ASHBURNHAM, Mass. — Jaelyn Trudell was not going to be denied again.
After her second-period equalizer was taken off the board, the junior made no mistake in overtime, scoring on a 2-on-1 with 28 seconds left to lift Groton to a 2-1 win over rival New Hampton on the first day of the Edward G. Watkins Invitational.
The win served as a bit of revenge for the Zebras, who fell to the Huskies in each of the last two Small School championships.
Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) also scored for Groton, while Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.) made 27 saves in the win.
Kennedy Walker (Middleton, Mass.) scored for New Hampton. Elizabeth Vincent made 21 saves.
Walker opened the scoring early in the second period when her quick shot from the top of the left circle beat Wilson five-hole through a screen.
Trudell (Andover, Mass.) appeared to tie it moments later as a power play expired, jamming away in a goalmouth scramble, but the officials waved it off.
Cronan answered during a 4-on-4 with 49 seconds left in the frame, scoring with a wrist shot inside the left post on a breakaway.
Walker thought she won it for the Huskies in overtime, one-timing a loose puck into the open cage after Wilson couldn't glove it. However, a quick whistle after the officials lost sight of it negated the goal.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways from the thriller.
Jaelyn Trudell
Groton, Class of 2026, F, right shot
Hometown: Andover, Mass.
Trudell did a great job of finding soft space in the offensive zone. She got lost in coverage when New Hampton fixated on Cronan in the first, finding herself all alone in front with all day to shoot from point-blank range. In the second, she found open space at the left post and was in position to jam in a rebound before the goal was eventually negated. Her game-winning goal was a thing of beauty. She chipped the puck around the defender at the defensive blue line, going the other way in a 2-on-1 with Cronan. She looked off the pass and fired a perfect wrist shot off the left post and in.
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Maddie Cronan
Groton, 9/10/06, F, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Ashland, Mass.
NCAA: Colgate
Cronan showed great anticipation and created offense in transition throughout the game. She had a great sequence in the first, stealing the puck in the neutral zone before getting a couple of looks in the slot. When the puck found her again, she made a slick touch pass to Trudell all alone in front of the crease, but Vincent made a great save. In the second, Cronan had a terrific look off the rush, trying to sneak it between the blocker and the pad. She went back to the well on her breakaway and made no mistake after pick-pocketing Addy Peel (Scarborough, Maine) at the defensive blue line. Her quick release beat Vincent cleanly to cap off a terrific play. She had some more strong scoring chances in the third, including one all alone in the slot, but she caught a bit of bad luck with a rolling puck.
Elizabeth Vincent
New Hampton, 2008, G, catches left
Hometown: Quebec City, QC
Vincent didn't face an enormous shot volume, but many of the looks Groton landed were quality. The young sophomore made several high-end saves to keep the Zebras at bay for most of the night. In the first, she made a fantastic pad save on Trudell in alone in front, reacting quickly. Vincent also had Cronan's number. She robbed her off the rush in the second, squeezing the puck under her arm before sealing the post late when Cronan tried to stuff it up high. Vincent also robbed Scalese in tight late. She made the initial save on a bouncing puck before lunging to get the rebound. Her instincts and ability to read and react were impressive all night.
Tina Scalese
Groton, 1/17/2008, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: West Boylston, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Scalese was constantly in the right place in the defensive zone, and her ability to hunt and win pucks was on full display. She was in a perfect spot to intercept Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan's centering pass in the first period. Later in the first, Scalese had a fantastic scoring chance in the slot off a give-and-go with Trudell, one-timing a bouncing puck to her forehand. That's not an easy shot for anybody, but Scalese put a bullet on net. The Princeton commit had another scoring chance late in regulation that somehow wouldn't go, putting a backhander on net off a rebound. She showed a ton of toughness in the second period after a scary fall when she got tangled up behind the play. Scalese was clearly shaken up but stayed on long enough to settle the play down and make a clear before getting a change.
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Kennedy Walker
New Hampton, 5/25/06, F, right shot, 5-9
Hometown: Middleton, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Thursday might have been the best game I've seen Walker play. She was everywhere for most of the game, playing assertively and creating chances on nearly every shift. She set up an excellent chance for Trinity Walsh in front after a nice inside-out move to cut around a defender in transition. The Yale commit wasted no time with the shot on her goal, firing a quick release through the screen in front. She had another strong scoring chance in the third after some great movement out high with True Thompson and Peel. The latter found Walker with a cross-ice pass, and the latter put a heavy shot on net that wouldn't go. Walker played with a swagger that only grew after her goal.
True Thompson
New Hampton, 10/11/06, D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Voorhees, NJ
NCAA: Connecticut
Thompson's command of the offensive zone was once again immensely impressive, quarterbacking things from the point both at even strength and on the player play. She moved the puck quickly and was constantly in motion out high. She pushed the pace in transition, leading regroups with good reads and quick decisions and never forcing plays.
Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan
New Hampton, Class of 2025, F, left shot
Hometown: Wells, Maine
NCAA: Colby
Michaud-Nolan's two-way acumen stood out once again, and it was a ton of fun to watch her match up with Scalese. After Scalese picked off her centering pass to the slot, Michaud-Nolan recovered with a tremendous effort in the neutral zone, sticking with her and bothering her before a well-timed stick lift forced a turnover. In overtime, Michaud-Nolan stole the puck from Scalese before setting up a Grade-A look on the doorstep.
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Drew Hayhurst
New Hampton, 03/2006, D, right shot
Hometown: Breckenridge, Colo.
Hayhurst did a great job in front of the net on the power play. She was forceful and aggressive in battles, taking away space and making life miserable for forwards. She effectively took Trudell out of the play as she boxed out in front during a critical penalty kill in the third period.
Jamie Noonan
Groton, 01/2008, D, left shot, 5-3
Hometown: East Bridgewater, Mass.
Noonan was one of the fastest skaters on the ice. That's also a sentence anyone could write after just about any game Noonan plays in. Her speed and agility give her a massive advantage, and she should use it more to generate exits out of the defensive zone, especially in games like Thursday when there were rarely clean passing lanes on breakouts. Her speed helped her create something out of nothing on a second-period rush, motoring into the offensive zone for a good shooting chance at the left dot. In the third, she made a great decision to step up with a stick check at the defensive blue line to break up a stretch pass. It prevented a 2-on-1 (or maybe even a 2-on-0) after New Hampton's quick-up caught Groton.
Ella Nannene
Groton, 2007, F, right shot
Hometown: Acton, Mass.
Nannene had an excellent third period. She won races for the puck, negated an icing and had a couple of solid looks in the offensive zone. She had a terrific back-check late in regulation, hustling to win the puck back and negate a 3-on-1 for the Huskies.
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Leftover thoughts...
- Groton got better as the game went on, and the Zebras played their best in the third period. For most of the game, Groton's top line dragged them into the fight. It was the only line to consistently have success exiting the defensive zone and generating sustained pressure in the attacking zone. Cronan, Scalese and Trudell complement each other really well, and it was no surprise to see them accounting for two clutch goals. It felt like a matter of time until they'd break through.
- Any loss is frustrating, but Thursday will undoubtedly bother New Hampton a little more, whether due to the quick whistle in overtime or the inability to convert quality looks in regulation. The Huskies were the better team for much of the first two periods. The breaks just didn't go their way.
