LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Last week, 76 of the best girls Under-18 hockey players in the nation took the ice at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid for USA Hockey’s girls U18 Select Camp.
The camp featured players from the 2007-2009 birth years. In total, 21 New England natives (11 forwards and 10 defenders) took the ice among the groups at 1932 Rink throughout the week. There were 16 skaters from Massachusetts and five from the New England District, which is separate from Mass. Hockey.
Just by being there, players improved their status and set themselves up well for strong 2024-25 seasons. However, some players really boosted their standing among their peers, whether in terms of recruiting, being on national team radars or their stock in general.
The camp, which was part of USA Hockey’s National Women’s Festival, was also part of the selection process for the Under-18 women’s national team roster for the U18 Series against Canada. Nine New England natives from the camp made the U18 Series roster.
I made the drive from Massachusetts to the Adirondacks to catch the final three days of games from Aug. 6-8, focusing on the skaters from New England.
We broke down the standout forwards from New England earlier this week. Now, let’s dive into the defenders from the region who stood out.
Taylor Senecal
Little Caesars 19U, 5/18/2007, D, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Essex Junction, Vt.
NCAA: Colgate
Senecal was good at defending the rush throughout the week, especially on Tuesday. With the puck, her confidence and patience stood out the most. Her head was always up and she didn't rush the play, letting it unfold for seams to open up. Her backward skating with possession — smooth and unbothered by pressure —was particularly impressive. She did a good job protecting the puck and using her skating to evade pressure and find good outlets on Wednesday. Later, she led the rush and set up a Grade-A look with a slick cross-ice feed. The Colgate commit was excellent in the 3-on-3 overtimes all week, too. On Wednesday, she created multiple chances in OT, including a 2-on-1 when she led a give-and-go on the breakout to open a skating lane through neutral ice.
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Thursday was Senecal's best day offensively. She set up the goal in overtime with a calm regroup after seeing she had no play, circling back in the neutral zone and dropping off to Jilian Klein, who flew down the ice and fed Ellie Stewart. Earlier in the game, she set up Ella Pukata for a one-time goal with a cross-ice feed to the right circle right in her wheelhouse. She made two great plays to step up with a poke check and stop the rush before turning defense into offense. One led to a goal after she read Sarah Powers' (Lynnfield, Mass.) deke easily and stripped the puck from her. Senecal had one assist in four games.
Megan Healy
Bishop Kearney Selects 19U, 1/16/2007, D, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: South Burlington, Vt.
NCAA: Princeton
Healy got better as the week went on. Her goal on Wednesday gave her a boost of confidence for the rest of the camp. On her next shift, her physicality in front of the net prevented a dangerous chance on a rebound. Later, she had a nice look to the far post that didn't connect after good rotation out high at the point.
Healy was excellent in all three zones on Thursday. Early on she walked the blue line and put a quick shot on net, leading to a great rebound chance for Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.). In the second period, Healy did a tremendous job on a 2-on-1 counter rush, taking away the passing lane and breaking up the play. She got rewarded later with a goal from range with a quick wrister that had eyes. The Princeton commit was good at getting pucks off quickly from the point all week. She got another great chance in overtime after changing the angle to open up a better shooting lane. Healy made the U18 Series roster after putting up two goals and an assist in four games.
Emi Biotti
East Coast Wizards/BB&N, 1/4/2007, D, right shot, 5-10
Hometown: Cambridge, Mass.
NCAA: Harvard
Biotti was active and fearless with the puck all week, consistently jumping into the play and leading the rush from the back end. She did a great job quarterbacking the power play on Tuesday, facilitating the play and making quick decisions out high. She set up Evelyn Doyle's (Needham, Mass.) goal in front with a good, low shot on net looking for a rebound. On Wednesday, Biotti made a terrific play on the breakout, stopping and starting to shake a forechecker down low, which opened up a clean lane for an exit. She earned a spot on the U18 series roster.
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Alaina Dunn
Assabet/Dexter Southfield, 4/20/2007, D, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Walpole, Mass.
NCAA: Boston College
Dunn was great defensively and, like Dexter teammate and fellow BC commit Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.), was physically assertive and used her size to her advantage. Dunn was strong defending around the net, tying up forwards' sticks and keeping plays out of the middle. She made a nice read on Wednesday to step up against Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) and block her shot off the rush. She got some power play time on Thursday and took advantage, moving the puck quickly and making good decisions. Dunn earned a spot on the U18 Series roster.
Maggie Averill
Assabet/Phillips Andover, 9/9/2008, D, right shot, 5-11
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
Averill is a dangerous offensive presence, especially running the power play from the point. She's confident with the puck and sees the ice well in the attacking zone, identifying lanes that some other players might not be able to. Her heavy shot, particularly her one-timer, adds another great shooting option to any power play. She and Dunn did a great job quarterbacking the power play on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Averill used her lengthy reach to make a great defensive play against Emma Cerutti (Norwell, Mass.) on the rush in OT, stepping up and preventing a shot. Averill opened the scoring on Wednesday with a hard drive to the net from the point. She saw an open lane and took it, burying the rebound. Averill had a goal and an assist in four games, earning a spot on the U18 Series roster.
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Ava Decourcey
Boston Jr. Eagles/Nobles, 7/24/2008, D, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Rockland, Mass.
Decourcey saved her best for last with a strong game on Thursday. She was smooth with the puck and handled pressure well on breakouts. She did a good job of using her size in the defensive zone, taking away the middle on the power play and outmuscling forwards down low to win battles. Later, she flashed her prowess in the offensive zone with a great deke at the blue line. She made a defender look silly with a head fake to the right before pulling the puck to her backhand, which opened up a lane to fly down the wall and survey her options. Decourcey finished with a goal and an assist in four games.
