It's been roughly six months since the girls prep hockey season ended.
The last girls prep hockey action we saw ended with Nobles taking down Williston for the Elite 8 title. BB&N won the Large School tournament, and New Hampton repeated as Small School champions.
This past season, four skaters put up at least 50 points, compared to three in 2022-23. That season, four skaters hit the 30-goal mark, and another four eclipsed 25 goals. In 2023-24, only two reached 30 goals, while four others had 25 or more.
Aside from Nobles, there were other usual suspects in Elite 8 contention like Williston Northampton, who had won two straight titles entering the season, Phillips Andover and Loomis Chaffee. There were plenty of upsets to keep track of in the Large and Small tournaments. No. 6 Rivers took down No. 3 Frederick Gunn in the Small School quarterfinals. In the Large School field, neither the first nor second seed reached the final as it came down to No. 4 BB&N and No. 3 Dexter Southfield.
With a new season inching closer, it's a perfect time to take the temperature of the New England girls prep hockey coaches.
We surveyed coaches across the NEPSAC to get their thoughts on everything prep hockey. From the best players this season, to who they think the best teams will be next season, to where prep hockey is headed — we asked about everything.Â
Like our boys prep hockey survey, we hurled plenty of questions toward the coaches, and we greatly appreciate all who participated.
All coaches were granted anonymity in their answers, too.
This story will be focused specifically on these topics from this season:
- Best overall player
- Best goalie
- Best newcomer this season
- Most surprising players
- Hardest team to play against
- Best player next season
- Surprise contenders next season
We'll also briefly look ahead to next season, taking stock of who the best teams and players could be.
BOYS PREP COACHES POLL:Â Best newcomers and players this season, part 1Â |Â Best players and teams next season, part 2Â |Â A full-season model? Players leaving too early for juniors? Part 3 |Â Is prep still good NHL Draft prospects? Part 4
There will be future stories on different topics we asked the coaches about. This is Part 1.
Who was the best prep player this past season?
The answers to this question weren't as uniform as we might have expected.
Large School Player of the Year Sophia Levering (Westwood, Mass.) received a vote.
"She dominated on the blue line," one coach said. "Could quickly change the game with the puck on her stick. Logged big minutes. Played in all types of situations. More than ready to step into the college game."
The Yale-bound defender out of Nobles scored over a point per game with 38 (15 goals) in 15 games. She lived up to the game-changer billing in the Elite 8 championship when she picked the top left corner on an end-to-end shorthanded rush for the eventual game-winning goal.
Olivia Maffeo (Canton, Mass.), a frequent defense partner with Levering, also got some love. The soon-to-be Boston College Eagle was fourth in the NEPSAC with 50 points on defense to go along with 19 goals.
"She had the greatest impact defensively and offensively of any player," said one coach.
Small School Co-Player of the Year Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.), the NEPSAC's leading scorer with 59 points (30 goals), was one of two skaters to earn multiple mentions with one coach calling her a "complete hockey player." Lyons, who is headed to Brown, scored the most points in a season since Princeton's Emmy O'Leary (Marion, Mass.) had 64 at Nobles in 2022.
The other to earn multiple mentions was Thayer's Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.), who was the ISL MVP.
"Very strong skater, 200-foot kid," one coach said. "Great offensive skill set and has a heavy shot."
McGathey scored a career-high 29 goals and matched her career high of 42 points. It was the Harvard commit's second straight season with over a goal per game.
"Competes hard and makes up for a lack of depth in her team's roster," another coach said. "Clear that she boosted the level of her teammates play."
Cami Bell (Barre, Vt.) received a vote. The goal-scoring Yale commit had 25 goals as a senior at St. Paul's
"Fast, a natural goal scorer, and always competed hard," one coach said.
Another skater recognized was Groton's Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.). In her sophomore season, she had career-highs across the board with 25 goals aand 26 assists for 51 points. It was her third straight season leading the Zebras on the scoresheet.
"She's the best that I saw and coached against," a coach said. "She not only possesses superb offensive ability but is a factor at both ends of the ice. She is a complete player."
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Who was the best goalie in prep hockey?
Two goalies split the most recognition in this category.
Nobles' Anya Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.), the Elite 8 MVP, got multiple mentions.
"She was so consistent all season and does a really good job on her rebounds," one coach said.
Zupkofska had a .957 save percentage. The Brown commit gave up just 19 goals all season on a Nobles team that never allowed more than two in a game until the Elite 8 quarterfinals. She was at her best in the final, making 30 saves for the win.
"She made the saves when her team needed her to make them," another coach said.
Groton senior Veronika Hadamovsky also got love from multiple coaches.
"She's a stud and had the numbers to prove it the past three seasons," one coach said. "She helped Groton get to the Small School finals the past two years."
She finished with a .953 save percentage, a career-best, giving up just 16 goals last season while facing the 10th most shots in the NEPSAC.
"She's very fast, stays square to shooters, controls rebounds and competes hard," another coach said.
Williston's Olivia Ferebee got a vote after "keeping Williston in many games." The junior had a .939 save percentage.
Two under-the-radar mentions were Holderness' Mia Gonsalves (Billerica, Mass.) and Portsmouth Abbey's Jayden Elias. Committed to Division 3 Nazareth, Gonsalves posted a .943 save percentage as the Bulls went 9-13-4.
"She kept Holderness in a lot of games that shouldn't have been close," one coach said. "She has the ability to control the pace of play with rebound control and puck handling."
Elias faced the third-most shots of any goalie in the NEPSAC (758) and was exceptional with a .958 save percentage and a 1.45 goals-against average as a sophomore.
"She was definitely overlooked," one coach said. "She is undersized at 5-3 but so isn't [PWHL Boston's Aerin] Frankel."
Who was the best newcomer in prep hockey?
There was plenty of diversity here as not one player earned multiple mentions.
Among them was Williston's Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.). Daley was a frequent factor on the Wildcats' top line and No. 1 power play, putting up 24 points (eight goals).
"She made an immediate impact being only a U14 player in prep hockey," one coach said. "Plays the game hard and well in all ends of the ice."
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Another young forward in the mix was Nobles' Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.). McCool had 22 points (12 goals), including six game-winning goals, as an eight-grader. McCool also opened the scoring in the Elite 8 final. One coach mentioned Governor's Lana Hardin (Tewksbury, Mass.), a "solid two-way forward," who had 14 points (eight goals).
Cushing's Brooke Fallon got a nod after a debut season with 11 points (five goals).
"She's young, underrated and stepped in early and often," a coach said.
Another mentioned Andover's Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.). The rangy blue-liner was a key offensive piece on the back end for the Big Blue, especially on the power play, putting up 10 goals and 18 assists.
"Big, strong, and did not miss a beat as a freshman," a coach said.
Another freshman defender, Portsmouth Abbey's Anna Hutton, who helped her squad to a 17-7-3 record with 12 points (three goals).
"She is a Division 1-quality player that cannot be beat 1-on-1," one coach said. "She has the shot to produce but takes care of her job on defense. Smart decision-making and superb first-look decisions."
Fellow blue-liner True Thompson, a UConn commit, was mentioned. The standout defender led New Hampton in scoring with 35 points (27 assists) in 30 games en route to a title in her debut NEPSAC season.
"Ultra-talented, impacts the game with each shift, fast, aggressive, incredible vision and can change the outcome of a game in an instant," one coach said.
One goalie in the mix was Tilton's Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.), who faced the sixth-most shots in the NEPSAC (632). She helped the Rams reach the Small School tournament with a .941 save percentage.
"A standout goalie that kept them in a lot of games and gave them opportunities to win every time," one coach said.
Which opposing players surprised you the most?
Although one coach was ready for anything, saying, "Nothing surprises me in this league," there were several players that raised eyebrows this season.
Maffeo got a nod, while Rivers as a whole was mentioned as well. The Red Wings were a young team with two eighth-graders, six freshman and seven sophomores. They went 12-9-2 under Keith McLean and reached the Small School semifinals as the sixth seed.
Scalese was a popular nominee with multiple mentions.
"She's so fast, all the time," one coach said.
Another added, "Very quick, determined. A great offensive player."
Her linemate, Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.), a Groton commit, also garnered attention, along with Tabor's Adeline Paskowski (Plymouth, Mass.), who played on the Seawolves' top pair.
"I did not know a lot about them and thought they stood out when we played their teams," a coach said.
Another defender mentioned was New Hampton's Thompson.
"She's dynamic all over the ice," one coach said. "Well-deserving of high praise and plays a solid game. [Craig Churchill] has done a great job coaching that team, and they are defensive minded because of True."
Who was the hardest team to play against?
In what will surely come as no surprise, Nobles was the most popular pick here with four votes.
"They are strong top-to-bottom and play together as a team," one coach said.
Another noted the amount of skill the Bulldogs boasted, and another highlighted their depth.
Tom Resor's squad went undefeated, rolling to a 27-0-4 record en route to its 11th title under his watch. Nobles had a NEPSAC-best plus-122 differential. They gave up the fewest goals (22), scored by far the most (142) and had 17 shutouts as a team. The Bulldogs suffocated opposing teams with their forecheck.
Seven different skaters had double-digit goals. Eight scored over 20 points and four eclipsed 30.
"They just kept coming," one coach said. "They didn't have the big scorers like in years past, but their goalie and D core were outstanding. Could easily win low-scoring games and frustrate teams who struggle to produce offense. Well-coached, too."
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Williston (19-3-1) was the only other team mentioned multiple times. Christa Talbot Syfu had the Wildcats on the precipice of a three-peat, and her squad boasted the second-best differential at plus-89 (117-28). One coach who mentioned Williston also brought up Andover (18-3-2).
"They have great speed, skill and depth, and can maintain pressure throughout the game," that coach said.
New Hampton (16-6-6) was in the mix. The team reached the Small School championship for the third straight season and won it for the second straight. Churchill's team scored the fifth-most goals in the NEPSAC (94). Like Nobles, their forecheck was a big key to their success.
"Their layered forecheck made it very hard to get any momentum from the breakout," one coach said. "Every player on every line bought into their systems and even the less-skilled players made a big impact."
Groton, who fell to New Hampton for the second straight season, got a nod.
"Very quick, plays multiple lines that can compete," a coach said.
Another coach went off the board and mentioned North Yarmouth Academy. NYA had the third-best differential at plus-68 (99-31) and went 23-7-1 under Matt Poulin.
"Not the deepest skilled team but insanely fast," that coach said. "Playing them early in the season was tough as they play club hockey together all fall, so add that familiarity out of the gate with their team speed and strong coaching, and they're a nightmare."
What team could be a surprise contender next year?Â
Two teams got multiple nods here: BB&N and Groton.
Of the Zebras, one coach said, "With turnover, this is always tough but I like what Tim [LeRoy] is doing at Groton. He graduates his top goalie, but with Scalese I like where they are headed."
Groton also graduated top defender Keira Ley (Wayland, Mass.), who is headed to Harvard, but a bulk of the core returns. Aside from Scalese and Cronan, there's Jaelyn Trudell (Andover, Mass.) and Hazel Hughes among the key returners.
Like the Zebras, BB&N's biggest question mark will be in goal after graduating Small School tournament MVPÂ Alexsa Caron (Dracut, Mass.), who will play Division 1 at Stonehill.
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"BB&N will be leading the way," one coach said. "They bring back some big-time depth both up front and on the blue line. The biggest question will be their goalie."
A big key for the Knights will be a clean bill of health for Yale commit Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.), who was a point per game player after returning from a broken collarbone down the stretch. Harvard commit Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) and Providence commit Brenna O'Reilly (Burlington, Mass.) are back on defense.
Phillips Exeter got a nod after going 12-11-2 last season. Sally Komarek's squad flew out of the gates to an 8-2-0 record, but fell out of tournament contention down the stretch.
"They are well coached, and last season they had some good wins," a coach said.
Key results included wins over Tilton and St. Paul's and ties with New Hampton and St. Paul's. There were tight losses to BB&N and Nobles, too.
Tilton was also among teams mentioned, along with Governor's and Cushing. The Penguins went 14-14-1 and return nine of their top 10 leading scorers.
Who will be the best player next season?
Past behavior is the indicator of future performance, right?
While plenty of top-flight players graduated to the collegiate ranks this season, there's still a high amount of talent in girls prep hockey.
Some players were particularly popular in the survey, including Scalese, who was mentioned multiple times.
"She is fast, quick and causes chaos on the ice," one coach said.
If she continues the trajectory she's been on, bettering her production totals and the team around her in each of her three seasons, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see her near the top once again next season.
"She was a top player in prep this year as a 10th grader and will only develop in the offseason," another coach said. "We all know with experience and age, kids get better in this league."
Another added, "She is already among the top all-around players as a sophomore. She is undersized but the real deal."
Aside from Scalese, defense was a popular position mentioned.
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Thompson's name came up again as well with some exceptionally high praise.
"She is an elite level player that can score and shut anyone down," one coach said. "She is the best player in prep hockey."
Andover had a pair of defenders recognized in Averill and rising senior Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.). A Yale commit, Boyle was one of the NEPSAC's best all-around blue-liners, posting 18 points (five goals).
"They are very talented players who can control a game and will most likely add even more offense next year," one coach said.
One other name to watch is Ava Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.), who is reclassifying to the class of 2027 as she jumps to Nobles from Tilton. She exploded for 16 goals and 24 points from the blue line last season after nine goals and 21 points the year prior.
"Super offensive defender with great hands and speed," a coach said. "Sees the ice well and can take the game into her own hands."
Of course, there's no way to predict the future with total accuracy. One coach said it best: "TBD, kids change over the summer. Let's see who shows up."
