We’re in the thick of the girls high school hockey season in Massachusetts, and the postseason looms large, just several weeks away.
If the first chunk of the season has been any indication, the stretch run should be wildly entertaining.
So far this season, Hingham has taken the state by storm. Notre Dame (Hingham) is right there among the top contenders, as usual, while Malden Catholic has had a big start, too. Duxbury is still the team to beat in Division 2 as it eyes a three-peat.
Behind those teams in both divisions, it’s a jammed field of teams jockeying to rise above the rest.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far and what we’ll be looking for before champions are crowned on March 16.
As good as advertised
1. Notre Dame (Hingham): The Cougars, our No. 2 team entering the season, have lived up to their billing. NDA is 7-3-1 and remains a top-three team in our top 10. John Findley’s team’s biggest wins include shutouts of Duxbury, Bishop Feehan and Canton. Five of the Cougars' wins have been via shutout, too. Their blemishes have been to strong teams, be it narrowly falling to Archbishop Williams, Hingham twice, including a narrow 2-1 loss in the Tenney Cup championship, or settling for a 1-1 tie with Nauset/Monomoy. Erin Kral (Whitman, Mass.) has been stellar taking over the No. 1 role in net, while youngster Jocelyn Gray (Hanover, Mass.) has had a tremendous start to the season. Seniors Morgan Brady (Middleboro, Mass.) and Emily Coughlin (Marshfield, Mass.) have led the way, too. NDA has a great mix of skill, depth, experience and youth.
2. Alyse Mutti: One of the best goalies in the state, Mutti (North Reading, Mass.) picked up right where she left off last winter, a year in which she had the best single season in program history. The senior netminder gives Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading a shot to win every night as the Tanners sit 9-1-1. She has four shutouts and has proved the difference in key wins, like a 2-1 win over Falmouth or a tight, 1-0 affair over Winthrop in which she made 23 saves, including 12 in the third period.
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3. Falmouth’s top guns: Last year’s runners-up, the Clippers were one of the highest-scoring teams in the state last season, thanks in large part to sophomore Maeve Turner, senior Casey Roth and senior Rylie Devlin. Those three figured to be among the authors of Falmouth’s success again this season, and that’s been the case so far. At 7-4-0 and in the mix in Division 2, that same high-flying pace hasn’t necessarily returned for the Clippers, but Turner, Roth and Devlin are back among the top scorers in the state. Each has over two points per game. Turner leads with 27 points and 16 goals. Meanwhile, Roth has 24 points (11 goals) and Devlin has 23 points (10 goals).
Three things that have surprised us so far
1. Hingham’s dominance: We knew Hingham would be good, ranking the team No. 6 going into the season. What we didn’t know is the Harborwomen would be this good, sitting 12-0-0 and atop our rankings. Courtney Turner’s group has passed every test with flying colors to this point. Hingham has taken down teams like Archbishop Williams, Duxbury, Malden Catholic (twice) and even NDA (twice), which Hingham beat to win the Tenney Cup. Caroline Doherty is back as one of the premier talents in the state, breaking the program’s goal-scoring in December and recently eclipsing 200 career points. Her connection with linemate Addy Garrity has been on display all season. Most importantly, Hingham is getting contributions from key young players throughout the lineup, be it freshman Ellie Bellew or sophomores Shea Richardson, Hannah Lasch or Callie Crean. Right now, this team is one of the clear favorites in Division 1.
2. Malden Catholic’s big start: The Lancers are in the same boat as Hingham. We knew they’d be good, but not this good, after ranking them No. 7 before the season. As of mid-January, MC is 7-2-2 and have been a consistent top-three presence in the top 10. Despite a pair of losses to Hingham — the second of which was a back-and-forth 5-4 loss that saw MC lead 3-2 at one point — Alexa Hingston’s team is among the top contenders in Division 1 after reaching the semifinals last season. Some of their most impressive wins have come against Duxbury, Burlington and Pope Francis. Upperclassmen Nevin Mustone (Medford, Mass.) and Alyssa Jankowski (Medford, Mass.) are among those leading the way up front. Meanwhile, Ava Baker (North Reading, Mass.) continues to be a do-it-all force on the blue line, and Megan Mullarkey (Wilmington, Mass.) has gotten the job done in net.
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3. Archbishop Williams’ and St. Mary’s early ups and downs: Both teams were in our top five to begin the season (Archies at No. 3 and St. Mary’s at No. 5), but quickly fell out. The Bishops started 1-3-0 in December, including losses to SMH and Hingham, but rebounded in 2025 with a 6-1-1 run, which included a five-game winning streak. Archies picked up big-time wins, including some revenge over the Spartans, as well as triumphs over NDA and Feehan. The key for the Bishops of late has been contributions throughout the lineup, including strong showings from Izzy O’Brien (Holbrook, Mass.) and Shea Nolan (Quincy, Mass.).
Meanwhile, St. Mary’s the defending Division 1 champion, lost a ton of talent to prep and graduation in the offseason. Last year’s dominance would have been difficult to replicate no matter what, but at 4-7-1, SMH has struggled. There are reasons for optimism, however, be it Alyssa Norden (Danvers, Mass.) helping to lead the way again offensively, or sixth-grader Emma Doucette (Wakefield, Mass.) showing a ton of potential as her linemate on the top trio. The latter has been a major bright spot and is a player to watch moving forward.
Three questions for the stretch run
1. Can anyone stop Duxbury in Division 2? The Dragons are the standard in Division 2 after back-to-back titles. At 9-3-1 in their first 14 games, Dan Najarian’s team is slightly off last season's 23-3-0 pace, but with one of the toughest schedules in the state, it was a high bar to begin with. Nevertheless, Duxbury’s senior leadership is dominating on the scoresheet, be it Meg Carney, Maeve Gallagher, Zoey Madigan or Addy Harrington. Freshman Ceci Tremante has been a key factor, too. It’s a packed crowd trying to chase down the Dragons, though. You have Westwood (11-0-1), Nauset/Monomoy (7-5-1), Milton (11-3-0), Medfield (7-2-2), Auburn (7-1-3), King Philip (8-3-0) and Canton (7-3-1), among others, all very much in the mix. You can’t count out Falmouth, either.
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2. Who will emerge in Division 1? The race at the top of Division 1 right now is packed. You have Hingham, NDA (Hingham), MC and PLNR all among the favorites. Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover (8-1-4), Winthrop (7-2-1), Bishop Feehan (8-3-2), Methuen/Tewksbury (10-0-2), Billerica/Chelmsford (11-2-0), Natick (10-3-1) and Bishop Stang (9-3-0) have all had excellent starts to their seasons as well. Andover (5-3-3) and Belmont (10-0-1) also are factors, while Archies is hanging around as well. The race is packed. As things stand, those top four teams appear to have the inside track, but as we know, truly anything can happen in the MIAA tournament. The stretch run will be pivotal for that next group of teams looking to separate themselves. With SMH’s struggles, it looks like a new champion could be crowned in March.
3. Which players will continue their big seasons? There is no shortage of high-flying production to keep track of. Doherty is lighting the world ablaze again for Hingham with 25 goals and over 30 points in just 12 games. Duxbury’s top guns and Falmouth’s big three are all up to their usual tricks. Among other top producers to track the rest of the way, there’s Billerica/Chelmsford’s Kara Gambale (Billerica, Mass.) who has 23 points (10 goals) through 12 games. Waltham’s Molly Whittier is scoring over two points per game with 26 (14 goals). Acton-Boxboro’s Vivian Randolph (Acton, Mass.) is among the top scorers to watch with 14 goals (22 points) in 13 games. Winthrop’s Talia Martucci is filling the scoresheet again, eclipsing 100 career points earlier this season, and Norwell/Scituate/Abington’s Penny Saich (Norwell, Mass.) and Maddie Cantor (Norwell, Mass.) are both over a goal per game with 16 and 12, respectively. Newburyport's Olivia Wilson is definitely one to watch the rest of the way, too, with 18 goals and 22 points so far. The junior captain is on track to break the 100-point threshold and potentially set a new career-high in goals.
Key dates
- Feb. 22 — Brackets announced
- Feb. 24 — Tournaments begin
- March 16 — Finals at TD Garden
