The holidays are here, and that means it’s tournament time in prep hockey. Each year, the Patsy K. Odden Invitational at Taft delivers, featuring some of the best teams in the NEPSAC.
This season looks to be no different in the 41st iteration of the tournament.
The slate features some potential forces in Phillips Andover and Loomis Chaffee, as well as other teams sure to be in the mix, like Kent, Choate and Tabor.
This year’s tournament kicks off on Thursday, Dec. 19, and concludes on Friday, Dec. 20, with games played at both rinks on Taft’s campus. Loomis Chaffee won last year's tournament, knocking off back-to-back defending champion Andover.
There are two divisions of four teams each.
Group A:Â Choate, Kent, Loomis Chaffee, Taft
Group B:Â Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Phillips Andover, Tabor
Thursday, Dec. 19
- Taft vs. Choate, 9 a.m., Odden Arena
- Loomis Chaffee vs. Kent, 9:30 a.m., Mays Rink
- Lawrenceville vs. Hotchkiss, 10:45 a.m., Odden Arena
- Phillips Andover vs. Tabor, 11:15 a.m., Mays Rink
- Taft vs. Loomis Chaffee, 2:45 p.m., Odden Arena
- Kent vs. Choate, 3:15 p.m., Mays Rink
- Hotchkiss vs. Phillips Andover, 4:30 p.m., Odden Arena
- Lawrenceville vs. Tabor, 5 p.m., Mays Rink
Friday, Dec. 20
- Taft vs. Kent, 9 a.m., Odden Arena
- Choate vs. Loomis Chaffee, 9:30 a.m., Mays Rink
- Tabor vs. Hotchkiss, 10:45 a.m., Odden Arena
- Phillips Andover vs. Lawrenceville, 11:15 a.m., Mays Rink
- Consolation: No. 2 Group A vs. No. 2 Group B, 2:30 p.m., Mays Rink
- Championship: No. 1 Group A vs. No. 1 Group B, 2:30 p.m., Odden Arena
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Now, let's dive into a full breakdown of every team competing in the Odden tournament.
Choate
After earning the top seed in last year's Large School tournament, Choate has opened its season with a 1-2-0 record. The Wild Boars fell to Lawrence Academy, 5-3, in their season opener before bouncing back in a 9-1 win over Greenwich Academy, but they fell to Nobles, 3-0, last time out.
Choate lost some key players from last year's roster that went 18-6-0, including starting goalie Elsa Haakonsen (Trumbull, Conn.), but there's still a strong core in place. Co-captain and Trinity commit Nani Keyes (Guilford, Conn.) and sophomore Juliana Iannace each have a pair of goals and assists, leading the way with four points. Junior Annie Forker (Stratford, Conn.) also has two goals and three points in the early going, building off a strong sophomore campaign.
In net, coach Laura Troy has turned to junior Noel Schaab (Sherman, Conn.), who's appeared in all three games. She holds a .904 save percentage.
Hotchkiss
The Bearcats enter the Odden tournament at 1-2-0, coming off an 8-13-1 season last winter. Kelsie Fralick's squad opened the season with a big 8-2 win over Hoosac. But Hotchkiss dropped the last two, a 4-0 result against Frederick Gunn and a 5-3 loss versus Lawrenceville.
Senior Hamilton commit Lila Snow leads the way with four points (two goals, two assists) in three games. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Marygrace Lawry (Westfield, Mass.) is well on her way to topping her freshman season with three points (two goals) so far. Senior defender Rowan Pemrick is at a point per game through three contests as well. Co-captain Caroline Bliss has a pair of goals, and co-captain Sadie Panaro has a goal from the back end, too.
Junior Nikki Ferraro (New Canaan, Conn.) and freshman Gabby Blier (Cheshire, Conn.) have each seen playing time in the crease this season. Ferraro made 14 saves against Hoosac in the opener before turning aside 30 of 34 in the loss to Frederick Gunn. Blier stopped 32 of 37 shots in the loss to Lawrenceville.
Kent
After going 12-3-2 and reaching the Elite 8 last season, Kent is off to a strong start, sitting at 2-0-0 under new coach Elena Gualtieri. The Lions took down Berkshire, 3-2, in overtime to kick things off before taking care of Westminster, 5-1. They also fell in a scrimmage with Northwood, 2-1, last time out.
The Lions lost three high-end skaters from last season's squad, including Sophie Rousseau (Kent, Conn.), Megan Duplantie and Mia Montanari (East Hampton, Conn.), but they've gotten balanced production throughout the lineup. Three skaters have three points, including Louise Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine), who has two goals and an assist, and Cornell commit Rachel Bishop (three assists). Five other skaters have two points so far as well. Among them, Kendall Shima and Anika Berry each have two goals, while Delaware commit Eva Mayo has an assist to go along with the overtime winner against Berkshire.
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Kent also has a new look in the crease this season after graduating Lauren Ferrari, one of the NEPSAC's top goaltenders the last few seasons. Junior Delia Logan (Hanover, Mass.), senior Hadley Lineberger (Wilton, Conn.) and freshman Aspen Devlin (Falmouth, Mass.) could all be factors. Devlin was one of the MIAA's top goalies last season, and Logan was strong against Berkshire with 24 saves.
Lawrenceville
After going 5-12-0 last season, Nicole Uliasz's group has started on the right foot this season, sitting 2-1-0 through the first two weeks. The Big Red took care of Taft, 7-2, in their season opener before knocking off Hotchkiss, 5-3, the next day. They fell to Berkshire, 2-0, over the weekend, though.
Senior Ellie Dimatos has had an excellent start with three goals and five points in three games. Reagan Brown is also scoring at a point-per-game clip with two goals and an assist. Four other skaters, including Emma Walling and Anais Valdez, have each found the back of the net as well.
In the crease, junior Sarah Martin holds a .922 save percentage through two appearances. She made 27 saves against Taft before turning aside 20 shots against Berkshire. Fellow junior Lydia Carr made 24 stops in the win over Hotchkiss.
Loomis Chaffee
One of our preseason favorites, Loomis Chaffee entered the season ranked inside our top five after reaching the Elite 8 once again last season. Liz Leyden's group fell to Nobles, 1-0, in their first game, but the Pelicans have charged back. The defending Odden tournament champs knocked off Deerfield, 3-2, in overtime, before shutting out Canterbury, 4-0.
There's no shortage of weapons among both the forwards and defense for Loomis. Among a deep group of returners, juniors Bella Zolezzi and Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.), a Yale commit, each have three points on the season. Senior Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.), sophomore Brooke Murphy and Harvard commit Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) have two points each as well.
On the blue line, Penn State commit Megan Hosman leads the way with two goals so far. Princeton commit Catie Collins (South Burlington, Vt.) and Cornell commit Carly Dann (Hanover, NH) are also top options on the back end.
In the crease, senior Adeline Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) and freshman Emily Hosman have been tasked with replacing Leila Fournier (West Kingston, R.I.). Roper made 35 saves against Nobles before making 28 against Deerfield, holding a .955 save percentage through two appearances. Emily Hosman, meanwhile, stopped 15 shots for the shutout in her debut against Canterbury. Leyden has high hopes for the youngster.
Phillips Andover
Andover was another one of our preseason favorites, ranked at No. 2 in our initial top 10 and boasting one of the top rosters in girls prep. Things didn't go as planned in their first game, though, a 4-1 loss to Dexter Southfield. Still, the Big Blue will have another chance to shake off the rust at the Odden tournament. They've reached the Odden tournament final in three straight seasons, winning back-to-back titles before falling to Loomis last winter. Andover also reached the Elite 8 semis last year.
Sophomore blue-liner Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) scored against Dexter on Friday as she looks to build on a standout freshman year. Princeton commit Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) and Cornell commit Keira Bruen (West Roxbury, Mass.) added assists.
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Along with Maggie Averill on defense, senior co-captain and Yale commit Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.) figures to lead the way once again. Sophomore Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) will look to improve on a strong debut season last winter as well. The Big Blue also added an exciting prospect in freshman Vanessa Hall (Saugus, Mass.), who was a standout in the MIAA the last two seasons. Avery Rodeheffer (New Haven, Conn.) is back between the pipes.
Other former MIAA standouts like junior Maddie Greenwood (Duxbury, Mass.) and senior Molly Driscoll (Watertown, Mass.) will add to a deep forward group as well. Martha Fenton's team returns leading scorer Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.), a co-captain and Middlebury commit, along with top goalscorer Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.), who's committed to Boston College. There's also Northeastern commit Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.).
Tabor
Tabor, who also reached the Elite 8 last season, sits at 1-2-0 through three games. Eric Long's squad opened its season with a 4-3 loss at Cushing before shutting out Lawrence Academy, 5-0. They lost to Groton, 5-2, last time out.
Leading the way so far this season is newcomer Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.). Birolini put up gaudy numbers in the MIAA the last few seasons, and she hasn't missed a beat in prep so far. The junior has four goals in four games, including a hat trick against Lawrence. Freshman Giuliana Polcari (Marshfield, Mass.) has made an excellent impression, too, with three goals and an assist. She's scored in every game to this point. Freshman Dawson Styles (South Hamilton, Mass.) and St. Anselm commit Grace Stirling each have a goal and an assist as well.
Colby commit Adeline Paskowski (Plymouth, Mass.) is on track for another productive season on the blue line. She has three assists in three games.
Connecticut college commit Avery Olson has been solid so far this season with a .908 save percentage. She made 20 saves against Cushing, 25 for the shutout over Lawrence and 34 against Groton.
Taft
Lastly, we have the hosts. Taft is off to a 2-2-0 start. The Rhinos took down Millbrook, 3-2, in their opener before falling to Lawrenceville, 7-2. They bounced back with a 3-0 shutout of Frederick Gunn but couldn't break through in a 1-0 loss to Berkshire in their last outing before the tournament.
Six skaters have found the back of the net in the early going for Mackenzie Kieth's team. Junior Brooke McLaughlin (Wilbraham, Mass.) is setting the pace with three points (two goals), while freshman Sophia Locklear (Orange, Conn.) has a pair of goals as well. Senior Kendrick LaPrade and freshman Lindsey Kunzelmann (Avon, Conn.) each have a goal and an assist, too. On the blue line, Taft will lean on captains Sam Richard and Rachel Turer (South Windsor, Conn.).
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In net, junior Maddy Pope has had an excellent (and busy) start to the season with a .931 save percentage through four appearances. She made 20 saves against Millbrook, 16 against Lawrenceville, 28 for the shutout versus Gunn and 31 against Berkshire. Senior Savoy McMahon (Hebron, Conn.) made seven stops in her lone appearance against Lawrenceville.
