In spring 2022, Williston Northampton finally ruled girls prep hockey, claiming its first Chuck Vernon Elite 8 NEPSAC title. It was a special day winning at home, receiving the trophy from Vernon himself and ringing the victory bell. The words “magical season” were used a lot.
What did Williston have for an encore this season? A record of 27-0-1 and another Elite 8 championship.
“It was an amazing season, and we are very, very proud of the kids and grateful for the incredible ride that the season brought us,” Williston Northampton coach Christa Talbot-Syfu said.
Talbot-Syfu and assistant coach Alex Tancrell-Fontaine emphasized the one-game-at-a-time approach.
“We tried to keep things simple,” Talbot-Syfu said. “Our practices are structured in a way that the kids are working hard all the time and moving, and I feel that really reflects in our games and the kids are ready to compete.”
One area in which the team had success last year that Talbot-Syfu again stressed this year was defense.
“I would say that in the middle of January, similar to last year, we made a conscious effort to be even better defensively,” Talbot-Syfu said. “The kids were like, ‘We are winning games. Why do we need to better on defense?’ So we emphasized that, down the stretch, games are going to get tighter and tighter, so that is what we did. We watched video and spent more time getting better on defense and in the defensive zone with and, more importantly, without the puck.”
As Williston was cruising along, there were a few close calls to the undefeated record. One game that stood out was Feb. 8 against Choate. While Williston eventually won, 2-1, in overtime, the goals weren’t coming as easily as they normally did.
“We had to stay resilient and learn that it just does not always go in, and it was a good learning experience to keep playing our game,” Talbot-Syfu said.
Ten days later, Williston played Loomis Chaffee at home. Loomis Chaffee had Williston down, 1-0, entering the third period, but two goals from Talbot-Syfu’s squad made it 2-1. Loomis Chaffee pulled the goalie in the final minute to tie the game, 2-2, which is how it ended.
It was Williston’s only stumble in a perfect season.
“The girls took it as a loss,” Talbot-Syfu said. “When we got back to practice Monday, they were not happy, and it was a great motivator.”
Then came the run toward repeating as Elite 8 champions. It was not easy.
In the first round of the playoffs, Williston again saw Loomis and, again, Loomis brought its best. Talbot-Syfu’s team snuck away with a 3-2 win. After that was Nobles in the semifinals. The game was scoreless until captain Emily Crovo (Melrose, Mass.) potted the game-winning goal in overtime.
Lastly, there was rival Andover in the championship. After a scoreless first period, Williston exploded for three goals. The Wildcats got goals from Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.), Crovo and Miranda Calderone to give them a three-goal lead entering the final period.
All that experience from the year before, plus quite a bit of depth, kicked into gear, as Williston finished with a 4-1 win in the championship.
“I felt the kids came ready to play and took control,” Talbot-Syfu said. “It just seemed a matter of time that we would break things open.”
Talbot-Syfu’s senior class played a large role in delivering Williston an undefeated season. It starts with Crovo, the captain and tournament MVP. Her leadership, plus her outstanding skill, earned her the opportunity to play hockey for Holy Cross next season.
As for the rest of the class, Katherine Kang (Amherst, Mass.) will play hockey at Williams. Ava DeCoste (Marshfield, Mass.), one of the team’s offensive weapons, will play for Brown. Calderone, a defender, will join her at the Ivy League school. Jenna Guglielmi (Branford, Conn.), a postgrad goalie who made her way to Williston from Taft, will play at Wesleyan.
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And while Talbot-Syfu is proud of her girls winning the championship, there is something just as important to her.
“I want my kids," she said, "to leave here and walk across that stage at graduation and be confident in who they are, what they have learned about themselves and how they will impact their next community, and know they can overcome any kind of adversity.”
