That's all she wrote on the girls prep hockey season.
This season's Large School tournament went chalk, coming down to No. 1 Phillips Exeter and No. 2 Choate in the final.
In the end, it was the Big Red's year as they downed the Wild Boars, 4-2, for their first NEPSAC title since 2000.
Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.) scored twice for Exeter (19-7-2), while Maria Gray had a goal and an assist. Erin Sears also scored, while Eva Mai Whyte (Natick, Mass.) earned the win in net. Annie Forker (Stratford, Conn.) and Katie Millett (Hampton, N.H.) each scored for Choate (14-10-1).
Not to toot my own horn, but I got my championship prediction correct, right down to the final score. It made for a 6-for-7 finish on my Large School tournament picks and a 15-for-21 showing overall.
There were plenty of standout performances this postseason. These players stood out the most.
Let’s dive into this year’s Patsy Odden Large School All-Tournament team and MVP.
Most Valuable Player: Maria Gray, Phillips Exeter
Gray was fantastic in the final act of a standout career for Phillips Exeter. The Vermont commit earned MVP after posting six points in three tournament games. She got the Big Red going in the final with a beauty on the power play, potting a backhand after dangling to the slot. She also had a monster opening shift to the third period, forcing multiple turnovers before setting up Meyer for the eventual game-deciding goal. Gray helped power Exeter's semifinal win over No. 4 BB&N with a pair of goals, which followed a pair of assists in a wild comeback against No. 8 Middlesex in the quarterfinals. The senior set up Grace Riley's game-tying goal in the closing moments of regulation with a terrific cross-ice pass.
CHAMPIONS: How Phillips Exeter beat Deerfield for first title since 2000
All-Large School team
Forward: Maria Gray, Phillips Exeter
No surprise here.
Forward: Paisley Meyer, Phillips Exeter
Meyer had just as strong a case to earn MVP. The Yale commit posted eight points (four goals) in three postseason contests, including a four-point (two-goal) championship showing against Choate. Meyer assisted Gray's tying goal in the first before giving Exeter a 2-1 lead in the second. She made it 3-1 less than a minute into the third when she drove into the slot and chipped a shot over the blocker. The junior also won a battle down low to set up Sears' late tally. Meyer also had two assists against BB&N, following two goals against Middlesex. She scored in the third-period comeback before scoring off a turnover in overtime to complete the rally.
Forward: Annie Forker, Choate
Forker was a monster in Choate's run to the final. The Assumption commit scored in all three games, and she added an assist in the semifinals against No. 3 Taft. Forker scored the overtime winner against No. 7 Kent to stave off an upset in the quarterfinals, backhanding one home on a drive to the net. Against Taft, the senior set up Victoire Devillers' (Darien, Conn.) opening goal with a feed to the slot after winning a battle in the corner. Forker later went top shelf from the left circle for the eventual game-deciding goal. In the final, Forker cashed in with a shorthanded goal off a dogged effort on the forecheck.
MORE CHAMPIONS: Boys Elite 8 — Avon Old Farms beats St. Mark’s | Boys Large School — Cushing beats Berwick | Boys Small School — Winchendon beats Holderness | Girls Elite 8 — Loomis Chaffee beats Deerfield | Girls Small School — Groton beats New Hampton
Defense: Phoebe Weisman, Taft
Weisman was a huge reason why Taft took care of No. 6 Berkshire in the quarterfinals, posting a hat trick in the 4-1 win. She was everywhere in the Rhinos' three-goal outburst in the second period. Her first goal came off a turnover out high before she drove into the slot and went top-shelf. Her second goal was another accurate wrister from the right circle. Weisman completed the hat trick with an empty-netter to seal the win.
Defense: Grace Riley, Phillips Exeter
Riley was a dominant, three-zone force in the Big Red's championship run. The UConn commit had six points across the quarterfinals and semis. She controlled the ice in all three zones in the championship, despite not getting on the scoresheet. In particular, Riley was critical to a late defensive stand on the penalty kill. Against Middlesex, Riley factored into all four goals in the win with two goals and two assists. She scored the game-tying goal late in regulation, burying a backdoor feed from Gray. In overtime, Riley forced a turnover out high before setting up Meyer for the game-winner. Against BB&N, Riley had a goal and an assist. She made it 3-0 in the second, taking over a shift before dangling a defender out high, cutting to the slot and scoring.
READ MORE: All-Elite 8 girls team |Â All-Elite 8 boys team | All-Large School boys team
Goaltender: Eva Mai Whyte, Phillips Exeter
Whyte rose to the occasion in the crease for the Big Red. The postgrad only got better as the postseason wore on. She made 14 saves on 17 shots in the quarterfinals before turning aside 23 of 24 shots against her former team, BB&N, in the semis. Whyte followed it up with a standout 30-save performance against Choate in the championship. The Connecticut College commit made big-time stops against Forker and Maggie Swanson (Fairfield, Conn.) down the stretch to preserve the lead. In all, Whyte finished the playoffs with a .918 save percentage in three games.
