MARLBORO, Mass. — Make that two in a row for Kelly McManus Souza's 19U Assabet squad, which took down the Massachusetts Spitfires, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon for its second straight Massachusetts 19U Tier 1 state title.
Elizabeth Allen (Brookline, Mass.) and Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) scored for Assabet. Annika Jonas (Weston, Mass.), Ines Khamis (Lancaster, Mass.) and Liz Luong (Framingham, Mass.) combined for the shutout.
Allen opened the scoring less than five minutes into the second.
After Ava Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.) broke up a Spitfires 2-on-1 in the defensive zone, Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) led the rush the other way at the end of her shift, putting a low shot on net for a rebound. It popped right to Allen at the left circle, and she one-timed it to the top-left corner.
Duplessis doubled the lead with less than five minutes to go in the second, going top shelf after the Spitfires coughed it up in the slot.
The Spitfires had a golden opportunity to get back into the game when Lyla Rahn (Stratham, N.H.) was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for head contact late in the second. Assabet held the Spitfires at bay and limited their chances, killing off the major.
Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) drew a hook to put the Spitfires on the power play late, but they couldn't muster any offense.
With the win, Assabet automatically received a bid to USA Hockey Nationals, which will be in Amherst, N.Y., from March 24-29. The Spitfires could still qualify on an at-large basis.
Between Assabet and the Spitfires, there were 25 Division 1 commits on the ice, plus several others committed to Division 3 or committed for other sports.
Let's dive into nine standouts from the game.
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Elizabeth Allen
Assabet/Dexter Southfield, 10/10/2007, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Brookline, Mass.
NCAA: UNH
Allen capped a great tournament with a strong championship showing on Assabet's top line alongside Caroline Averill and Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.). She was in a perfect spot on the 2-on-1 with Averill to bury the rebound, and she made no mistake, wiring the forehand one-timer over Lacey's stick and into the top corner.
Kimee Duplessis
Assabet/Phillips Andover, 11/2008, D, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Framingham, Mass.
NCAA: Delaware
Duplessis got better as the weekend went on and got rewarded with a goal on Sunday. On her goal, she shaded toward the slot from the point with the Spitfires scrambling in front of the net. They turned it over right to her tape, and she wasted no time burying a wrister top shelf. It was a great finish to a smart play. In the third, she made a good play to hold the blue line, setting up a nice one-timer for Janie Martin (Burlington, Mass.) in the high slot.
Annika Jonas and Ines Khamis
(Jonas) Assabet/Nobles, 11/2007, G, catches left | (Khamis) Assabet/Cushing, 2008, G, catches left, 5-6
Hometown: Weston, Mass. | Lancaster, Mass.
NCAA: Yale | Uncommitted
Jonas and Khamis split most of the game before Luong finished off the final 20 seconds without seeing a shot. While Jonas and Khamis weren't tested a ton, they made the saves they needed to make and had a couple of notable stops in big spots.
Jonas came through with a pair of key stops in the second. The first was a good reaction to adjust her angle and stick away a long-range shot from Catie Putt (Norfolk, Mass.) that changed direction at the last second. Later, she flashed her left pad to deny Anika Singh (Lexington, Mass.) and Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) as they jammed away in front after Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.) centered it. One of Khamis' best stops came early in the third, stoning Yasmine McKenzie (Gardner, Mass.) as she got a chance in tight as the five-minute major expired.
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Ava Decourcey
Assabet/Nobles, 7/24/2008, D, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Rockland, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Decourcey was a difference-maker in all three zones, generating quality shots offensively and making plays in her own end. Before Allen's goal, Decourcey got a great look after she toe-dragged the defender at the point and walked in for a shot. She did a great job defending the Spitfires on a 2-on-1 moments later, laying out to deny a centering pass before Assabet turned defense into offense as Allen scored at the other end. Later in the second, Decourcey jumped into the play behind the net and swiveled a perfect backhand feed as she fell to Merrill in the slot. In the third, Decourcey had a good defense against a Powers rush, keeping a good gap and blocking her shot.
Maggie Averill
Assabet/Phillips Andover, 9/9/2009, D, right shot, 6-0
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Averill was a massive part of Assabet's expert kill of the five-minute major. She did a great job sticking with Powers as she drove to the net off the flank, taking away the option for a give-and-go out of the corner. Moments later, she had a great poke check to break up Gretta Hulbig's (Foxboro, Mass.) zone entry. Later, Averill effectively killed the rest of the second period, taking a skating lane up ice, curling around the Spitfires' net and back into the neutral zone to bleed off more clock before icing it. In the third, Averill gave Assabet a chance to put the game on ice when she drew a hook with five minutes to go.
Abby DeAnzeris
Mass. Spitfires/Thayer, 03/2007, D, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
NCAA: Saint Anselm
DeAnzeris was one of the Spitfires' most consistent skaters on Sunday, making strong defensive plays. In the first, she did a great job lifting the forward's stick on a net drive, preventing a golden chance at a rebound in front. Later in regulation, she had a great stick on the penalty kill to break up Caroline Averill, trying to split the defense off the rush. DeAnzeris later laid out to deny Caroline Averill's centering feed for Allen on a late 2-on-1. She also had a terrific last-ditch effort in the closing moments to battle Maggie Averill to prevent her bid on the empty net.
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Evelyn Lacey
Mass. Spitfires/Tabor, 10/22/2007, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
NCAA: Brown
Lacey was one of the top goalies of the weekend, and she gave her team every chance to win in the final. She played good angles and settled into the game nicely after she had trouble corralling some shots early on. She robbed Julia Lambert's (Wilmington, Mass.) short-side bid as she flew into the slot early in the first. Later, she made a good stop on Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.), dangling into the slot. Lacey was also in a perfect spot for a positional stop on a shot from Maggie Berleth (Manchester, N.H.) that changed directions twice on the way in. Later, Lacey gloved down Evelyn Doyle's (Needham, Mass.) strong wrister through a screen. It took two perfect shots to beat her.
Sawyer Merrill
Assabet/Dexter Southfield, 01/2008, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.
NCAA: Yale
Merrill played her best game of the weekend, making plays on nearly every shift. She had a great look in the first, getting the puck on a regroup and powering up the ice before dangling into the slot for a backhand bid. Later, she got another great look on a one-timer in the slot, crashing the net for a feed from Decourcey.
