The girls prep hockey season is now in full swing with a week of games under our belts.
As expected, there's plenty to unpack in the early going. Over the last week, I was able to take in Thayer's scrimmage win over Milton as well as Nobles' win over Loomis Chaffee.
Fleshing out rankings at the start of any season is always tricky. You never want to overreact to early results, especially with some teams still waiting to get into the mix.
That fear of overreaction is already in play this week with some new teams already in the fold at the back end of our top 10. Toward the top of the rankings, much is still the same.
Let's dive in.
1. Williston Northampton (1-0-0)
Previous rank: 1
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: at Cushing, Dec. 6, 3:30 p.m.
The Wildcats got a tough draw to start their season against St. Paul's. But it was no matter, as they took home an impressive 4-1 win. Williston saw production throughout the lineup as eight different skaters registered points. Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.) had a goal and an assist, and freshman Mia Daley had two assists. Olivia Ferebee picked up where she left off with a strong showing in goal, too. The Wildcats should also be encouraged by the contributions from their underclassmen as three freshmen and two sophomores found the scoresheet. They travel to Cushing next.
2. Phillips Andover (0-0-0)
Previous rank: 2
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: at Dexter Southfield, Dec. 8, 5 p.m.
Andover has yet to get underway, save for a scrimmage against Andover High last week. Martha Fenton's team faces a tough test out of the gate, traveling to Dexter, who will be looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses to BB&N and Thayer to open their season. As we've previously mentioned, the Big Blue have plenty of star power to offset the experience lost from last year's team. Be it Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.) or Caroline or Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.), they'll be a ton of fun to watch.
3. Nobles (1-0-1)
Previous rank: 4
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: vs. St. Mark's, Dec. 6, 3:15 p.m.
Nobles kicked things off with a 2-2 tie against New Hampton before an impressive 3-0 win over Loomis Chaffee. Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.) scored against New Hampton before potting two more on Saturday. She was impactful in all three zones for the Bulldogs, and if her start is any indication, she could have a big year in store. Olivia Maffeo (Canton, Mass.) was as advertised on the back end on Saturday, while Anya Zupkofska looked poised in the shutout. Nobles responded well to Loomis' physicality and capitalized on their opportunities. They have St. Mark's and Choate on tap next.
TAKEAWAYS: 5 observations from Nobles' win over Loomis Chaffee
4. Tabor (1-0-0)
Previous rank: 3
Head coach: Eric Long
Next game: vs. Rivers, Dec. 6, 5 p.m.
Tabor hit the ground running with a 4-1 win at home against Cushing last week. The Seawolves jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period, and even after Cushing got on the board in the third, Tabor's pair of tallies slammed the door shut. They next host Rivers this Wednesday before matchups with Lawrence and Groton on the weekend. Eric Long wanted his team to embody more of a defensive identity this season, and it's clicked through one game.
5. St. Paul's (1-1-0)
Previous rank: 5
Head coach: Kelli Mackey
Next game: vs. Lawrence, Dec. 6, 5 p.m.
Kelli Mackey's team started off with a big 5-0 win over Brewster on Nov. 29, but couldn't overcome a tall order against Williston on Dec. 2. Ally Martiniello's efforts in goal (Salem, N.H) helped St. Paul's take momentum early against Williston, but the Wildcats' attack proved too much as the game wore on. Cami Bell (Barre, Vt.) is off to a strong start with two goals against Brewster before another against the Wildcats. The Big Red also saw other key players like Charlie Vogue and Maude Niemann (Weston, Conn.) find the back of the net as well. They have Lawrence Academy on deck this week. New Hampton and Holderness await this weekend.
6. Kent (2-0-0)
Previous rank: 6
Head coach: Sam Ftorek
Next game: at Westminster, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m.
Sam Ftorek is off to a good start in his first season at the helm of the Lions. Kent earned a pair of wins with a 2-1 result over Berkshire before knocking off Hill School, 5-2. The Lions got goals from Quinnipiac commit Sophie Rousseau (Kent, Conn.) and Dartmouth commit Megan Duplantie against Berkshire. Duplantie scored the go-ahead goal with less than four minutes to go. She stayed hot against Hill with a pair of goals. RPI commit Mia Montanari (East Hampton, Conn.) found the back of the net, too. They visit Westminster on Wednesday.
7. Loomis Chaffee (0-1-0)
Previous rank: 7
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: vs. Deerfield, Dec. 6, 3 p.m.
After a scrimmage against Choate, Loomis got their regular season slate started at Nobles. Despite the 3-0 loss, I thought the Pelicans' effort and physicality in the defensive end was impressive. They kept the Bulldogs to the perimeter for large portions of play. It took some net-front scrambles and perfect shots to beat Leila Fournier (East Kingston, R.I.) in goal. Annie Schwarz's line (Fairfield, Conn.) had some positive zone time to build on moving forward, too. They have a date with Deerfield on Wednesday before Canterbury this weekend.
STORYLINES:Â 5 early storylines to watch for the 2023-24 girls prep hockey season
8. Groton (2-0-0)
Previous rank: 9
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game: vs. Tilton, Dec. 6, 3 p.m.
The Zebras are off on the right foot after two wins, a 4-1 win over Portsmouth Abbey and a 5-0 result over Kimball Union. Tina Scalese (Bedford, Mass.) has goals in back-to-back games, while Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) exploded for a hat trick against KUA. Tim LeRoy had high hopes for newcomer Hazel Hughes who delivered with a goal against PAS. Stalwart netminder Veronika Hadamovsky (Groton, Mass.) is off and running after 30 saves against PAS and a shutout against KUA. They have Tilton on deck this week before a huge measuring stick against Tabor on Saturday.
9. BB&N (2-0-0)
Previous rank: NR
Head coach: Ed Bourget
Next game: at Brooks, Dec. 6, 3:15 p.m.
BB&N was one of the teams that barely missed my initial top 10, but it didn't take long for them to work their way in. After a scrimmage against Natick High, they started off with a big 2-0 win over previous No. 8 Dexter. The Knights followed it up with another tidy 2-0 victory over Pomfret. Ed Bourget's group has a chance to keep the momentum going against Brooks and Deerfield this week.
10. Thayer (1-0-0)
Previous rank: NR
Head coach: Brandy Fisher-Bailey
Next game: vs. St. George's, Dec. 6, 3:30 p.m.
Thayer also finds itself in the top 10 after a good start. Scrimmages are always taken with a grain of salt, but the Tigers and Milton each trotted out what looked like full lineups in Thayer's 3-0 win last week. They followed it up with a strong 2-1 win over previously ranked Dexter, too. Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) is the real deal. She was flat-out dominant with a pair of goals against Milton before two more goals against Dexter. Thayer's ceiling might just roll with her. They get St. George's and PAS this week.
Dropped out:Â Dexter Southfield (0-2-0; 8) and Milton (0-1-0; 10)
