This year's girls Elite 8 field is stacked with high-end talent.
Each roster is filled with dazzling skill, college commits and impact players at every position, giving them a shot to win it all.
Naturally, Williston Northampton, the wire-to-wire top seed in the regular season, has the inside track. The Wildcats are gunning for a third-straight trip to the championship and a third title in four years. It won't be easy, though, especially if the likes of Loomis Chaffee, Dexter Southfield or defending champion Nobles have anything to say about it. That's without even mentioning any of the lower seeds who are more than capable of pulling off upsets.
To do any of that, they’ll need their top players to be at their absolute best when it matters most. That’s true for the favorites, too.
Every year, there are individual runs for the ages as players lead their squads to glory. Who could those players be this season?
Let's dive into some MVP candidates in this year's Elite 8.
Williston Northampton: Violet Carroll
Carroll (Milton, Mass.) can do it all for the Wildcats. The senior Holy Cross commit is third in scoring in the NEPSAC with 41 points, and her 28 assists lead the region. She drives a fantastic line with Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.) and Brooke Schlutter. Carroll plays a game built for the playoffs, showcasing an entertaining mix of tenacity and skill. She's versatile, too, sliding back to run the point on the power play. If Williston wins its third championship in four years, Carroll's fingerprints will be all over it.
Or maybe it'll be: Olivia Ferebee
Typically, goalies on teams this dominant aren't that busy. That's not the case for Ferebee. The senior Cornell commit has risen to the occasion in high-level matchups with Elite 8 opponents. She was fantastic in a 22-save shutout of Nobles earlier in the year as well as a 20-save, scoreless draw against Dexter. Look no further than her 39-save shutout in Williston's 1-0, overtime win over Andover earlier this month. Teams have hardly been able to beat her this season. It's fair to assume that'll continue if Williston wins it all.
MIAA BRACKETS: Division 1 girls | Division 2 girls | Division 1 boys | Division 2 boys | Division 3 boys | Division 4 boys
Loomis Chaffee: Lindsay Stepnowski
Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) has taken off with a career junior season. The Harvard commit is among the NEPSAC's top scorers with 37 points (19 goals) in 24 games. She's the centerpiece of a high-end top line for the Pelicans with Chloe Obser and Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.). Stepnowski sees the ice well and has great chemistry with her linemates. Expect her to be a top contributor throughout if Loomis goes all the way.
Or maybe it'll be: Adeline Roper or Megan Hosman
Roper (Kennebunk, Maine) has had a great season after stepping into the starting role. She holds a .944 save percentage and has played well against strong competition. Some of her best performances include 35 saves against Nobles, 36 saves against Williston and 25 saves against BB&N. If Loomis wins it all, she'll have been at her best. Meanwhile, Hosman headlines a three-headed monster on defense for the Pelicans. The junior Penn State commit is in the midst of a career year with 24 points (eight goals). She's got size and has a good stick in the defensive zone. She facilitates offense out high and has a heavy shot. Don't be surprised by some strong all-around performances from her if Loomis wins it all.
Dexter Southfield: Maddie Murphy
Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) is having a career season on the blue line. One of the highest-scoring defenders in prep, she has 31 points (10 goals) on the year. The senior Boston College commit plays a ton of minutes for Dexter in all situations with a tough, physical style in her own end. She's big and uses her stick effectively. Offensively, she's a strong puck-carrier with sneaky quick hands. It's all helped her production take off this winter. Expect her strong senior season to continue.
Or maybe it'll be: Evelyn Doyle
Doyle (Needham, Mass.) is one of the best two-way centers in the field. The junior Yale commit is a smart, 200-foot player, and she drives a lot for Dexter on the top line. She leads their forwards with 20 points (11 goals), despite missing a handful of games for the U18 Women's Worlds in January. It would hardly be a surprise to see her come through with key plays.
PREP BRACKETS: Girls Elite 8 | Girls Large School | Girls Small School | Boys Elite 8 | Boys Large School | Boys Small School
Nobles: Gretta Hulbig
There are a lot of forwards who could get this nod for Nobles. Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) is a force down the middle for the Bulldogs. The junior Yale commit is a powerful player who dominates possession in middle ice and low in the offensive zone, which leads to a lot of offense for Nobles. She's taken off this season with 17 goals and 38 points, all career-highs and good for second on the team behind freshman Alexa Georgantas (Foxboro, Mass.). Hulbig can dominate, and that's what she'll do if Nobles repeats as champs.
Or maybe it'll be: Annika Jonas
The sophomore has been fantastic in net for Nobles with a .952 save percentage, facing one of the higher shot volumes of anyone after seeing little action as a freshman. Jonas (Weston, Mass.) has had great performances against Phillips Andover (39 saves), Groton (29 saves) and Loomis (32 saves), among others. She is capable of stealing a game.
Phillips Andover: Sarah Powers
Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) is a game-breaker. The junior Boston College commit plays with a ton of pace and energy. She's tied for Andover's scoring lead with 23 points (12 goals). Powers' line with senior BC soccer commit Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) and junior Princeton commit Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) carry the play and create chances every shift. Powers is at the center of a lot of it. Expect that to continue if Andover makes a run to a title.
Or maybe it'll be: Molly Boyle
Boyle (Scituate, Mass.) controls the ice in all three zones and impacts every situation for the Big Blue. The senior Yale commit has 13 points (four goals) on defense, and she excels at pushing the pace. Boyle can take over shifts, whether with hard defense or a high-end ability to move the puck up ice. It's not hard to see her leading Andover with some command performances.
WHY EACH TEAM COULD WIN: Girls Large School breakdown | Girls Small School breakdown
BB&N: Hannah Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.) is having the best season of her career, and she's been a massive part of BB&N's surge of late. She's been red hot since the calendar flipped to 2025 with 15 goals and 25 points in 18 games since Jan. 1. On the season, she has 35 points (16 goals). She also has seven goals in her last four games, scoring in all four. The senior Yale commit drives possession and generates plenty of chances for the Knights. They'll need her to keep it up.
Or maybe it'll be: Emi Biotti
Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) can do it all. She can move the puck well, she can score, she defends hard and she can move the puck. The senior Harvard commit can play shutdown defense just as easily as she can jumpstart the offense with a rush, sitting at 24 points (11 goals) from the blue line. Most importantly, she always finds a way to impact a game.
Cushing: Bella Freitas
After she was the state's most electrifying player in the MIAA last season, Freitas hasn't missed a beat in her debut prep season. The freshman is tied for second in the region with 42 points, and her 24 goals are tied for third. Freitas can flip a game on its head in a moment's notice. She has good hands and an ability to score from anywhere and off the rush. If Cushing is going to make a run, it's not hard to imagine Freitas at the center of it.
Or maybe it'll be: Sadie Bellissimo or Brooke Harb
Harb (Atkinson, N.H.) is a huge piece down the middle for Cushing with 23 points (13 goals) on the second line. The captain plays a detailed, two-way game and has a knack for making winning plays. The senior Stonehill commit could be a prime candidate to come through in the clutch. Meanwhile, Bellissimo, a junior RPI commit, has thrived in her first season as Cushing's starter. She's faced the most shots of anyone in the field (794) and done well amid the heavy workload, posting a .940 save percentage and two shutouts. The Penguins need that to continue.
ELITE 8 PREVIEW: Breaking down every team in this year's bracket
Groton: Tina Scalese
Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) does it all for Groton on the top line alongside Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) and Jaelyn Trudell (Andover, Mass.). Scalese, a junior Princeton commit, has a high motor, plays above her size and impacts the play in all three zones, especially in the neutral zone, whether on the back check or driving offense. She's in the midst of a fourth consecutive point-per-game season with 37 goals (24 points), and no moment is ever too big.
Or maybe it'll be: Nora Wilson
Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.) has gotten better as the season has gone on, and she's really hit her stride down the stretch. The sophomore has a .943 save percentage, overall. Since Jan. 25, that number has soared to .973 with six shutouts across eight starts. If she can stay hot in the crease, the Zebras could pull off some upsets.
