That's a wrap on the girls prep hockey season.
Naturally, the season came down to the two teams that separated themselves from the pack all year long, Nobles and Williston.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs took down the back-to-back defending champion Wildcats, 3-1, to take the Elite 8 title. It marked the 11th title for legendary coach Tom Resor, the Bulldogs' first since 2020.
Nobles took over the top spot in our prep rankings after winning the Harrington Tournament before the holidays, and they never looked back, capping off an undefeated 27-0-4 season.
They outlasted St. Paul's in the quarterfinals, 4-3, thanks to a hat trick from Olivia Maffeo and stout goaltending from Anya Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.). In the semifinals, it was Zupkofska backstopping a 1-0 shutout of Loomis Chaffee after Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.) scored the lone goal early in the second. In the title game, Zupkofska was at her best once again, while three different goal-scorers, including Maffeo and Sophia Levering (Westwood, Mass.) came through for the Bulldogs.
Several players from both Nobles and others had signature performances in the Elite 8.
CHAMP RECAPS: Nobles wins Elite 8 | BB&N takes Large School title |Â New Hampton repeats in Small School
Let's dive into this year's Chuck Vernon Elite 8 All-Tournament team and MVP.
Most Valuable Player: Anya Zupkofska
Zupkofska was fantastic all season. Nobles never allowed more than two goals all season until the quarterfinals, and even then, Zupkofska played well, especially in the third period as SPS pushed to tie it. She made one of the saves of the tournament on Cami Bell's (Barre, Vt.) late penalty shot to preserve the one-goal lead. The Brown commit pitched yet another shutout in the semifinal win over the Pelicans, but it was the final where she was at her absolute best. She made 30 saves, including 12 in the third period (by my count) to help the Bulldogs snuff out Williston's explosive attack en route to a title. She gave up just 19 goals all season.
Maffeo has just as strong of a case to earn MVP, but Zupkofska's goaltending was the bedrock of Nobles' title run.
All-Elite 8 Team
Forward:Â Monique Lyons, Williston Northampton
All tournament long, Lyons showed why she led the NEPSAC in scoring. Her fingerprints were all over Williston's win in the quarterfinals and semifinals. She could have had hat tricks in both. Against Tabor, she had a goal and four assists, and she hit two posts — Brooke Schlutter put home the rebound on the first. She set up Zola Piekarski's (Concord, Mass.) goal and each of Violet Carroll's (Milton, Mass.) two tallies. In the semis, Lyons took full advantage of a turnover, opening the scoring with a forehand-backhand finish on a breakaway before scoring again in the second. In the final, she had several strong chances, but couldn't solve Zupkofska. She had a golden opportunity when the puck found her for a one-timer to the right of the net early in the third. Zupkofska lunged to her left and robbed her of a sure goal.
Forward: Catherine McCool, Nobles
McCool had a goal and an assist for the Bulldogs in the tournament. She helped set up Maffeo's second goal in the quarterfinals. In the final, her power-play goal opened the scoring. She had great positioning in front of the net, putting herself in a spot to jam in a rebound. McCool was fantastic as an eighth-grader for Nobles this season, finishing with 12 goals and 10 assists, one of several younger players to step up and contribute to the Bulldogs' forward group. Definitely keep an eye on her in the coming years.
RESOR RETURNING: Longtime coach to remain at Nobles for another season
Forward: Peyton Kennedy, Phillips Andover
Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.) is the only representative of a team outside of the two finalists. Andover's leading scorer, she came through in the quarterfinals with three points (two goals, one assist), factoring in throughout the Big Blue's 4-0 win over Deerfield. She opened the scoring in the first period, scoring with a wrist shot off the rush. In the second, she and Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) combined for Powers' first of two goals. Kennedy pounced on a turnover at the blue line after Powers broke up a breakout pass. The former curled, motored down the left wing and found Powers in the slot with a slick backhand feed. In the third, Kennedy flashed a nice finish, picking the top left corner from the slot to put the game away. She had a massive breakout in her junior season, finishing with 26 points (10 goals) in 25 games.
Defender: Olivia Maffeo, Nobles
Maffeo was sensational in the tournament, finishing with four goals and two assists, and the Bulldogs don't win without her. She put Nobles' offense on her back in the quarterfinals against St. Paul's with her hat trick. She gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead on a 4-on-4 late in the second with a slap shot from distance. A pair of power-play goals from the left circle bookended the middle tally. In the semis, she led the rush and got a chance on net before Brown cleaned up the rebound. Against Williston, she picked up the secondary assist on McCool's opening tally before putting the game away when she made it 3-1. Maffeo again led the rush for the Bulldogs, beat a defender 1-on-1 and scored short-side. She was the heartbeat of their attack all season. She led the team in scoring with 19 goals and 50 points.
BRACKET:Â Click or tap here for all of the results from the girls Elite 8
Defender: Sophia Levering, Nobles
Levering, one the best do-it-all defenders in the NEPSAC, did it all for the Bulldogs throughout the tournament. Her speed and strong stick positioning helped her shut down 1-on-1 matchups. Offensively, she finished with a goal and two assists, overall. In the quarterfinals, Levering set up each of Maffeo's first two goals, and her goal in the championship was as clutch as it gets. Williston's power play had Nobles scrambling around their net late in the second. Levering found the loose puck in front of the crease, recognized the space she had and sped out of the defensive zone. She wired a perfect top-corner wrister from the left circle. The shorthanded goal and eventual game-winning tally put Nobles up 2-0 with 39 seconds left in the middle period.
Goaltender: Anya Zupkofska, Nobles
Was there ever a doubt?
