There was hardly any shortage of intriguing storylines, strong teams and exciting players to keep track of in the 2024-25 girls prep hockey season.
Two of the preseason favorites, Loomis Chaffee and Phillips Andover, wound up meeting in the Elite 8 championship game. The Pelicans survived a raucous third period to take a 5-3 win over the Big Blue for their first title since 1989.
After narrowly missing out on the Elite 8, Deerfield kept rolling in the Large School tournament, knocking off Tabor in a 2-0 goalie duel for its first New England title since 2001.
In the Small School tournament, it was all about New Hampton again as the Huskies won their third straight championship, ending St. Mark’s Cinderella run to the title game.
Now, it’s time to look ahead to a new winter. There’s still some runway left in the summer, and fall hockey is less than a month away. Nevertheless, let’s take stock of the girls prep hockey scene ahead of 2025-26.
Here are six storylines to watch.
Can Loomis Chaffee repeat in the Elite 8?
The Pelicans had plenty of hype around them entering the season, and they lived up to it, winning their first title since 1989 and first under coach Liz Leyden to cap off a 22-2-1 season.
Getting back to the Elite 8 title game would be a feat in itself, let alone winning. If anyone can do it, why not Loomis?
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The Pelicans graduated some immensely key pieces. Gone are productive first-liners including Chloe Obser and Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.), as well as premier defender Catie Collins (South Burlington, Vt.) and key second-liner Megan Duplantie.
But Loomis still has plenty of firepower returning.
Reigning NEPSAC Player of the Year Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.), a Harvard commit, is back to lead the way alongside Yale commit Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.). A huge part of Loomis’ success last season came from having players like Schwarz and Duplantie on the second line. They’ll look to the likes of Easton Pramuka, Assumption commit Bella Zolezzi, Brooke Murphy and more to step up. Zolezzi scored twice in the championship.
Productive Penn State commit Megan Hosman will be back to patrol the blue line alongside Cornell commit Carly Dann (Hanover, N.H.). Valuable pieces like Hattie Willard and RPI commit Alexine Beaulieu (Bedford, N.H.) also should see bigger roles.
Meanwhile, the most important returner is in the crease, where Adeline Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) stepped up in her first year as the starter. She found another level down the stretch. Emily Hosman could be in line for more minutes, too, after showing well in a smaller sample as a freshman.
Who else could contend?
Last year’s Elite 8 runner-up, Phillips Andover, graduated three premier skaters in Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.), Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) and Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.), among others.
Nevertheless, the Big Blue have one of the strongest returning cores in prep, be it forwards like Princeton commit Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.), Boston College commit Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.), Northeastern commit Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.) and Cornell commit Kiera Bruen (West Roxbury, Mass.) or defenders like Princeton commit Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.), Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) and Sienna Glass (Andover, Mass.). Marie Lee (Southboro, Mass.) proved her mettle in the crease as a freshman last season, too.
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Despite critical losses throughout the lineup, it’s hard to ever count out Williston Northampton, which graduated its top two leading scorers, top two defenders and starting goalie, Olivia Ferebee.
But the Wildcats’ next wave has proven itself over the past few seasons. Cornell commit Brooke Schlutter and Yale commit Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.), two of their top scorers last season, are back in the fold, as is Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.). UNH commit Catie Putt (Norfolk, Mass.) and Holy Cross-bound Nina Coffee (Old Lyme, Conn.) are expected to lead the blue line. Williston will also bring in postgrad Holy Cross commit Caroline Doherty (Hingham, Mass.). Doherty shattered scoring records at Hingham High en route to a state title as a senior.
Just like Williston, you can always count on Nobles being in the mix.
It won’t be easy, though, as the Bulldogs will be without three of their top four scorers from last season, including top producer Alexa Georgantas (Foxboro, Mass.), who’s off to Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
Regardless, the Bulldogs still boast an impressive blend of youth and experience. Senior Yale commit Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) will lead a young forward core of Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.), Princeton commit Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.) and Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.). Maddie Jaeger (Westwood, Mass.), Ava Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.), Reese Engel (Westwood, Mass.) and Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.) are expected to headline the back end. Yale commit Annika Jonas (Weston, Mass.) is expected back in the crease after she was one of the best goalies in prep last winter.
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There’s also Cushing.
The Penguins reached the Elite 8 last season with the most productive offense in prep after missing the playoffs the year prior. A new-look defense will be buoyed by the return of starting goalie Sadie Bellissimo, an RPI commit, as well as young blue-liners like Blake Metcalf (Scarborough, Maine) and Jaclyn King (Hanover, Mass.). Most importantly, much of the forward group is back, including Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.), one of NEPSAC’s most productive skaters as a freshman. UNH commit Madi Soderquist (Woburn, Mass.), Stonehill commit Julia Lambert (Wilmington, Mass.), Stonehill commit Brooke Harb (Atkinson, N.H.), Brooke Fallon (Bedford, N.H.), and Lily Wickler also will help lead the way.
Who are some other teams to watch?
Rivers is near the top of this group with a deep, young core ready to take the next step.
Be it forwards like Harvard commit Brooke Bartlett (Wayland, Mass.), Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.), Nora Swaim (Concord, Mass.), and Chloe Chitkara (Wayland, Mass.), there’s no shortage of speed and skill. That’s also the case with defenders like Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.), Kathryn Butkus (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Kyleigh Rabazzi (Burlington, Mass.).
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Another to watch is Tabor, which bolstered its roster with additions like dynamic defender Mirella Martinelli (North Providence, R.I.) and stout goalie Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.). They join a core that made a run to the Large School final with the likes of Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.), Giuliana Polcari (Marshfield, Mass.) and Colby commit Lilly Shaughnessy (Medfield, Mass.).
The defending Large School champ, Deerfield, returns a deep core that includes Yale commit Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) and Brown commit Keira Austen (Darien, Conn.) on defense as well as forwards Yale commit Sophia Frost, Ava Giroux (St. Albans, Vt.), Brown commit Olivia Austen (Darien, Conn.) and Gia Thompson. The question lies in net, where Ana Makrogiannis could shoulder more work.
Phillips Exeter is another with question marks in the crease, but the Big Red feature a highly productive group of returners. The top line of Vermont commit Maria Gray, Yale commit Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.) and Northeastern commit Erin Sears (Cornwall, Vt.) are all expected back, as is blue-liner Grace Riley, a UConn commit.
Despite graduating two of the very best in prep in Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) and Kate Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.), Thayer features a young core that has shown key flashes, especially Maddy Call (Dedham, Mass.) and Lydia Kealty (Norfolk, Mass.). St. Anselm-committed defender Abby DeAnzeris (Needham, Mass.) will be a key leader, while goalies Madison Hayes (Foxboro, Mass.) and Coleen Wallace (Duxbury, Mass.) each showed well last winter.
Dexter Southfield will have a new look, especially on defense, but the Shields have a deep, young group of forwards that should continue to jell, led by Yale commits Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.) and Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.). On defense, Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) has a chance to take a big step, while both goalies, Annabelle Aitken (Winchester, Mass.) and Addie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.), have been strong.
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Groton also could be in the mix. The Zebras feature one of New England’s top prospects in Princeton commit Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.). Goalie Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.) and defender Tatum Friedholm (Sudbury, Mass.) fared well after being thrust into key roles last winter.
Who are the top returning skaters to watch?
Among the top prospects to watch are Groton’s Scalese, Cushing’s Freitas and Loomis’ Stepnowski. Each finished in a tie for the second-most goals in prep last season with 25. Stepnowski posted 44 points to Freitas’ 43 and Scalese’s 38.
Stepnowski’s teammate, Schwarz, is coming off a career season with 37 points (11 goals), while Freitas’ teammates Soderquist (20 goals and 38 points) and Lambert (18 goals and 28 points) are ones to watch as well.
Meanwhile, Exeter’s Gray has been one of the most productive skaters in prep the last two seasons. She had 40 points (18 goals) for the Big Red last season.
Nobles’ Hulbig and Decourcey could be in line for huge years, too. Hulbig had 38 points (17 goals) last season. Decourcey, just a season removed from a productive year on the blue line at Tilton, had 11 points for Nobles last season. She’s enjoyed a strong spring.
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Speaking of productive blue-liners, Brewster’s Megan Tremblay led all defenders with 25 goals. The Assumption commit had 34 points. St. George’s Maddie Lahah (North Attleboro, Mass.), a Yale commit, is coming off 34 points (17 goals) to lead the Dragons.
Who will be the top goalies?
NEPSAC graduated several top-flight goaltenders last season, be it Ferebee, Jackie Wright (Walpole, Mass.), Allie Bell (Rowley, Mass.) and Avery Olson (Rockport, Mass.).
Still, there’s a deep group of talented puck-stoppers expected back this season.
Among those to watch is Bellissimo, who posted a .933 save percentage for Cushing last season, making the third-most saves among NEPSAC goalies (866). Jonas had a .950 save percentage in the first season as the starter for Nobles, while Williston-bound Krotee (.941) and Loomis’ Roper (.949) proved capable of leading championship runs. Aitken, meanwhile, has enjoyed back-to-back strong seasons at Dexter. She had a .947 marker last season.
Lacey is one to keep an eye on, in particular, in her new digs at Tabor. She faced the most shots (1,165) and made the most saves (1,114) of anyone in prep and still excelled, posting a .956 save percentage.
Elizabeth Vincent showed well after taking over the starting gig for New Hampton last season, fishing with a .922 save percentage as the Huskies won their third straight Small School title. Pomfret’s Sydney Kelm showed out as a freshman last season with a .942 save percentage, facing the fourth-most shots of any prep goalie (915).
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Another to watch is Jayden Elias, expected back for her senior season at Portsmouth Abbey, too. She’s coming off a .942 save percentage, leading the Ravens to a third straight Eastern Independent League title. Ines Khamis will have a chance to step up as the starter at St. Mark’s, too. Lee, Wilson and surely plenty of others could be at the top of the pack as well.
Who are the top newcomers to watch?
One of the headliners this season is Martinelli, who has plied her trade as a dynamic presence on the blue line at Lovell Academy the past few seasons. She’s fresh off 95 points (34 goals) in 83 games on the blue line. She projects to be a massive boost to Tabor’s defensive group.
Among the former MIAA standouts entering prep is Burlington’s Chloe Rabazzi, who is headed for Dexter. The rangy, left-shot defender is fresh off a national championship with the 14U Boston Jr. Eagles.
Also on that Jr. Eagles squad was Westwood’s Liz Levering, who’s headed to Nobles. Levering, a speedy skater on the blue line, was key to Westwood’s excellent season last winter.
Others to watch include forward Elizabeth Averill (Wayland, Mass.). A standout with the Assabet Valley 14U team, she’ll join sisters Caroline and Maggie at Phillips Andover.
St. Paul’s also welcomes a pair of former MIAA standouts. Emma Burke (Braintree, Mass.), a former standout at Notre Dame (Hingham), brings size and smooth skating on the blue line. Meanwhile, Kelsey MacPherson (Hopkinton, Mass.) is coming off a 31-goal season as an eighth-grader with Hopkinton/Dover-Sherborn.
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Former Lovell Academy goalie Moira Landsverk will head to Frederick Gunn, too. She went 36-1-2 with a .981 save percentage in 39 appearances with the 16Us last season.
Northfield-Mount-Hermon has a few newcomers to keep an eye on as well, including former Auburn defender Izzy Cassady (South Grafton, Mass.) and forward Martina Lucas out of the Erie Lady Jr. Otters in Pennsylvania.
