EASTHAMPTON, Mass. — The prep holiday tournaments are officially behind us.
Some of the top teams in girls prep rang in 2026 earlier this week at the second annual New Year's Prep Puck Drop, hosted by Williston Northampton.
The hosts took down Cushing in Monday's championship for the second straight year, skating to a 3-0 shutout behind a goal and an assist for Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.) and a 16-save shutout for Olivia Arsenault. Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.) and Nina Coffee (Old Lyme, Conn.) also scored.
The win capped off an undefeated weekend for the Wildcats, who also beat Canterbury, 10-0, and Rivers, 2-0, on Sunday.
Cushing reached the championship after beating St. George's, 4-1, and Hill School, 5-2, on Sunday. Hill took home third place with a 4-2 win over Canterbury on Monday. The former also beat St. George's, 3-1, while the latter also beat Rivers, 2-1, on Sunday. Meanwhile, Rivers tied St. George's, 1-1, and won the shootout in Monday's fifth-place game.
I made it out to Williston for Monday's three contests, catching each team in the field.
Let's dive into 14 standout forwards from the final day.
Vicky Concepcion
Canterbury, Class of 2026, F, left shot,
Hometown: Avon, Conn.
Concepcion was a confident puck carrier with smooth strides throughout Canterbury's loss to Hill School. She cut it to a one-goal game with a slick power-play goal in the third. After cycling out high, Concepcion drove into the slot for a bid before eventually getting it back at the right circle. She closed and went bar-down with a wrister.
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Carah Ford
St. George’s, 2010, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: York, Maine
Ford was a strong presence on the Dragons' top line against Rivers. She was physical and won battles on the wing in the defensive zone, and she came through with the opening goal just 20 seconds into the third. Ford took a feed from Maddie Lahah (North Attleboro, Mass.) at the right circle off the rush, toe-dragged and snapped a quick shot on net, pin-balling in through a maze of skates. It wasn't the prettiest, although it was a slick move for the initial shot. Ford also came through with a big block at the point late in regulation with St. George's tied and under siege.
Ava Carr
Williston Northampton, 4/28/2010, F, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Medway, Mass.
Carr was fantastic on a line with Daley and Piekarski in Williston's win over Cushing. She played with pace, and she executed well as the strong-side winger on breakouts, quickly finding outlets and hitting her center coming up the middle for clean, speedy exits. After she and Daley won a battle to set up a golden look for Ashley Anderson (Wilmington, Mass.) in the slot, Carr got one of her own, flying into the slot for a drop pass from Daley. Cushing's Sadie Bellissimo made the blocker save. Carr later took advantage of a Cushing turnover, firing a shot on net from the high slot that ricocheted in off Daley.
Simone Burns
Rivers, 03/2009, F, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
The top line of Burns, Brooke Bartlett (Wayland, Mass.) and Nora McLean (Canton, Mass.) was at the center of a ton of chances in Rivers' tie with St. George's. Burns had several Grade-A looks in the second, including one on a 2-on-1 with Bartlett and another where she got open by the crease for a back-door pass. Burns came through with 6:54 to go in regulation with the equalizer, curling to the slot off a clean face-off win from Bartlett and firing a quick wrister short-side. She found daylight and made St. George's pay for consecutive icings. She also scored the game-winner in the shootout.
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Ella Amato
St. George's, Class of 2029, F, right shot
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
Amato made key plays in the defensive zone as St. George's hung on for the tie against Rivers. She made a strong, physical play down low in the second, cutting off Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.) and muscling her off the puck as she tried to curl around the net. In the third, Amato had a great effort on the backcheck to get into a lane and intercept a centering pass off the rush before curling behind the net and finding an outlet. She blocked a dangerous shot in the slot late, too. Amato also showed good speed exiting the defensive zone with the puck.
Cailyn Walfield
Canterbury, 2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Malone, N.Y.
Walfield can fly, which helped her excel as a puck-carrier in the neutral zone and get into lanes on the forecheck. She got Canterbury on the board in the second period against Hill School, taking advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone. Walfield sped back into the zone, driving down the right wing and ripping a perfect wrister bar-down over the blocker. She followed it up with a good keep-in as the high forward on her next shift, cutting off an outlet pass. In the third, Walfield's speed paid off on a good exit. She reversed behind her net and flew through a seam up the middle, getting the outlet pass and jumpstarting the rush.
Bella Freitas
Cushing, 08/2009, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Everett, Mass.
Freitas and the rest of Cushing's offense were held in check against Williston, but she still found ways to be effective. She had a strong shift on a second-period penalty kill, alleviating pressure when she found a lane through the neutral zone to skate the puck out of danger and get a shot at the other end. She also showed good strength when she knocked Daley off the puck along the boards before establishing body positioning to knock Schlutter off as well.
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Jillian Smith
Hill School, Class of 2026, F, left shot
Hometown: Long Valley, N.J.
NCAA: Middlebury
Smith was strong all game against Canterbury, posting a goal and an assist. She opened the scoring late in the first, entering the zone with speed off a tap-pass from Nadia Wagner and going top shelf with a quick release from the left circle. Smith also set up Avery Cohen's insurance goal in the third, pulling the puck free from a board battle and cutting inside the dots before hitting Smith on the money on the far side.
Riley Stocker
Williston Northampton, 06/2008, F, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: Verona, N.J.
Stocker played with a ton of compete all game in the championship, making winning plays. The power forward's strength helped her win battles, create space for herself and win 1-on-1s. She had a solid chance off the rush in the first period, keeping her feet moving and blowing by a stick check to cut inside the right circle for a shot. In the third, she had a terrific effort in the defensive zone as she lifted the puck carrier's stick for a clean steal.
Zola Piekarski
Williston Northampton, 11/3/2006, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
NCAA: UPenn (Field Hockey)
Piekarski was a force around the net on the power play, consistently getting open and getting a handful of Grade-A looks. She nearly cashed in off a cross-ice dish from Daley on an entry, but she stuck with it and found the back of the net moments later. Piekarski got lost at the right post and was in a perfect spot to tap home Daley's back-door feed. She got open again for a shot-pass from Brooke Schlutter later in the second, but it wouldn't go.
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Maddie Lahah
St. George’s, 2008, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Lahah was one of the most effective skaters on the ice against Rivers, playing a strong 200-foot game. She was practically automatic at the face-off dot. Her high hockey IQ, strength and confidence with the puck helped her put out fires in the defensive zone as well. She was key to Ford's goal, dancing through the neutral zone before gaining the line with speed and dishing it off. Lahah also hustled to break up a partial break for Nora Swaim (Concord, Mass.), laying out to prevent a chance.
Nora Swaim
Rivers, 11/2009, F, left shot
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
Swaim's speed was a factor throughout the tie with St. George's. She got a great look in the slot off a give-and-go out high with Kathryn Butkus (Hopkinton, Mass.) curling around the top of the zone before dashing through a seam into the slot. Swaim also beat out an icing early in the third that led to extended pressure in the run-up to St. George's consecutive icings before Burns' goal.
Mia Daley
Williston Northampton, 01/2009, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Lynnfield, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Daley was everywhere against Cushing, consistently creating chances at 5-on-5 and on the power play. She had pace exiting the defensive zone, finding seams for outlet passes from her wingers. She found passing lanes in the offensive zone, setting up Piekarski's initial look before a back-door feed that was right on the money for the goal. Daley also had some chances of her own in front of the net, including a redirect in the second. She went right to the crease off a turnover in the third, where Carr's shot went off her and in as she fell.
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Madi Soderquist
Cushing, 02/2007, F, left shot
Hometown: Woburn, Mass.
NCAA: New Hampshire
Soderquist was effective at skating the puck through the neutral zone, getting a handful of good shots off the rush. One of her better chances came in the third as she flew the zone to break in 1-on-1, generating a hard shot. Later in the third, Soderquist had a tremendous effort low in the defensive zone in a 1-on-1 battle with Stocker, staying strong on her feet and escaping the pressure before finding an outlet pass.
