Maddie Murphy has her sights set on a title.
The senior defender already got a taste of a championship in the fall, winning a Class B title with Dexter’s girls soccer team. She’d like to make it a double, especially coming oh-so-close to the Large School championship last winter, falling to BB&N, 1-0.
That championship chase is fueling Murphy’s monster senior season.
In her first 10 games alone, the Dorchester, Mass., native was one of the region’s most productive skaters, with 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists). It was enough to beat the previous career highs she set last season — six goals, 10 assists and 16 points in 27 games — in a fraction of the time. As of Feb. 12, Murphy has 26 points (nine goals) in 18 games, tied for the 10th-most points in the NEPSAC and leading all defenders in the region.
“Coming off of last year, losing that final game, I just think for me and everyone else on our team, it left a chip on our shoulder,” Murphy said. “We don’t want that feeling again.”
At 14-0-4, the Shields remain one of two undefeated teams in prep along with Williston Northampton (16-0-1), who they tied on Jan. 22. Dexter has carried the momentum from its dominant start to the season, which was a stark contrast to last winter’s 3-6-0 mark through the opening stretch.
“Our start to last season wasn’t great, so one of our goals this year was to fix that,” Murphy said. “Personally, I just like playing for the people next to me. Knowing that this is my last season playing high school hockey, I feel like it’s left an effect on me, knowing I’m one of the top players on the team and that I have to produce.”
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Dexter coach Maggie Taverna isn’t surprised to see Murphy taking such a big jump in her final act.
“In my eyes, for whatever reason in the high school realm, there’s something about junior and senior year for every child, that things just start to click a little bit more,” Taverna said. “I don’t know if it’s the natural development of their brain or the natural physical development that makes it happen, but throughout my years at Dexter, there’s always a senior that shines brightly.
“Last year, Grace Lynch was our only senior, but she wound up scoring some incredible goals for us. We’ve had similar seniors do the same thing in previous years. When I look at Murph, it’s her time to step up and prove her worth on the team, and she’s been doing that. It’s just a phenomenal thing to see. She’s been instrumental.”
Taverna believes it frequently boils down to confidence for many players after building up from their freshman, sophomore and junior years.
“They realize they are the leaders and are those go-to players, and I think they embrace that and kind of just put it all together,” she said. “To me, when you have all that experience, at some point it’ll all start to click.”
Murphy plays split-season club hockey with Assabet. Her team that won the Massachusetts 19-U Tier 1 title this past fall included 14 players committed to play Division 1 hockey, two players committed for other Division 1 sports and three others committed to play Division 3 hockey. Dexter’s roster features six Division 1 commits, one Division 3 commit and one Division 1 field hockey commit.
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Being in such highly competitive environments has helped bring the best out of Murphy, who stands at 5-foot-9, bringing a blend of skill, size and snarl whenever she’s on the ice.
“Going forward, it’s just going to get more competitive,” Murphy said. “Our Assabet team, (head coach Kelly McManus Souza) teaches us all the time to make the smart play and don’t get bumped off the puck. If you lose it, you got to get it back. That same atmosphere is here. … If I lose the puck, I’m only focused on getting it back. I played boys hockey growing up, so I’ve always had a physical side to me.”
That edge is on display at all times, be it in a game or practice.
“There are times in practice where kids will get out of line,” Taverna said. “They’re like, ‘I don’t want to go against her.’ She’s so competitive. She hates to freaking lose. She competes all the time.”
Murphy will play hockey at her “dream school,” Boston College, next season, along with teammate Alaina Dunn (Walpole, Mass.). By then, Dexter’s blue line will have a new look without Murphy, Dunn and fellow senior Emma Peterson (Westwood, Mass.). The three have a key role in setting an example for the next wave of defenders for the Shields, which includes exciting freshman Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.).
“They’ll be missed next year,” Taverna said. “I love that Maggie’s here because she gets to watch them … but at the same time, I tell her, ‘You have your own style of game. You’re never going to be Maddie Murphy or Alaina Dunn. You’re going to be Maggie Chudzinski. So get as many tools as you can in your toolbox from learning from these two and do what’s best for you.’ Having someone like Maggie able to watch them and develop, it’s only going to be good for her in the long run.”
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Murphy said, “In previous years, I’ve been led by great leaders, and I just want to take on that role, lead by example and show my teammates what it’s all about. If you want to get places, you’ve got to put in the effort. Your effort and attitude are the most important things you can control. If you have those under control, you’re looking toward success.”
Few are as well-equipped to set that example as Murphy is. She’s been at Dexter since the fifth grade and understands better than anybody what is expected within the program.
“She embodies Dexter Southfield culture,” Taverna said. “Our motto is, ‘Best today. Better tomorrow.’ So coming up through the school, the culture and understanding what we do here, that’s a big piece of it, too. At the end of the day, it makes her a better athlete for us because she just knows what the ropes are. … Whatever she touches, she’s good at.”
Above all, Murphy has one goal in mind: delivering a championship for her school in March.
“It would mean the world after winning that soccer trophy. There was no other feeling,” Murphy said. “To do it with this team, that would mean just much more. I’ve seen the seniors and how their feelings are after that final game, and I take it personally on another level.
"I want that trophy to be in our hands by the end of the season.”
