MARLBORO, Mass. — Sunday was a perfect fall day in New England. Not only was there stunning foliage, great weather and a dominant Patriots win, but most importantly, there was also some thrilling fall hockey to take in.
That was the case at the New England Sports Center as the 19U Minuteman Lady Flames Gold edged out the Connecticut Polar Bears Minor 1 squad for a tight, 1-0 win.
Rylee Welch (Wilbraham, Mass.) was the hero for the Lady Flames.
Amidst a goalie duel as the Lady Flames' Ellie Beigel (Natick, Mass.) and the Polar Bears' Sydney Kelm refused to give an inch, Welch finally broke the stalemate three minutes into the third period as she buried a rebound in front of the net.
From there, the Lady Flames and Beigel kept the Polar Bears at bay, withstanding a late push to preserve the shutout.
Let's dive into seven standouts from the New England Girls Hockey League clash.
Rylee Welch
Lady Flames/Pomfret, Class of 2026, F, left shot
Hometown: Wilbraham, Mass.
Welch came through in key spots for the Lady Flames, and there were none bigger than her go-ahead goal with 12 minutes to go in regulation. After the Flames won the face-off, Welch went straight to the front of the net as Tremblay sent in a long shot. She stopped on the puck and backhanded home the rebound. In the second, Welch had a terrific effort on the back check to prevent a breakaway for Cullen. Welch also had a nice pursuit on the penalty kill in the third, creating a chance after taking advantage of a miscommunication between the defenders.
Megan Tremblay
Lady Flames/Brewster, 5/27/08, D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Montreal, QC
NCAA: Assumption
Tremblay was a dominant presence throughout the game. She played physically in the defensive zone and used her size, skating, vision and hands to her advantage throughout the game. In the second, she did a great job of shading toward center ice and breaking up a potential breakaway for Julianna Picard (Madison, Conn.). Later, she put on a clinic in the offensive zone, dominating possession and protecting the puck out high. She eventually found Grace Rizzitano (Abington, Mass.) through a cross-ice seam for a dangerous look at the left dot. Tremblay also set up Welch's goal, sending the puck on goal after the Flames won the face-off.
PREP PREVIEWS: What to expect from Nobles | What to expect from Phillips Exeter
Sydney Kelm
Connecticut Polar Bears/Pomfret, Class of 2028, G, catches left
Hometown: Erie, Colo.
Kelm was fantastic for the Polar Bears, especially as the Flames began to carry the play even more as the second period wore on. She made a handful of big-time stops, denying Tremblay's bid to pick the corner and later stoning Kiera Dowd (Concord, Mass.) on a point-blank rebound bid. Kelm played big, took up space in the crease and gave little room to shoot. She had some big saves on an early penalty kill in the third, too, including stretching out to snare Kailey Hannon's (Littleton, Mass.) close-range bid with her glove.
Kiera Dowd
Lady Flames/Phillips Exeter, Class of 2027, F, left shot
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
Dowd played a strong, well-rounded game. She showed high compete in all three zones, especially down low in the attacking end, where she was strong on the puck and created plays around the net and off the cycle. Dowd had some good chances early in the first, cutting to the slot from the wall and backhanding one on. She stuck with it and worked it low-to-high, setting up extended zone time for the Flames. Later, Dowd got it all started in the lead-up to Tremblay's dominant shift in the second. Dowd came up with the puck on a regroup in the defensive zone. She showed good patience and poise as she took all the time and space the Polar Bears gave her to skate it end-to-end.
Ruth Chen
Lady Flames/Milton Academy, Class of 2026, D, right shot
Hometown: Fountain Valley, Calif.Â
Chen was fantastic in the defensive zone. She played with a quick stick and knew when to step up with a good poke check. She came through with a big block in the second, jumping out to the high flank and getting her body in front of the shooter. Chen also played with confidence at the offensive blue line, unafraid to make plays out high. She had a few slick dekes as well as a spin-o-rama to evade pressure.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY: 12 takeaways from the last month in recruiting
Mabel Cullen
Connecticut Polar Bears/Loomis Chaffee, Class of 2027, F, left shot
Hometown: Wilton, Conn.
Cullen was arguably the Polar Bears' best player alongside linemate Riley Malay (Wilton, Conn.), who was just as good. They constantly pressured puck carriers, broke up plays and forced turnovers on the forecheck and in the neutral zone. Cullen had a good chance early on, cutting between the dots as she shielded the puck from a defender before getting a heavy wrister in tight. Cullen's pressure led to a bid all alone for Malay after she broke up an outlet pass out high before sending it back in deep. The two got another chance off a turnover in the neutral zone in the second. Late in regulation, Cullen set up Olivia Wieners coming in as the trailer after lifting Tremblay's stick and stripping the puck from her down low.
Jane Curtiss
Connecticut Polar Bears/Westminster, Class of 2027, F, left shot
Hometown: Simsbury, Conn.
Along with Cullen and Malay, Curtiss also pushed the pace offensively for the Polar Bears. She did a good job of turning defense into offense and moving the puck up ice quickly. Curtiss led some solid rushes through the neutral zone, taking advantage of skating lanes, getting good shots in the high slot and setting up offensive zone draws.
