When Jayden Elias took the ice at Portsmouth Abbey three seasons ago, she was thrown right into the fire.
Coach Kurt Carter had the goaltender from Manalapan, N.J., slated to be his No. 2 goalie in her freshman season before taking the full-time load at the position as a sophomore.
Things don’t always go according to plan.
Elias was immediately thrust into the net after then-senior Sofia Cebrero missed that entire season due to mono. Elias took the net and never looked back.
“I knew she was good when I recruited her, but we were going to ease her in, no pressure. It was going to work perfectly for us,” Carter recalled. “All of a sudden, our senior couldn’t get cleared and Jayden is in the whole season. … She’s been a rockstar her first couple of years. ... She’s the clear No. 1.”
Amidst an atypical start to her career, Elias has put up numbers that any coach would envy in a starting netminder, compiling a .944 save percentage across her 80 career games through her junior season. Her run thus far has included finishing her freshman year in 2023 in a NEPSAC Small quarterfinal matchup — a tight, 2-1 loss — against eventual champion New Hampton.
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Elias, who described herself as an athletic-style goalie in her small (5-foot-4) frame, was outstanding in 2023-24. She had a .958 save percentage, facing the third-most shots in the NEPSAC (758) and backstopping a team that finished 17-7-3.
Like so many players, her continued success has been based on her ability to gain confidence with each appearance.
“Most importantly, I kind of need to just stop the puck,” Elias joked. “But I think I’ve grown a lot in my confidence, especially with playing the puck, being more comfortable communicating with my teammates. … I just want to keep doing what I’ve been doing and make sure everybody is confident and ready going into every game.”
With a talented young defense and Elias again holding down the net regularly, Carter knew that a strong back end would have to be a major contributor to success.
“That’s a comfortable spot to be in because she’s already had two years of proving she’s a top goalie,” he said.
However, the coach was excited to add to his team’s goaltending room last offseason, giving Elias two strong partners to compete with in sophomore Marguerite Cordahi and first-year Emmry Anderson, who came to the program from Montreal and Las Vegas, respectively.
Along with Elias, their presence set the Ravens up for the future.
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“I’m sure (playing regularly) helped with her confidence as a freshman, but she ended up being the beast or however you want to say it. I’d say my focus was more worrying about that, like, does she get complacent, you know?” Carter said. “That’s not why we recruited two new goalies this year, though it sets up well for the future … and I think the competition will help push her.”
Elias couldn’t have been more excited about that dynamic herself.
“Having an older group in years past definitely helped me, but I have to take on that kind of step and help them. I think that’s going to be very important,” Elias said. “I know I can do it on my own, mentally get through it but I think the biggest part is helping everybody as a team and being a mentor to my younger partners.”
It couldn't have worked out better for the Ravens.
This season, Elias put up a .942 save percentage. Portsmouth Abbey finished 10-14-3 but got hot at the right time as Elias helped guide them to the Eastern Independent League title for a third straight season. Elias made 19 saves in a 3-2 win over Pingree to clinch the conference title.
Last offseason was busy for Elias as she competed for Team USA at the World Skate Games, a high-level roller hockey tournament in Italy.
Her career on the roller hockey rink has included playing with and against male and female collegiate players as well as professional women’s players, and the experience of playing that sport has helped her game on the ice.
“It was a rewarding experience to meet and play against the top female players from around the world,” Elias said. “I have a new-found respect for the interactions between players of different cultures, which has helped me to grow as a player and a person. … Playing roller has helped with my stamina because goalies, especially highly skilled ones, are ‘hot commodities.’ I’ve played 8-10 games in one day.”
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Hockey coaches often discuss that the key to building a strong team is to build from the goal out. That’s exactly what Carter can do at “The Abbey” with Elias.
Having returned to New England in 2017 after coaching collegiately at the Division 3 level, Carter knows that Elias will have a future between the pipes at the next level. He looks forward to where the next couple of years can take her.
“She’s getting a lot of interest,” said Carter, reminded of an old college recruiting story involving a now-familiar professional.
“About eight years ago, my last year out in Michigan, I went to Belle Tire and I’m recruiting this (smaller) goalie who I thought was fantastic and I was going to swoop in. Well, no, because Northeastern signed her, and her name was Aerin Frankel. It’s probably easier said, of course, but Jayden reminds me of Aerin in a lot of ways.”
