BROOKLINE, Mass. — In one of the best girls prep hockey games of the season so far, No. 1 Williston Northampton and No. 2 Dexter Southfield couldn't break a deadlock, skating away with a 0-0 draw.
It certainly wasn't for a lack of chances between the two top-ranked teams in prep.
Dexter rang the post three times, including Marion Legge (Scituate, Mass.) nailing the crossbar on a 3-on-2 late in the second period before Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) hit the crossbar on a third-period power play.
Brooke Schlutter had a chance to win it for Williston on a breakaway late in regulation but hit the post, trying to go high glove.
Dexter's Annabelle Aitken (Winchester, Mass.) and Williston's Olivia Ferebee each made some highlight-reel desperation saves in the third period, too. Ferebee had the save of the game when she was on her back and somehow managed to get her glove on Evelyn Doyle's (Needham, Mass.) attempt at the goal line.
Aitken finished with 28 saves for the Shields by my count, including 11 in the third period, while Ferebee made 20 stops for the Wildcats. Nine of Ferebee's saves came in the third.
With the tie, both teams remain undefeated. Dexter is now 9-0-4, while Williston sustained the first blemish to its record this season, sitting 12-0-1.
Let's dive into 15 standouts and takeaways from the game.
Anabelle Aitken
Dexter Southfield, 11/24/2008, G, catches right, 5-5
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Aitken was fantastic for Dexter. She seemed to be fighting the puck a bit early on, but she settled in and made some high-quality saves. Her glove was strong throughout the game, she reacted quickly and she came through in big spots. The sophomore made a fantastic sprawling save with her left pad on Keirstyn Camiolo in the first after Riley Stocker stole the puck on the forecheck. In the second, Aitken made a terrific shoulder stop on Zola Piekarski's (Concord, Mass.) attempt to pick the top right corner at the bottom of the right circle. She stood tall on two penalty kills late in the second, including two stops on Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.) and one on a heavy one-timer from Nora Curtis.
In the third, Aitken came through again. She flashed the glove on Catie Putt (Norfolk, Mass.), bailing Dexter out after a turnover in the neutral zone. She made another big glove stop on Camiolo trying to go upstairs off a cross-ice feed. Moments later, Aitken flashed the left pad again to deny Stocker in front before stoning multiple bids at the rebound. In OT, Aitken kept the game alive when she kicked out the right pad on Daley trying to slip a backhand through far-side.
Olivia Ferebee
Williston Northampton, 1/31/2006, G, catches left, 5-5
Hometown: Lake Placid, NY
NCAA: Cornell
Ferebee was strong early on as Dexter dictated the pace through the first few minutes of the game. She didn't see as high of a volume as Aitken, but she still made some strong saves. She looked in control all game and was never fazed, even with some late chaos around her net. The senior made a fantastic stop on Elizabeth Allen (Brookline, Mass.) in a 2-on-1 with Marion Legge (Scituate, Mass.), pushing over and getting her body in front of the one-timer. Ferebee saved her best for last as Dexter mounted a big push in the third, thanks to a couple of power plays. She matched Aitken's glove saves with one of her own on Finley Kolaric's (Quincy, Mass.) quick wrister off the rush. Moments later, she saved an almost-own-goal with good stick positioning, preventing Malaya Anaba's mishandle from trickling five-hole.
Later in the third, Ferebee denied Doyle on a chance that would have been a goal 99 times out of 100. After making several key stops in a net-front scramble, Ferebee was down on her back and reached out her glove to somehow stone Doyle's bid on the doorstep. I'm still not sure how it didn't go in. Ferebee came through again late in regulation, making a big blocker stop on Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) from the right dot before turning aside Allen's rocket with her mask.
Alyssa Frazier
Williston Northampton, 06/2007, D, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Berlin, Vt.
NCAA: MiddleburyÂ
Frazier has impressed every time I've seen Williston this season. She was excellent defending the rush with good gap control and stick positioning, keeping forwards toward the boards. In the first, she easily broke up a centering pass for Maddie Funk (Duxbury, Mass.). That play was in Funk's mind later in the period on a rush against Frazier as she pulled up and sent an errant centering feed that was broken up. In the second, Frazier made a great play against Murphy, beating her to the far post and poking away her wraparound attempt. In the third, her body position and active stick broke up Merrill trying to dangle into the slot.
Maggie Chudzinski
Dexter Southfield, 4/3/2010, D, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
Chudzinski, a 2010, was one of the best blue-liners in a game chock-full of older, experienced stalwarts. This is the third time I've seen Dexter this season, and she continues to improve with each game.
She put herself in a perfect position to deny Violet Carroll's (Milton, Mass.) centering feed on a 3-on-2 in the first. Early on, Chudzinski led an excellent breakout. After seeing she had no outlets, she smartly curled back and skated through the open space out high in the defensive zone before getting a clean exit with a perfect stretch pass for the far-side forward, hitting her on the tape and in stride. In the third, she nearly opened the scoring with a quick, hard release from the point that rang the crossbar. It was (nearly) perfectly placed and a great wrist shot. Later, she took a good risk and denied a 2-on-1 with a nice poke-check at the blue line, recovering after getting caught flat-footed.
Devon Moore
Dexter Southfield, 02/2008, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
Moore drove offense on Dexter's top line, and she also came up with some strong plays in the defensive zone. Her powerful strides and strength made her difficult to handle in the offensive zone, too. Early in the second, she made a great play to get back and get a stick on Quinn Toll to prevent a shot all alone in front after a breakdown for Dexter. Moments later, she drove between the defense, fighting through multiple stick-checks and getting a nice look in the slot on the power play. In the third, she drew a key hook against Daley as she curled into the slot for a quality shooting chance.
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Catie Putt
Williston Northampton, 10/17/2007, D, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Norfolk, Mass.
NCAA: New Hampshire
Putt was active in all three zones, and her skating ability helped her defend in transition as well as push the pace offensively. She even started overtime at forward. In the second, she defended a 1-on-1 with Doyle perfectly, breaking it up with a poke-check and preventing her from driving to the net for a clear chance. In the third, Putt pounced on a turnover with a burst of speed and got in on a partial break, but Aitken denied her top-shelf attempt with a good glove save.
Mia Daley
Williston Northampton, 2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Lynnfield, Mass.
Daley was a big play-driver on Williston's top line, especially in transition. She generated good, well-placed shots off the rush, usually low and looking for rebounds, and she created 2-on-1s and 3-on-2s. She made a forechecker miss in the first period with a shake-and-bake out high before going off the races on a 3-on-2. As the game wore on, Daley got into middle ice more and more and had a couple of good looks on the power play in the second. She also made a great play against Murphy, muscling her off the puck and forcing a turnover along the boards, even in what was a big mismatch in size. In the third, Daley set up Camiolo's chance in the slot with a slick cross-ice feed. She nearly ended it in overtime, driving to the middle and slipping a backhand toward the far post, but Aitken denied her.
Despite the strong outing, Daley nearly cost Williston in the third period with two hooking penalties. Fortunately for her and the Wildcats, Dexter couldn't convert.
Nina Coffee
Williston Northampton, 3/16/2007, D, left shot, 6-0
Hometown: Old Lyme, Conn.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Coffee did a good job getting heavy shots on net from the point, be it via wrist shots, slap shots or impressive one-timers. I had her for four shots on goal by my count. She can get a ton on her one-timer, and she did a good job of finding clear shooting lanes through traffic. Defensively, she used her size, strength and reach to her advantage. In the second, she made great use of her reach and frame to get leverage on Doyle, knock her off the puck and get a clear on the penalty kill. Later on a third-period kill, Coffee came through with a crucial blocked shot and a clear, bailing Williston out of a tricky spot after Curtis' stick broke.
Violet Carroll
Williston Northampton, 5/22/2007, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Carroll had some of her best shifts in the third period and overtime. She was a one-person forecheck shorthanded in the third, stripping the puck from Murphy and nearly scoring on a wraparound. That sequence hemmed Dexter in and killed off a good chunk of time on the penalty. In overtime, she forced another turnover on the forecheck, leading to Daley's bid at the winner in the slot. Carroll's ability to slide back to the point and quarterback the power play remains impressive as well.
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Sawyer Merrill
Dexter Southfield, 01/2008, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Merrill impressed with her size, good hands and long strides, getting a handful of nice scoring chances. She had a nice chance in the slot early in the first, battling through multiple stick checks and forcing Ferebee to make a good blocker save. On her next shifts, she beat out Putt on an icing and almost had a chance to jam in a backhander in tight but couldn't quite handle the bouncing puck. In the second, Merrill drove into the zone with speed and tried to go high-glove, forcing Ferebee to make another save. Merrill had another solid look on a power play in the third, putting a heavy shot on from the right dot, but Ferebee made another good blocker save.
Marion Legge
Dexter Southfield, 8/28/2007, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
NCAA: Colby
Legge was effective in all three zones on Dexter's second line. She had a hand in two of the Shields' best chances of the night. In the first, she led a regroup in the neutral zone, dangling past a couple sticks before driving into the offensive zone and setting up Allen on a 2-on-1 with a gorgeous saucer pass in a tight space. In the second, Legge did it all in the lead-up to her shot off the crossbar in a 3-on-2. Legge won a defensive zone face-off, then blocked a shot that clearly stung. She battled through and came in as the trailer off the rush, driving wide and ripping a wrister off the iron. She had it. In overtime, Legge made a great backcheck against Brenna Ziter (Williston, Vt.) to prevent a centering feed after she dangled a defender.
Maddie Bibeau
Dexter Southfield, 2006, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Natick, Mass.
NCAA: Stonehill
Like Legge, Bibeau made an impact in all three zones. Early in the first, she hit the post with a quick release off the rush. She forced a turnover with a good burst of speed and stick check at the point, heading the other way and putting a wrister on net. Ferebee got a piece of it before it ricocheted off the outside of the post. On the penalty kill in the second, Bibeau came through with a big blocked shot at the left circle. It effectively finished off the rest of the penalty. In OT, Bibeau made a pair of crucial plays. First, she tracked back and lifted Piekarski's stick to prevent a centering pass in a 2-on-1 with Curtis. At the other end, she got in front of Coffee's stretch pass on the forecheck to hem Williston in.
Leftover thoughts...
1. What. A. Game. You'd think a scoreless draw would leave plenty to be desired, but it might have been the best 0-0 game I've seen. Both teams played well enough to win. Williston continued to live up to its No. 1 billing, while Dexter backed up its No. 2 ranking. The Shields dictated the pace early on, but the Wildcats began to pour it on later in the first and in the second. Both teams had ample opportunity to take control in the third, especially Dexter with some late power plays, while Williston had the better looks in overtime. There was drama, elite college commits, high-end younger prospects, desperation saves and highlight-reel chances. What more could you want? All I can say is I'd definitely take more of that in the postseason.
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2. Both of Williston's power play units are so fun to watch, especially the top unit. Carroll, Curtis, Daley, Schlutter and Piekarski have so much chemistry. All five are in constant motion. They move the puck quickly, they know where each other is going to be and they usually know where they're going next with the puck. It gets the penalty kill out of sorts and leads to plenty of chances. Carroll's versatility as a former defender to be able to run the point and give Williston a chance to have five forwards on the ice is a big X-factor, too. Meanwhile, the second unit also has its share of tricks up its sleeve, especially when the Wildcats utilize Coffee in front of the net.
3. Credit to Dexter for coming out strong to start the game and playing fast and aggressively. They put Williston on their heels early and got an early power play. Even as the Wildcats got to their game, the Shields still generated chances and maintained their pace. I've seen Williston go up against other strong contenders this season between Nobles, BB&N and Cushing. In each of those wins, the Wildcats had their way, dictated the pace and shut down the opponent for either significant stretches of play or the entire game. That wasn't the case on Wednesday, even despite the Wildcats' edge in shots and scoring chances. Dexter gave them their toughest test yet.
