BROOKLINE, Mass. — Once again, very little separated BB&N and Dexter Southfield.
After BB&N narrowly edged Dexter, 1-0, in last year's Large School championship, the two fought to a 3-3 tie in a much-anticipated rematch in Friday's season-opener.
Senior Brenna O'Reilly (Burlington, Mass.), senior Savana Littlewood (Braintree, Mass.) and senior Izzy King (Bedford, Mass.) scored for the Knights (0-0-1). Senior Eva Mai Whyte started in net for BB&N.
For the hosts, junior Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.), sophomore Maggie Lovering (Scituate, Mass.) and sophomore Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.) each scored. Addie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.) got the nod in net for Dexter (0-0-1).
Doyle opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal with 7:04 left in the first period as the puck banked in off Whyte from a sharp angle.
O'Reilly answered for BB&N with a one-timer from the left circle with 43 seconds left in the first.
Lovering restored the one-goal lead for Dexter with 8:05 to go in the second when she was in a perfect spot for a rebound after Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) and Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) combined for a chance in the slot.
King tied it, 2-2, just 30 seconds into the third period, tipping in O'Reilly's blast from the point. Littlewood gave the Knights their first lead of the night with 9:56 to go in regulation off a backdoor feed from Kate Glantz (Burlington, Mass.).
Moore answered shortly after for Dexter, burying a loose puck in a goal-mouth scramble with 7:53 left in regulation.
Overtime came and went with neither side able to capitalize on several scoring chances.
DOWN GOES NOBLES: 12 standouts and takeaways from New Hampton's win at Nobles
Let's dive into 11 standouts and takeaways from the game.
Maddie Murphy
Dexter Southfield, 4/24/07, D, right shot, 5-9
NCAA: Boston College
Murphy was the best player on the ice on Friday. She did an excellent job moving the puck, both on the breakout and especially leading the rush herself. She got everything started on Lovering's goal, driving wide and setting up Merrill for a great look in front before the puck eventually worked back to Lovering. Murphy was good defending 1-on-1's with her strong stick and physicality. She was everywhere in the third period and overtime, too, pushing the pace as Dexter searched for the game-winner. She nearly went end-to-end to win it late in OT, but Whyte made a big save.
Evelyn Doyle
Dexter Southfield, 8/14/07, F, left shot, 5-6
NCAA: Yale
Doyle's smarts and hockey IQ are simply off the charts. She made a big impact defensively for Dexter from the start, and she was excellent at the face-off dot. She was constantly in the right position, reading and anticipating plays well. Doyle made a big stick check early on to prevent a dangerous centering pass, late in the third, she had a great takeaway on King to prevent a chance and get an exit.
On her goal, Doyle did a great job of breaking up Emi Biotti's (Cambridge, Mass.) pass at the point before winning a battle at the other end after the footrace as the puck found a way in. In the second, Doyle had a strong chance right on the doorstep that couldn't beat Whyte after setting up MacKenzie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.). She pulled up at the half-wall off the rush, let the lane open up and put a cross-ice pass right on Sutherland's tape for a one-timer.
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Brenna O'Reilly
BB&N, 04/2007, D, right shot, 5-8
NCAA: Providence
O'Reilly got it done at both ends of the ice for the Knights. She used her heavy shot from the point to her advantage. Her one-timer on Littlewood's tip-in was a rocket, and she had great awareness to close in on the tops of the circles on her goal, putting herself in a perfect spot for the one-timer when the puck found her. In OT, O'Reilly made a slick tap to Singh, feathering it into space and sending her in alone for a great look. Defensively, O'Reilly and Lexi Mara (Winchester, Mass.) were strong as a pair down the stretch. They were stingy and hard-nosed in their own end, making it difficult for Dexter to generate much in middle ice.
Anika Singh
BB&N, 11/10/07, F, right shot, 5-4
NCAA: Brown
Singh did a great job as a puck carrier for the Knights. She found skating lanes through the neutral zone and consistently gained the offensive zone with possession. Singh had an excellent chance in the third, getting lost in the slot and one-timing a feed from Littlewood. Later that shift, Singh had another solid look on a drive to the net, looking for a backdoor feed. She had one of the best chances of OT, slipping behind the defense for a break down the right wing, but she barely missed high. Singh smartly tied up Doyle and bled out the clock on a defensive zone draw with four seconds left.
Savana Littlewood
BB&N, 7/5/06, F, left shot, 5-3
NCAA: Williams
Littlewood did a great job of shielding the puck, even with multiple defenders bearing down on her. There were several instances where it looked like she had nothing but somehow maintained possession and avoided stick checks. Before O'Reilly's goal, Littlewood had BB&N's best chance of the first, fighting through multiple stick checks before cutting to the crease and nearly tucking it around Sutherland. Earlier, she had another solid look at the left post off a feed from Singh. In the third, Littlewood had another great chance with Singh when she set her up for a one-timer in Grade-A ice.
BB&N: What to expect from the Knights in 2024-25
Maggie Lovering
Dexter Southfield, 09/2008, F, left shot, 5-3
Lovering made an impact around the net for Dexter all game. She won a positional battle in front of the crease and got a great tip on Hadley Austin's (Winchester, Mass.) shot from the point. In the second, she got rewarded when she got open at the far post, putting herself in a great spot to bury a rebound and give Dexter the lead.
Maddie Funk
Dexter Southfield, 9/26/07, F, right shot, 5-2
Funk's speed made life difficult on BB&N. She beat out a couple of icings, and she constantly sped the defense up and put it on its heels. She was a major factor in the third period, jumpstarting the rush for Dexter and hemming BB&N in as the Knights started to run out of gas.
DEXTER: What to expect from Southfield in 2024-25
Quick takeaways...
- Props to BB&N for rolling out three defenders on one of their power plays in the second period. When you have the likes of Biotti, Mara and O'Reilly, it offers the luxury to try different things in a lot of situations. Each defender brings similar skillsets to the table between their strength and physicality on defense, mobility and ability to contribute in the offensive zone. It was all on display for the three of them, and there isn't a better example than when Mara won a battle in the defensive zone before motoring by everyone in neutral ice for a breakaway.
- Dexter and BB&N also have goaltending situations to track this season. BB&N graduated last year's tournament MVP Alexsa Caron (Dracut, Mass.). Addie Sutherland split the net with Annabelle Aitken for Dexter last season with Aitken taking hold of the job down the stretch. Both Whyte and Sutherland had strong nights, and each made some excellent saves. Whyte made a great stop on Doyle in a bang-bang play to the front of the net in the second, and she was strong as Dexter pushed in the third and overtime. She made a big pad stop on Mackenzie Sutherland's point-blank redirect, and she was clutch on Murphy's end-to-end rush. Addie Sutherland, meanwhile, came through on Mara's second-period breakaway, reading her the whole way, and she denied Littlewood's five-hole bid in the first. Both Whyte and Sutherland made strong impressions to start their seasons.
- I certainly wouldn't say no to seeing these two sides meet again in the postseason once again. Their last two meetings have had it all, between drama, hard forechecking, stout defense and goaltending, greasy goals, some dazzling individual skill and plenty of physicality. Both teams only got better entering this season, and both should be major factors.
