ANDOVER, Mass. — St. Paul's jumped out to a quick start and rode it to a 3-1 win at Phillips Andover on Saturday.
Cami Bell (Barre, Vt.), Tess Mulkerron (Concord, NH) and Georgia Bussey each scored for the Big Red. Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) scored for the Big Blue.
Bell got the scoring started off the rush in the first period. She led the rush through the neutral zone before walking right down the slot in the offensive zone. Her five-hole backhander seemed to catch Avery Rodeheffer (New Haven, Conn.) off guard.
Mulkerron doubled the lead shortly thereafter, picking off a reckless pass through the middle of the ice. She skated toward the high slot before ripping a snap shot inside the right post, beating Rodeheffer between the glove and pad.
After Andover started to gain momentum in the second period, Bussey swung it back toward SPS when she extended the lead to 3-0. The Big Red broke free for odd numbers going the other way off a defensive zone face-off. Bussey jumped into the play from defense and capitalized in front.
The Big Blue continued to mount a push in the third period when Powers got them on the board, jamming a chance home from the slot to cut it to 3-1.
With the win, St. Paul's (7-4-0) snapped a two-game skid after falling to Dexter Southfield in overtime on Wednesday as well as Nobles in the Harrington Tournament championship before the break. Andover (5-3-1) has lost three of five.
RANKINGS: Kent cracks the top 3 in our latest girls prep top 10
Here are six takeaways from the game.
1. Bell continues to be a flat-out dominant player for the Big Red, now up to 13 goals in 11 games this season. There were times in this one where it felt like she could do whatever she wanted on the ice. She had a chance to make it 3-0 in the first with a clever back-post redirection on the power play, but it wouldn't go. Bell's size, speed and strength gave her distinct advantages in 1-on-1 battles and footraces. Her powerful strides and effortless release are impressive. I thought she did a better job of taking pucks toward the net on the rush, compared to the last time I saw SPS.
2. Aside from Bell, Kelli Mackey's group got strong games from secondary options like Mulkerron and Caroline Humber (Concord, Mass.). Mulkerron has found ways to make clutch, impact plays each time I've seen her this season. Humber, a junior, has been a terrific complement to Bell on the top line this season. She created some quality looks for herself and her linemates. She also had a huge blocked shot toward the end of regulation with Andover throwing everything it had at Ally Martiniello (Salem, NH). Ava Hunter (Southampton, Mass.) and Maude Niemann's line was effective as well. They kept things simple and applied strong forechecking pressure throughout, which led to chances.
3. Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.) is a name we're going to be hearing a lot of in the coming years. The sophomore was a top-line contributor before tearing her ACL last season, but she's found a similar level once again. She forced a great takeaway on the forecheck in the first period, using her speed and taking a good angle to cut off the puck carrier. Her line with fellow sophomore Keira Bruen (West Roxbury, Mass.) and senior Shea Freda (Lexington, Mass.) was one of Martha Fenton's best lines throughout the game. McInerney consistently found the dangerous areas and had a couple of Grade-A chances that couldn't get past Martiniello.
4. What's said of McInerney applies to Andover's Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.). The freshman defender has had a good start in the prep ranks. A right shot, she logged a lot of minutes on the blue line for Andover in this one, especially on her off side and on the power play. For the most part, I thought she did a great job at the offensive blue line. Making aggressive plays to jump in front of wingers who were fading too far toward the point. She did a good job of getting tipable shots through traffic, too.
FORECASTING: What can we expect from girls prep hockey in 2024?
5. Their sisters may get most of the headlines, but sophomore defender Chelsea Bell (Barre, Vt.) and senior defender Gabby Martinello (Salem, NH) had solid, steady days on the blue line for SPS. The same can be said of Bussey and Co. on the blue line, too. For the most part, the Big Red's defense group keeps things very simple. They did a good job of holding the Big Blue to the outside, especially early on. I thought they were great at sparking breakouts and counter-rushes with quick, accurate first passes.
6. Andover — whose jerseys are fantastic, by the way — missed their stars in Caroline Averill, Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) and Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.), still with Team USA at the U18 Women's Worlds. Powers' line with Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.) and Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) had a strong game, too. Kennedy is a very smart, energetic player, and I thought she was one of Andover's best alongside McInerney and Powers. But overall, it felt like Andover was a little off all game, never seeming quite in sync, especially early. Passes were just ever-so-slightly off and there were times when players tried to do too much. They got to their game, but not until they were in a 3-0 hole.
