What a weekend it was in girls prep hockey.
After the mad-dash whirlwind of holiday tournaments, we've hit the holiday break, and there's a lot to unpack ahead of a well-earned reprieve.
The weekend featured a plethora of high-end matchups. There were championship rematches, be it Williston Northampton versus Nobles or Groton versus New Hampton. Elsewhere, Loomis Chaffee battled Phillips Andover and Thayer took on Dexter Southfield.
Now that the dust settled, no new teams entered the rankings, but one contender is on the brink of falling out after a rough weekend. Meanwhile, others in the back half of the top 10 are only strengthening their cases. Toward the top, there's clearly one team standing above the rest.
Let's dive into our final top 10 before the calendar flips to 2025.
1. Williston Northampton (6-0-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: vs. Canterbury, Jan. 5, 9:30 a.m. (New Year's Prep Puck Drop)
The Wildcats solidified their standing as the team to beat with a dominant showing at the Harrington Tournament this past weekend. They ran the table, going 4-0-0 with a 19-1 scoring differential. Williston got revenge on Nobles in a rematch of last year's Elite 8 title game, taking down the Bulldogs, 2-0. They also knocked off Westminster, 5-1, Lawrence Academy, 9-0, and BB&N, 3-0, in the championship. The Wildcats' top two lines were dominant, with Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.), Brooke Schlutter and Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) leading the way. There were hardly any holes in Williston's game all weekend. They'll open the New Year's Prep Puck Drop at St. George's against Canterbury.
WILLISTON WINS: 8 standouts and takeaways from Williston’s Harrington championship victory
2. Dexter Southfield (6-0-2)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Maggie Taverna
Next game: at Nobles, Jan. 8, 5 p.m.
The Shields moved up a spot after going 3-0-1 at their holiday tournament. Dexter beat Nichols and tied Thayer before rolling to a 6-0 win over Brooks and a 4-2 win over Hill School in the consolation. Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) continued her stellar season with three points, including two goals against Hill. She also had helpers against Brooks and Nichols. Meanwhile, Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.) and Maddie Funk (Duxbury, Mass.) each had four-point outings against Brooks, and Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) had goals in three of four on the weekend. Dexter visits Nobles on Jan. 8, kicking off an arduous month of January.
3. Loomis Chaffee (6-1-1)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: at Milton Academy, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.
The Pelicans moved into the top three after winning the Patsy K. Odden tournament over Andover for the second straight year. It technically goes down as a 3-3 tie as Loomis won in a shootout. Nevertheless, it was a good 3-0-1 weekend that included wins over Kent, 3-1, Taft, 4-1, and Choate, 4-2. Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.), Chloe Obser and Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.) each had huge weekends. Stepnowski had eight points (four goals) in four games, while Obser had five points (one goal) and Lachance had seven points (four goals). The Pelicans will open next semester with a visit to Milton before hosting Berkshire the next day.
4. Nobles (6-2-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: vs. Dexter Southfield, Jan. 8, 5 p.m.
The Bulldogs slid two spots after dropping a rematch with Williston, making for a 3-1-0 weekend. The Wildcats were the better team on Saturday, but Nobles still had a good showing at the Harrington, beating Lawrence Academy and Westminster before Milton in Sunday's consolation. Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.), Rachel Zhao (Westwood, Mass.) and Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.) had strong weekends for the Bulldogs. Bromley had two-goal outings against Lawrence and Milton.
HARRINGTON TOURNAMENT: 9 takeaways from the 43rd edition of the tournament
5. BB&N (5-1-1)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Ed Bourget
Next game: vs. Groton, Jan. 11, 2:45 p.m.
The Knights stayed at No. 5 after finishing as runners-up to Williston at the Harrington, making for a 3-1-0 weekend. BB&N dominated its first three games with a 12-0 scoring differential before running into a better team. Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) had an excellent weekend with four goals and seven points, while Molly Halloran scored in each of the first three games. Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.) and Izzy King (Bedford, Mass.) each had four points, too. The Knights showcased their depth, versatility and physicality in their three wins.
They'll be back at it when they host Groton on Jan. 11. BB&N will be without Biotti and Groton won't have Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) due to the U-18 Women's Worlds.
6. Cushing (7-1-0)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Valerie Bono-Bunker
Next game: vs. St. George's, Jan. 5, 2 p.m. (New Year's Prep Puck Drop)
The Penguins jumped three spots after taking home the Edward G. Watkins Invitational with a big 4-1 win over Groton on Saturday. They dominated their other three games, taking down Proctor, Worcester Academy and Millbrook with an 18-4 scoring differential. Freshman Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.) had two points in each of the four games, while Brooke Harb had a five-point weekend. Sadie Bellissimo was a force in net with 44 saves in the championship, capping off three strong appearances. Cushing, winners of five straight, will kick off 2025 against St. George's at the New Year's Prep Puck Drop.
7. Phillips Andover (3-1-1)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: at Governor's, Jan. 8, 3 p.m.
Andover stayed at No. 7 after going 3-0-1 at the PKO tournament, bouncing back from a season-opening loss to Dexter. They settled for a 3-3 tie and shootout loss to Loomis in the title game but took home wins over Tabor, 3-1, Hotchkiss, 4-0, and Lawrenceville, 5-1. Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.), Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) each scored in the championship. Andover opens the new year against Governor's, who has had a good start.
HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS:Â Full results for 2024 girls prep hockey holiday tournaments
8. Thayer (7-0-1)
Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Michael Flynn
Next game: vs. Austin Prep, Jan. 8, 3:30 p.m.
Thayer jumped two spots after winning the Dexter Southfield Holiday Tournament. The Tigers allowed just two goals in four games, shutout out Brooks, 3-0, in the opener and Rivers, 4-0, in the championship. They also took care of Nichols, 6-1, and came up with a big 1-1 tie against Dexter, 1-1. Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) had four points, including a hat trick against Nichols, while freshman defender Abigail DeRoeve (Charlestown, Mass.) had seven assists on the weekend. Thayer is off until they host Austin Prep on Jan. 8. They have a chance to build momentum over the next few weeks.
9. Groton (6-1-1)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game: at BB&N, Jan. 11, 2:45 p.m.
Groton dropped one spot after a 2-1-1 weekend. The Zebras showed a ton of resolve in a huge 2-1 overtime win over New Hampton on Thursday, getting revenge for last year's Small School championship. They couldn't build on the momentum in a 3-3 draw with Berkshire ahead of a 2-1 win over Deerfield. On Saturday, Groton couldn't solve Bellissimo, dropping the title game for the second year in a row.
The Zebras' top line was back at it again as Scalese, Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) and Jaelyn Trudell (Andover, Mass.) had big weekends. Scalese finished with six points (four goals), while Trudell and Cronan were the heroes against New Hampton. They'll open 2025 at home against North Yarmouth Academy.
10. New Hampton (4-3-2)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Craig Churchill
Next game: at Middlesex, Jan. 11, 2:45 p.m.
New Hampton slid all the way to No. 10 after a rough weekend at the Watkins Tournament, going 1-2-1. Things didn't go the Huskies' way in an overtime loss against Groton, and Berkshire shut them out, 3-0, the next morning. New Hampton settled for a 1-1 tie with Deerfield later on Saturday before storming back in a 4-0 win over Worcester. The Berkshire loss marked a brief three-game skid, which included last week's loss to Thayer. The Huskies will have a chance to get back on track when they visit Middlesex on Jan. 11.
TOP PERFORMERS:Â 13 standouts in girls prep from Dec. 10-17
In the hunt: Phillips Exeter (6-0-0), Rivers (5-1-0), Kent (4-1-0), Deerfield (4-3-1), Lawrence Academy (4-4-0), Frederick Gunn (6-2-0), St. George's (5-2-0), Governor's (6-3-1)
