It's good to be back.
The girls prep hockey action is back in full swing now that everyone is out of the holiday break, and it's time for our first top 10 since before Christmas, which followed most of the holiday tournaments.
Naturally, there's been a lot to unpack so far in 2026.
Williston Northampton is rolling after winning the New Year's Prep Puck Drop for the second straight year. Phillips Andover came out of the break flying as well. Meanwhile, Phillips Exeter took a big win over Cushing. You also had former No. 5 Dexter Southfield upset former No. 1 Nobles.
All of it made for plenty of movement in the top 10. There's a new No. 1, plus more shuffling in the top five, while another team stormed back into the rankings.
Let's dive in.
1. Williston Northampton (9-1-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: at Berkshire, Jan. 14, 3:30 p.m.
In our last rankings, Williston was fresh off a tough loss in the Harrington final. That's a distant memory, now that the Wildcats have ripped off four strong wins, outscoring opponents 20-1 in that span. They cruised to the NYPPD title with a 2-0 win over then-No. 10 Rivers, a 10-0 drubbing of Canterbury and a 3-0 win over Cushing in the final. They followed it up with a 5-1 win over former No. 6 Tabor. Zola Piekarski has been red-hot with two consecutive multi-point outings, while Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.) has multi-point showings in three of her last four. River Grady (Bedford, N.H.) and Olivia Arsenault are each coming off quality starts against Tabor and Cushing, respectively. A tricky stretch lies ahead with visits to Berkshire and Frederick Gunn bookending a huge tilt with Loomis Chaffee this week. The Wildcats are first in the JSPR.
NEW YEAR’S PREP PUCK DROP: 14 standout forwards | 13 standout defenders, goalies
2. Loomis Chaffee (9-1-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: vs. Kent, Jan. 14, 3:30 p.m.
Loomis came out of the break firing with a 5-0 win over Milton Academy and a 6-2 win over Berkshire. They've been without Lindsey Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.), who is with Team USA at the U18 Women's Worlds. It hasn't mattered, though, as Annie Schwarz's (Fairfield, Conn.) big season continued. She had a hat trick and an assist against Milton before adding two more goals and an assist versus Berkshire. Sophia DiGioia (Milford, Conn.), Scarlett Robertson (Fairfield, Conn.) and Mia Lynch have all started well in January, too. The Pelicans, who are fifth in the JSPR, will host Kent on Wednesday before heading to Williston on Friday and Hotchkiss on Saturday.
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: vs. Kimball Union, Jan. 14, 4 p.m.
Andover is another team on a tear to begin January, bouncing back from a loss to Loomis in the Patsy K. Odden Invitational final. The Big Blue picked up a 6-0 win over Governor's, a 5-3 win over Choate and a 6-0 win over Brooks. Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) and Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) have been other-worldly to begin the new year. Averill had five goals and four assists across the three games, while Powers had six goals and six assists. Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.) scored in all three, and Jacqueline Louis had points in each (two goals, one assist). Andover's doing it all without Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.), too, who is captaining the U.S. at the U18 Women's Worlds. The Big Blue are No. 2 in the JSPR, and they'll host Kimball Union and St. Paul's this week.
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Maggie Taverna
Next game: vs. St. Paul's, Jan. 14, 4:45 p.m.
Dexter would have moved up more if it weren't for how dominant the first three have been of late. It was a big week as Dexter handed Nobles its first loss of the season before cruising to a 5-0 win against Milton. Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.) had a goal and an assist against Nobles before scoring another versus Milton. Addie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.) was strong in net against Nobles, too, with 21 saves. Maggie Lovering (Scituate, Mass.) had three goals across the two games, and Leah Hafer (Winchester, Mass.) had two assists in each. Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) showed out with a five-point (two-goal) game against Milton, too. Dexter, who is third in the JSPR, is about to hit a big stretch, starting with St. Paul's at home before a trip to Governor's this week.
MIAA CLASH: 13 standouts from Methuen/Tewksbury's win over Shawsheen/Bedford/Lowell
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: vs. Middlesex, Jan. 14, 5 p.m.
Nobles tumbled to fifth after falling to Dexter. Granted, the Bulldogs were without three of their best skaters as Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.), Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) and Ava Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.) are all at the U18 Women's Worlds. Nevertheless, Nobles stormed back with a 4-1 win over Kent. After scoring against Dexter, Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.) had three assists against Kent, while Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) had a hat trick. Ayla Moore (Walpole, Mass.) scored her first career goal in the win, too. The Bulldogs are No. 4 in the JSPR. They'll look to take care of Middlesex at home on Wednesday before a test at Rivers on Friday.
Previous rankings: 8
Head coach: Kelli Mackey
Next game: at Dexter Southfield, Jan. 14, 4:45 p.m.
The Big Red are rolling, winning three in a row to kick off 2026 and outscoring opponents 22-5 in that span. Erin Flaherty (Boston, Mass.) and Charlotte Cohen (Cohasset, Mass.) each scored twice in an 8-0 win over Vermont Academy before SPS erased a 2-0 deficit in a 3-2 win over Lawrenceville. Maealie Glanzer scored the game-winner after also scoring against Vermont. Flaherty had a hat trick in an 11-3 drubbing of Hotchkiss, while Tess Mulkerron (Concord, Mass.) and Maddie Allen each scored a pair. The latter is on a three-game scoring streak after goals against Vermont and Lawrenceville. SPS is eighth in the JSPR, and they have a big week ahead with trips to Dexter and Andover on tap.
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Next game: vs. Northfield Mount Hermon, Jan. 14, 4 p.m.
Deerfield took care of business in its lone game of the new year so far, cruising to a 5-0 win over Lawrenceville. Olivia Austen (Darien, Conn.) scored twice for the Big Green, while Sophie Frost had a goal and an assist. Nicole Sicarretta scored as well. Deerfield, which is ninth in the JSPR, will host Northfield Mount Hermon on Wednesday before heading to Phillips Exeter for a key tilt on Saturday.
BIG GAMES: 13 observations from Exeter's win over Cushing | 13 observations from Andover's win over Governor's
8. Tabor (6-2-1)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Eric Long
Next game: vs Brooks, Jan. 14, 3:30 p.m.
Tabor slipped after falling to Williston, 5-1. Sofia Nardelli (Cranston, R.I.) continued a strong sophomore season with the lone goal. The Seawolves are No. 6 in the JSPR, but have had some ups and downs of late, as the Williston loss followed a 2-1-1 showing at the PKO. Tabor will look to see if more chances start going in when it hosts Brooks, New Hampton and Hill School this week.
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Sally Komarek
Next game: at Worcester Academy, Jan. 14, 4 p.m.
How about Exeter's top line? Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.), Maria Gray and Erin Sears (Cornwall, Vt.) have been scorching of late. Meyer put up back-to-back four-goal games in a 7-4 win over North Yarmouth Academy and a 5-4 win over Cushing. She also scored in a 3-0 win over Proctor, extending her scoring streak to four games and extending her NEPSAC lead with 15 goals. Gray had two assists against Cushing to eclipse the 100-point mark for her career, and she tacked on a goal against Proctor. Exeter is seventh in the JSPR, and the Big Red will look to keep rolling at Worcester Academy on Wednesday before hosting Deerfield on Saturday.
Previous rankings: 9
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game: vs. Milton Academy, Jan. 17, 4 p.m.
The Zebras could have fallen out of the top 10, although none of the teams behind them really did enough to jump in. Nevertheless, Groton took down Small School foe New Hampton, 2-0, behind goals for Zoe Smith (Bolton, Mass.) and Rose Fischer (the first of her career), plus a 20-save shutout for Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.). The Zebras' winning streak ended at four straight, though, as they fell to BB&N, 1-0. It was a game where they were unable to solve the Knights' Barbara Ma (Cambridge, Mass.), who had a 17-save shutout. Groton, who's without Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) due to the U18 Women's Worlds, is 10th in the JSPR. They'll host Milton on Friday.
TEAM USA: 8 locals to skate for Team USA at U18 Women’s Worlds
Dropped out: Rivers (6-3-2; 10)
In the hunt: Rivers, Governor’s (7-2-2), Cushing (7-4-1), Choate (3-3-1), Thayer (5-4-1), Canterbury, (7-4-0), Taft (5-4-0), BB&N (5-4-0), Frederick Gunn (6-5-3), Austin Prep (8-3-0), Berkshire (3-3-1)
