ANDOVER, Mass. — No. 6 Phillips Andover made a statement on Wednesday, rolling to a 4-2 win over No. 4 Cushing in a key, top-10 clash in girls prep.
Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) scored twice for the Big Blue, while Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) had two assists. Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) had a goal and an assist, and Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) also scored. Marie Lee (Southboro, Mass.) earned the win in net with 16 saves.
Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.) scored twice for the Penguins. Sadie Bellissimo made 33 saves in the loss.
Mara opened the scoring just over four minutes into the first, cleaning up a rebound in front from Maggie Averill's (Wayland, Mass.) shot from the left circle.
Freitas tied it with 10 minutes to go in the first, dangling around a defender off the rush before going bar-down to the top-right corner.
Powers answered moments later in front of the net to make it 2-1.
Freitas scored on the power play early in the second to pull even again, but Andover answered less than 30 seconds later. After Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.) and Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.) overwhelmed Cushing on the forecheck, they worked the puck to Duplessis in the slot who picked the top-right corner, going bar-down.
Powers extended the lead to 4-2 with a backhand-forehand finish in tight after Caroline Averill found her coming in as the trailer with speed.
Andover leaped to the No. 3 seed in USHR's Elite 8 projection, sitting at 10-1-1 on the season. They entered the game as the projected seventh seed. Meanwhile, at 18-3-0, Cushing dropped to No. 6 in the projected Elite 8. They were No. 4 in this week's top 10 and entered the game projected as the third seed.
Let's dive into nine standouts as well as two quick takeaways from the game.
Molly Boyle
Phillips Andover, 1/5/2006, D, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Boyle was everywhere for the Big Blue. She was a monster in the neutral zone, using her legs to lead rushes and regroups and giving Cushing fits. In the first, she took a turnover, regrouped and walked in for a good shot at the left circle. In the second, she tracked back to break up a rush before turning on the jets to win a race to the puck and lead transition the other way. Later in the frame, she won a puck in the neutral zone before blowing by everyone, getting in alone and hitting the post as she tried to reach around Bellissimo on her forehand. She had another great look toward the end of the frame, redirecting Mara's feed on a net drive.
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Bella Freitas
Cushing, 08/2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Everett, Mass.
Freitas can take over shifts at a moment's notice, and that was the case on her first goal. In the first clean rush of the game for Cushing, Freitas absolutely undressed a defender 1-on-1 before snapping a quick shot short-side off the bar. It was the type of highlight-reel goal she scored with regularity in the MIAA last season. Her second goal came off good positioning on the power play, closing in toward the net from the left dot and in the right place at the right time to one-time Taylor Buckley's (Woburn, Mass.) rebound. In the third, Freitas set up Madi Soderquist for a great look, fighting through contact and a missed hook against Maggie Averill before slipping a nice feed to Soderquist as the high trailer.
Freitas also made an impact defensively. The freshman had a good back check against Caroline Averill on a rush in the fist, catching up to her and poking it away to prevent a possible scoring chance. In the third, she had a great effort 1-on-1 against Bruen, holding her up inside the blue line and preventing her from driving down the wall before poking it free and clearing. Freitas, who has goals in four straight, is far and away the NEPSAC's leader in goals (22) and points (33). She's four goals and five points clear of second place in both categories.
Kimee Duplessis
Phillips Andover, 11/2008, D, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Framingham, Mass.
Duplessis made an impact in all three zones for Andover, and she played with a lot of confidence. Her goal was a sweet finish, showing good awareness to crash open space in the slot before ripping a quick shot off the bar and in. In the third, Duplessis did a nice job to fend off two defenders and win a battle down low in the corner. With another forechecker bearing down on her after getting the puck back, she made a nice, subtle pass to her outlet for a clean exit. Late in the third, Duplessis had a nice rush through the neutral zone, driving into the attacking end, cutting around a defender and getting a shot in the high slot.
Sadie Bellissimo
Cushing, 10/2006, G, catches left, 5-7
Hometown: Littleton, Colo.
NCAA: RPI
Bellissimo was busy from the jump, facing a high shot volume and making several high-quality saves, bailing Cushing out in key spots. Her positioning was strong, and she was tough in her crease, battling through body contact. In the first she made a great save on McInerney as she dangled into the crease to try to stuff one, holding her ground and giving her nothing even as she got bulldozed. In the second, she gave Powers nothing on a 3-on-1 with Mara. Later that period, she denied Maggie Averill's heavy one-timer from the top of the zone before stopping Maddie Greenwood (Duxbury, Mass.) with the glove on a breakaway. Bellissimo also made a fantastic glove save on a one-timer for Bruen in the third, getting over and flashing the glove for a critical save on a penalty kill.
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Sarah Powers
Phillips Andover, 8/30/2007, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Lynnfield, Mass.
NCAA: Boston College
Powers' line with Mara and Caroline Averill had high-quality chances seemingly every time they were on the ice. Powers' speed and energy once again stood out. I've written it before but she does everything at a million miles per hour, and it's a lot of fun to watch. She got to a good spot around the net and finished off a terrific response to Freitas' goal when she buried a puck from Averill in front to make it 2-1 in the first. Her second goal was a thing of beauty. Averill found her coming over the blue line with a ton of speed off the rush. Powers blew by everyone, cut to the netfront and went forehand-backhand to tuck it around Bellissimo to make it 4-2.
Sienna Glass
Phillips Andover, 02/2009, D, right shot
Hometown: Andover, Mass.
Glass played a clean, smart game with the puck and made a lot of winning plays for the Big Blue. She had some pinches and did a good job of knowing when to take chances to keep pucks in and when to back off and play it safe. There was one instance with the puck where she made a great keep-in out high before confidently stick-handling around the high forward and chipping it back in deep. In the second, Glass also had a good 1-on-1 against Soderquist, easily breaking up her rush and jumpstarting the rush the other way.
Caroline Averill
Phillips Andover, 1/14/07, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Averill's smarts were on full display, especially in the closing seconds of regulation as she and Mara put on a possession clinic low in the offensive zone, preventing Cushing from gaining possession and pulling the goalie. She was constantly in good spots and making plays, assisting both of Powers' goals. Averill had a great one-time look in the second, shading behind Powers on a rush and getting open at the right dot. She helped keep the pressure going with a good rush after Andover made it 3-2, motoring into the zone and doing a great job protecting the puck as she tried to work it middle. Her assist on Powers' second goal was almost as good as the finish. Averill slowed the play down as she came across the blue line with her head up before cutting middle and putting a pass into space for Powers to skate into.
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Keira Bruen
Phillips Andover, 4/14/2007, F, right shot, 5-10
Hometown: West Roxbury, Mass.
NCAA: Cornell
Bruen did a great job centering the Big Blue's top line between McInerney and Kennedy. Her size and reach made her so effective with the puck. Hardly anyone could take it from her or knock her off her spot. She had a nice chance in the first, dangling into the slot and putting a backhand in net. A few shifts later she had a great defensive effort in the slot, hustling to get a stick on the puck and preventing a clean one-timer for Julia Lambert (Wilmington, Mass.).
Brooke Harb
Cushing, 07/2007, F, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Atkinson, NH
NCAA: Stonehill
Harb was solid at the face-off dot, and she made good plays in the neutral and defensive zones. In the second, she forced a turnover out high before driving back in and drawing a penalty against Boyle. Harb would have had a great scoring chance otherwise. Later in the frame, she did a good job to help down low, breaking up the cycle with good stick positioning as she won the puck and flipped it out to neutral ice. It alleviated the pressure and led to a shift in the offensive zone for the Penguins.
Leftover thoughts...
1. Andover's depth, be it on defense or with their top nine forwards, was the biggest difference-maker, Their top two lines in particular are just so good, and I'd put them up against any other top-six group in prep. They were all over Cushing from the jump, and the Penguins struggled to generate anything cleanly in transition, whether on exits or entries, for most of the game. A lot of that was due to Andover's layers on the forecheck, how quick they were to loose pucks and how quickly they pushed the pace on regroups. It's safe to say I won't be ranking them as low as I had them next week.
2. We're going to learn a lot about Cushing as Elite 8 contenders over the final month of the season. The Penguins only losses this season have been to Williston (twice) and now Andover. Against other strong opponents, they've beaten likely Small School seeds Rivers and St. George's; likely Large School seeds in Tabor and St. Paul's; and fringe Elite 8 teams in Exeter and Groton. They will go up against either bonafide or fringe Elite 8 teams, be it BB&N (twice), Nobles, New Hampton, Loomis Chaffee, Dexter Southfield or Deerfield in the final month of the season. Cushing, who has the most potent offense in prep with the lead in total offense and three top-10 scorers, struggled to generate outside of Freitas' goals. They're better than they showed on Wednesday.
