in Wellesley that evening. On Saturday, I returned to Lovell to see NAHA Navy against the St. Louis AAA Blues before NAHA White against the Minnesota Jr. Whitecaps White.
For now, we'll focus on the uncommitted players in the U19 divisions. Although several committed players also deserve their due, like NAHA's Kassidy Carmichael (Westford, Mass.), Northwood's Hilary Wilkin (Vermont) and Meghan Crowley (St. Lawrence) or the Valley Jr. Warrior's Campbell Krotee (Stamford, Conn.; Holy Cross). Carmichael had a four-point game for NAHA against the Whitecaps, Wilkin and Crowley were huge play drivers for Northwood against the Jr. Eagles and Krotee, who will be a senior at Deerfield, was sensational in net for VJW against Stanstead. New Hampton's Trinity Walsh (Middlebury) and Deerfield's Allie Correiri (Devens, Mass.; Colby) were also fantastic for the Jr. Eagles against Northwood.
As for uncommitted U19 players, here are 11 who stood out.
Quinn Taylor
NAHA White, 11/11/07, F, right shot, 5-7
Taylor (Centerville, Mass.) played the best game I've seen her play in NAHA White's drubbing of the Minnesota Jr. Whitecaps White on Saturday, picking up a pair of assists. Her first came as she stripped the puck on the back check at the offensive blue line, made a move around the defense and used her body to protect the puck before dropping it into a perfect spot for Toriana Anderson's catch-and-release wrister to open the scoring. She picked up her second helper toward the end of regulation, combining with Carmichael in a tic-tac-toe play for Mikah Keller's second goal of the game.
Taylor did a great job of using her size to protect pucks and hunting down puck carriers on the back check throughout the game. She drew a penalty after good hustle for a loose puck in the neutral zone, and she nearly scored in a goalmouth scramble, but the officials waived it off. She finished with three assists in five games.
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Sarah White
Bay State Breakers/Notre Dame (Hingham), F, right shot
White (Hanover, Mass.) was one of the Breakers' best players in their 5-1 win over Winchendon on Friday evening. She opened the scoring early on in front, setting the tone offensively. The rising senior at NDA had a couple more good chances to score, first landing a quality shot on net from the left dot off a draw won by Addy Garrity (Hingham, Mass.). She later had a great chance in front after beating a defender to a loose puck in the slot. White also made a great pass to Meg Carney (Duxbury, Mass.) in the middle for a Grade-A opportunity. She had two goals in four games.
Grace Riley
Valley Jr. Warriors/Phillips Exeter, 8/14/07, D, left shot, 5-8
Riley played such a smart game for VJW against Stanstead. She made good decisions and knew when to take a chance jumping up in the neutral zone and at the offensive blue line. Riley twice bled chunks of clock off an early penalty kill in doing so. One of those plays saw her break up a rush and move the puck up quickly, leading to a solid chance for Keira Bruen (West Roxbury, Mass.). She later jumped up into the play and fed Gray in the slot for a good chance after a nice move. Riley finished the tournament with a goal and two assists in six games.
Lilly McInerney
Valley Jr. Warriors/Phillips Andover, 7/2/07 F, right shot, 5-3
McInerney (North Reading, Mass.) was an effective, energetic three-zone player for VJW in their 1-1 tie with Stanstead on Friday morning. She also set up Maria Gray's equalizer in the second with a fantastic cross-crease pass. McInerney got the puck to the left of the net in the cycle, and she knew where she was going with it immediately, firing a no-look feed right to Gray's tape at the back pot for an easy tap-in. The rising junior at Phillips Andover had three goals and three assists in six games.
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Claire Hazard
NAHA Navy/Worcester Academy, 2006, F, left shot, 5-3
Hazard stood out almost immediately for NAHA Navy in their 1-1 draw with the Blues. She scored 18 seconds into the game after blocking a shot out high, winning the race for the puck before wiring a wrister perfectly over the goalie's glove to cap off a highlight-reel sequence. The former Barnstable High standout, who is headed to Worcester for a postgrad season, got another Grade-A opportunity in tight. She got open in the slot before flashing some slick hands to tap the puck around the defense to get a shot off. Hazard was also effective on the forecheck, especially in the second period, putting pressure on the defense and extending shifts in the offensive zone. She had two goals in six games on the weekend.
Addy Peel
Valley Jr. Warriors/New Hampton, 12/24/07, D, left shot, 5-11
Peel (Scarborough, Maine) was once again a strong puck-mover, doing a good job of identifying passing lanes and knowing when to skate it herself on breakouts. But her defense late in the game against Stanstead stood out the most. Her long, almost effortless strides helped her catch up to Zoe Charland on a fast break, cutting her off and preventing a shot. Peel later used her long reach and size to disrupt a counterrush in the closing moments as Stanstead pushed for a last-second win. She had a goal and four assists in six games over the weekend.
Cassidy Lobisser
NAHA Red, 07/2008, F, left shot, 5-3
Lobisser's (Bellingham, Mass.) speed helped her stand out once again. She was effective on the penalty kill, quickly closing down passing lanes and using her skating to bleed plenty of clock when the puck was on her stick. She nearly opened the scoring in a 2-on-1 with Taylor, but the puck wouldn't cooperate once Taylor found her at the right circle. Lobisser broke through later in the second period, though. Carmichael chipped the puck into space as a penalty expired, and Lobisser got a step on the defense, winning the footrace and speeding off before burying it five-hole. She finished the weekend with two goals in five games.
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Caroline Doherty
Winchendon, 5/31/08, F, left shot, 5-6
Doherty (Duxbury, Mass.), not to be confused with the Hingham star of the same name, was one of a few bright spots for Winchendon in their loss to the Breakers on Friday. She scored their lone goal and had a good look at two. She slipped behind the defense into the neutral zone and got a partial break, cutting into the slot and putting a well-placed shot under the blocker and in. It was her second great scoring chance of that shift after she showed off her speed on a separate end-to-end rush moments before. It was also one of four goals in four games for Doherty this weekend.
Wren Abboud
Bay State Breakers/Thayer, 5/31/06, F, left shot, 5-2
Abboud (Weymouth, Mass.) seemed to make plays on each of her shifts, and she scored a pair for the Breakers against Winchendon. After drawing a penalty with some good hustle, she made Winchendon pay when she got open in the slot and got her stick on Lucy Stearns' shot from distance for a perfect redirect goal. Abboud got on the board again late in regulation to make it 4-1 with a strong shot from the left circle in transition.
Brooke Harb
Boston Jr. Eagles/Cushing, 07/2007, F, left shot, 5-1
Harb (Atkinson, NH) did a lot of the little things well for the Jr. Eagles against Northwood, just as she did at the Wizards Showcase earlier in the summer. She set up Alex Mitsakis' (Winchester, Mass.) goal in the first period, leading the rush into the offensive zone, keeping her head up the whole way and putting a low, hard shot on net looking for a rebound. She got just that as the puck deflected right to Mitsakis' tape for an easy goal in front. Harb, Cushing's leading scorer last season, faired well moving the puck up ice and gaining the offensive zone against a hefty Northwood squad, despite her smaller stature.
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Ava Baker
Bay State Breakers/Malden Catholic, D, right shotÂ
Baker (North Reading, Mass.) was a steady presence on the blue line for the Breakers against Winchendon. She maintained strong gaps and stick positioning while defending the rush, forcing players to the outside and giving Winchendon very little through the middle.
