ROCKLAND, Mass. — The state's best girls hockey players took over Lovell Arena this past weekend.
Mass. Hockey’s girls festival came down to its Final 40 across the 2008, 2009 and 2010 age groups.
Players will now be selected for USA Hockey’s National Development Camps in the summer. The Girls National 16/17 (2008/2009) and the Girls National 15 (2010) camps will be at Miami University (Ohio) in July. The U18 Women's National Festival (2008-10) will be at the Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y., in August.
Last year, selections for each camp were released before the end of the month.
A friendly reminder, Massachusetts is its own district in the eyes of USA Hockey. Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont make up the New England District.
Let's dive into nine standouts from the 2008s.
Olivia Bonarrigo
NAHA White, 2008, D, right shot
Hometown: Walpole, Mass.
Bonarrigo played a strong game in all three zones on Saturday and Sunday. She had quick feet and read the play well in transition and inside the offensive blue line. Two of her best sequences were on Saturday. The first came inside the offensive blue line after a face-off, showing good edgework as she walked the line before finding Cassidy Lobisser (Bellingham, Mass.) through a seam for a look below the right dot. Later, she took the body against Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) to break up her rush and force her outside. Bonarrigo was first on the loose puck with her head up, recognizing a skating lane on the far side and motoring through the neutral zone for a clean entry. It set up a lengthy offensive zone sequence for her side.
Devon Moore
Dexter Southfield, 02/2008, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
Moore showed good hockey sense and constantly put herself in good spots to succeed throughout the weekend. She scored twice on Saturday on good drives to the net. The first came when she stuck with the rebound on a 2-on-1 with Merrill, stopping at the net and jamming it home instead of flying by the post. Moore scored again when she buried another loose puck amid some chaos in front. On Sunday, Moore made herself available for outlets, including a slick stretch pass from Ava Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.) as she put the defense on its heels.
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Julia Lambert
Cushing, 7/1/2008, F, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Wilmington, Mass.
NCAA: Stonehill
Lambert played with her typical high motor and had a lot of pace. She was one of the most consistent and dangerous skaters for her side alongside Lobisser, Erin Flaherty (Boston, Mass.) and Jane Martin (Burlington, Mass.). Lambert showed a willingness to take good risks offensively, especially on Saturday, with her quick hands and vision off the rush. It led to some good chances, including a breakaway on Saturday. She had her spot picked, but Addie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.) made a nice save.
Ines Khamis
St. Mark's, 3/2/2008, G, catches left, 5-5
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.
Khamis was arguably the best goalie among the 2008s this weekend, making quality saves on both days. Her positioning was good, and she did a solid job steering rebounds away from danger. She moved quickly in her crease and came up with some fantastic saves on several 2-on-1s. On Sunday, she made a terrific stop on Allie McIntosh's (Duxbury, Mass.) wrister from the high slot, pouncing to the top of her crease and quickly flashing the pad. Later, she had a great sequence on a 3-on-1, denying Brooke Bartlett (Wayland, Mass.) on the initial chance on a centering pass from Maddie Lahah (North Attleboro, Mass.) before stoning Leah Hafer's (Winchester, Mass.) rebound bid.
Ava Decourcey
Nobles, 7/2008, D, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Rockland, Mass.
Decourcey was excellent on Sunday, pushing the pace and doing a nice job of leading rushes with her legs as she took full advantage of skating lanes through the neutral zone. She was effectively a one-person breakout at times. Her timing was good on passes, including a nice bank-pass right to Hafer's tape on a quick regroup. Later, she made a fantastic stretch pass to Mya Polastry (West Springfield, Mass.), recognizing a bad change for the opposition and making a heads-up play to spark a 2-on-1.
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Aislin VanVliet
BB&N, 11/21/2008, D, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
VanVliet showed good awareness on Sunday. She did a good job of recognizing pressure on breakouts and reversing to her defense partner, opening up the other side of the ice for easy outlets. She also had a great pinch inside the offensive blue line to break up a breakout pass and force an icing. Toward the end of the session, VanVliet jumped up to lead the rush with a burst of speed, dangling McIntosh and getting a chance in tight.
Kimee Duplessis
Phillips Andover, 11/2008, D, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Framingham, Mass.
Duplessis had a solid all-around weekend, taking good angles to cut off rushes defensively and using an active stick. On Saturday, she had good body positioning in a 1-on-1 rush against Merrill, taking her out of the rush and killing the play. Later, she got a great look jumping into the play, gaining a step on the defense, setting her edges and cutting to the front of the net as she tried to chip it top shelf. Duplessis scored on Sunday, crashing the net and burying the rebound on Maggie Lovering's (Scituate, Mass.) breakaway.
Julia Canty
Lovell Academy, 11/22/2008, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Easthampton, Mass.
Canty was dynamic and created offense all weekend. She showed quick hands and good hockey sense in the offensive zone. She scored a gorgeous goal to beat the buzzer on Saturday. Canty kept playing to the final horn, getting behind the defense for a breakaway and perfectly picking the top left corner with a great wrister. On Sunday, she got a step on Duplessis for a breakaway and drew a penalty shot after Duplessis hustled back and hauled her down. On the penalty shot, Canty made a great sell on her forehand before pulling to her backhand and hitting the crossbar on the open net.
MASS. HOCKEY GIRLS FESTIVAL: 15 standout 2008s | 14 standout 2009s | 13 standout 2010s
Kaylee Mandeville
NAHA White, 09/2008, D, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: Uxbridge, Mass.
Mandeville was fantastic on her pair with Decourcey on Sunday, also pushing the pace in transition. She was active inside the offensive zone, rotating well and making herself available out high. It added another layer for the opposition to deal with. Mandeville had a great look early on, finding open space in the high slot and putting a heavy wrister on net.
