MARLBORO, Mass. — The 19U Mass. state tournament is always some of the best hockey to watch on the calendar.
There are tons of Division 1 commits to watch, most of them prep hockey stars.
Teams like Assabet and the Massachusetts Spitfires, in particular, have rosters that are almost completely filled with college-committed players. Sunday's championship between the two featured 25 D1 commits, plus several others committed to Division 3 or other sports.
Plenty of those commits impressed throughout the weekend.
You had Maggie Berleth (Manchester, N.H.; Brown) and Elizabeth Allen (Brookline, Mass.; New Hampshire), among others, for Assabet. Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.; Colby) and Quinn Taylor (Centerville, Mass.; Boston University) were among NAHA's best. Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.; Brown) and Maddie Lahah (North Attleboro, Mass.; Yale) were two of the Spitfires' top players. Meanwhile, Addy Peel (Scarborough, Maine; Vermont) and Keira Bruen (West Roxbury, Mass.; Cornell) continually impressed for the Valley Junior Warriors, as did Ellie Beigel (Natick, Mass.; SUNY Plattsburgh) for the Minuteman Lady Flames and Erin Flaherty (Boston, Mass.; BU) for the Boston Junior Eagles. Faith Baratta (Clarkson) was among Lovell Academy's best, as were Kate Glantz (Burlington, Mass.; Brown) and Sadie Bellissimo (RPI) for the East Coast Wizards.
But what about the uncommitted prospects?
These nine stood out.
Abby Richardson
NAHA, 08/2008, F, right shot
Hometown: Holbrook, N.Y.
Richardson's speed was a difference-maker all weekend. She was effective off the rush, putting defenders on their heels and generating entries. She caught the Junior Warriors in a change on Friday, flying the zone for a breakaway. Richardson was also effective in setting up chances down low on the power play. She put a pass right on the money as she curled around the net for Ellie Mehling's power-play goal against the Warriors on Friday. After scoring against Assabet in the semis, Richardson made a nice pass out of the corner to Lachance at the right dot to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Richardson tied Assabet's Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) as the tournament's top scorer. The former finished with nine points (three goals) in four games.
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Leah Hafer
Boston Junior Eagles/Dexter Southfield, 12/6/2008, F, right shot
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Hafer was shifty and played with plenty of pace, and she was one of the Junior Eagles' best offensive drivers. She showed good speed through the neutral zone, including one rush on the power play against Assabet on Saturday. Hafer separated from pressure for the entry. Against Lovell, she was key to the Junior Eagles keeping the Lions hemmed in, making a great read out high to cut off the forward and make a steal. Against the Spitfires, Hafer had a slick head-fake shimmy in the corner to bait a defender and open space on the cycle.
Paige MacPhee
Boston Junior Eagles/St. Paul's, 01/2008, G, catches left, 5-5
Hometown: Hammonds Plains, NS
MacPhee and Annabelle Aitken (Winchester, Mass.) were both strong for the Junior Eagles, sharing the net. MacPhee made quality saves throughout the weekend. She was a critical part of the Junior Eagles' win over Lovell on Saturday, getting the first half of the game. She made strong saves on back-to-back power plays in the first, with Lovell throwing a ton at her through screens and getting rebound bids in scrambles. McPhee stood tall. She also stoned Julia Canty (Easthampton, Mass.), driving to the net out of the corner before denying Lindsey Pontillo's follow-up bid. MacPhee was also outstanding in the front half of Sunday's semifinal. She made a fantastic stop on Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.) in the slot off a feed from behind the net, and she stood tall later on with several saves on a pin-balling puck around the crease. It was a good job of tracking the puck and keeping her movements sound to not drift out of position.
Lindsay Fox
Mass. Spitfires/Tabor, 05/2008, D, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: Franklin, Mass.
Fox's ability to defend the rush impressed against the Junior Eagles in Sunday's semifinal. The blue-liner had a good stick in transition, consistently breaking up puck carriers and coming up with a couple shot blocks. It was a result of good gap control. Fox finished with one assist on the weekend.
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Alexis Rodriguez
Boston Junior Eagles/St. Paul's, 2008, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Commerce Charter Township, Mich.
Rodriguez's best asset is her motor. She played with a ton of compete and never took a shift off, making plays both on the forecheck and backcheck, thanks to strong puck pursuit. Her strength made her effective in carrying the puck through neutral ice. On Sunday, she flew into open space in the slot for a potential look.
Maggie Lovering
East Coast Wizards/Dexter Southfield, 09/2008, F, left shot, 5-3
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
Lovering's speed created issues for defenders all weekend. She got a shorthanded breakaway against Lovell on Saturday, cutting across the crease on her backhand, but Callie Corraro (Colchester, Conn.) made a great save. Against Assabet on Saturday, Lovering's speed was at the center of several chances for the Wizards. After Emma MacPherson (Scituate, Mass.) stole the puck out high, Lovering sped around the net and set up Brenna Ziter (Williston, Vt.) at the right dot for a chance. Later, Lovering generated a 2-on-1, burning a defender at the point. Berleth made a great play to break it up.
Kayleigh Koen
Boston Junior Eagles/St. Mark's, Class of 2027, D, left shot, 5-7
Hometown: Canton, Mass.
Koen played a steady, stay-at-home game defensively. She used her long reach to her advantage and was able to get leverage down low in the defensive zone. One of her best plays came early on against the Spitfires on Sunday when she made a great read to step into the passing lane to intercept a cross-ice stretch pass.
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Elizabeth Vincent
Valley Junior Warriors/New Hampton, 2008, G, catches left
Hometown: Quebec City, QC
The floodgates eventually opened, but Vincent made some huge saves early on against NAHA on Friday to keep the Warriors in it through the first period. She denied Richardson's breakaway, and she had Cassidy Lobisser's (Bellingham, Mass.) number. Vincent first made a stick save on her on a 2-on-1, cutting down the angle after the Warriors got caught in a change. Vincent later stoned Lobisser on a breakaway as she barreled toward the goal with a ton of speed.
Teagan Flod
NAHA, 8/6/2007, F/D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Harrisburg, Pa.
Flod scored a terrific go-ahead goal against the Valley Junior Warriors on Friday, making a great play on a 2-on-1 after the Warriors couldn't hold the blue line at the other end. The defender gave Flod too much space down the wing, and she took advantage, cutting toward the middle and burying it through the screen.
Flod was a point-per-game player over the weekend with four (one goal) in four games.
