It's playoff time in prep hockey.
The NEPSAC released its tournament brackets for the 2024 Chuck Vernon Elite 8, Patsy Odden Large School and Dorothy Howard Small School Tournaments late Saturday night. Click or tap here for the full brackets.
Naturally, the Elite 8 grabs the headlines, but the Large School Tournament is still plenty interesting especially this season.
Choate barely missed out on the Elite 8, while Westminster was right there until the very end of the regular season. Meanwhile, teams like Dexter and BB&N are getting red-hot at the right time. Thayer and Exeter won't be easy outs by any means, either.
There will be a new Large School champion this season, too, with St. Paul's in the Elite 8.
With that in mind, let's break down each team in the 2024 NEPSAC girls Large School Tournament.
1. Choate (18-6-0)
Record against teams in Large School:Â 1-0-0
Choate was on the cusp of the Elite 8 throughout the season (they were sixth in the RPI), but couldn't sneak in at the last second. Still, the Wild Boars have a big opportunity in front of them as the top seed in the Large School field. They'll have a bye in the quarterfinals. It's also their fourth straight season making the Large School Tournament.
Laura DiCarlo's team has been consistent throughout the season, never losing two in a row. They enter the postseason on a five-game win streak as part of an 8-2-0 stretch in their last 10. The Wild Boars have only faced one Large School opponent this season, beating Westminster, 3-1, in January.
GIRLS BRACKETS: Elite 8 Tournament | Large School Tournament | Small School Tournament
Senior forwards Norah Morris, a Sacred Heat commit, and Caroline Holm (Cheshire, Conn.), a Trinity commit, lead the way with 23 points each. Morris leads Choate with 11 goals, and Holm has 11. Sophomore Annie Forker (Stratford, Conn.) is enjoying a breakout season with 18 points (eight goals).
On the blue line, senior Middlebury commit Alison Giebler has held things down. She has a goal and eight points this season. In net, Elsa Haakonsen (Trumbull, Conn.), a Manhattanville commit, has shouldered the vast majority of the workload. She has a .92 save percentage this season.
2. Westminster (14-8-3)
Record against teams in Large School: 0-1-0
The Martlets were also on the Elite 8 bubble throughout the season but faded out of the running over the final stretch. A difficult three-game skid against Williston, Tabor and Loomis at the end of January is likely what did them in as far as the Elite 8 goes.
But Sara Ugalde's team recovered to go 4-2-2 in their last eight games heading into the playoffs. They have just one head-to-head matchup against a fellow Large School Tournament team, a 3-1 loss to Choate in January. This marks the second straight year that Westminster is the No. 2 seed, earning a quarterfinal bye.
Senior Middlebury commit Olivia Gordon (Avon, Conn.) has taken a huge step this year, pacing the Martlets with 20 points (10 goals) in 26 games. Junior forward Adrienne Hall (Simsbury, Conn.) leads with 11 goals (18 points). Freshman Bella Zapata has also had a strong year, putting up 10 goals.
Meanwhile, senior captain Alex Whelan (Ridgefield, Conn.) has been a lockdown defender, contributing seven points (one goal) as well. Senior Sacred Heart commit Julia Matyas has been fantastic this season. She holds a .95 save percentage, facing the eighth-most shots (558) in the NEPSAC and the most in the Large School field.
BOYS BRACKETS: Elite 8 Tournament | Large School Tournament | Small School Tournament
3. Dexter Southfield (14-9-1)
Record against teams in Large School: 2-2-0
Dexter had a huge second half to take hold of the third seed, earning a first-round date with Phillips Exeter. They started 1-4-0 through their first five games and 3-6-0 through their first nine.
Since then, Maggie Taverna's squad has caught fire. Dexter is 11-3-1 since Jan. 6, a run that includes a five-game win streak and no consecutive losses. They're currently on a two-game win streak with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10.
Sophomore Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.) is having a career season with 10 goals and 20 points. Sophomore Alex Mitsakis (Winchester, Mass.) also has career-bests in goals (nine) and points (17). Three skaters, including junior defender and Boston College commit Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.), have 13 points on the season, too.
Fellow junior and BC commit Alaina Dunn (Walpole, Mass.) has been a standout on the blue line as well. Three goaltenders have seen action this season for Dexter with Addie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.) playing the most. She has a .91 save percentage.
4. BB&N (13-10-4)
Record against teams in Large School: 3-0-0
The 2022 Large School champions followed a similar script as Dexter, surging down the stretch to clinch the No. 4 seed and a first-round matchup with Thayer. It's their fourth straight season in a tournament and third straight in the Large School bracket.
BB&N struggled in a 3-7-3 stretch from Dec. 9 to Jan. 26, but Ed Bourget's Knights turned it around. They're 8-3-1 since Jan. 27 and 6-3-1 in their last 10. Maybe the biggest item of note is their 3-0-0 record against Large School tournament teams. They have wins over Dexter, Thayer and Exeter. The victory over Thayer was a 4-2 result last Friday, helping the Knights jump ahead to No. 4.
Bourget's X-factor could be junior forward Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.), a Yale commit. She missed most of the season with injury, but recently returned, putting up seven points (four goals) in six games. Her return to the lineup is undoubtedly a massive boost for the Knights.
BRACKET BREAKDOWNS: Elite 8Â Tournament | Small School Tournament
Senior forward and Bowdoin commit Meg Britt (Arlington, Mass.) leads BB&N with 16 points (eight goals) on the season. Junior Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) a Harvard commit, has 13 points (five goals) from the blue line as well.
Senior Stonehill commit Alexsa Caron has gotten the most time between the pipes this season, boasting a .95 save percentage to this point. She's faced 411 shots this season, the second-most in the Large School bracket
5. Thayer (16-9-2)
Record against teams in Large School: 1-2-0
The Tigers are back in the Large School Tournament for the first time since 2020. They'll draw BB&N in the quarterfinals.
Brandy Fisher-Bailey's team has struggled down the stretch, losing three in a row and four of five as injuries and illness took hold of the roster — Thayer dressed just 13 skaters in a Feb. 16 loss to Nobles. They previously had a 9-2-1 run from Jan. 10 through Feb. 9. As for tournament opponents, the Tigers have a win and a loss against Dexter, plus a loss to BB&N in the regular-season finale.
But if Thayer can get healthy, it'll be a tough out. This season also features a younger roster with 10 underclassmen, including six eighth-graders.
Leading the way is one of the region's best players in junior forward Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.). The Harvard commit has 37 points this season and a career-high 27 goals in 23 games, good enough for second in the NEPSAC. Linemate Kate Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.), a UNH commit, is also over a point per game with 34 points (18 goals).
Junior defender Abby DeAnzeris is in the midst of a breakout season, posting career bests across the board with six goals, 12 assists and 18 points. In net, senior Elizabeth MacDonald (Medford, Mass.) has seen the most action, posting an .89 save percentage. The 409 shots she's seen this season is the third-most among Large School Tournament goalies.
6. Phillips Exeter (12-11-2)
Record against teams in Large School: 0-2-0
Exeter rounds out the Large School Tournament field at No. 6. It's their first time qualifying for a NEPSAC tournament since they were the No. 8 seed in the 2009 Division 1 bracket.
The Big Red were one of the region's best to start this season, going 8-2-0 in their first 10 games. But they struggled in the dog days of the season going 1-7-0 from Jan. 13 through Feb. 3, a run that included a three-game skid, a four-game skid and shutout losses to BB&N and Dexter. Those two matchups are their only samples against Large School tournament teams this season.
BOYS PREVIEWS: Elite 8 Tournament | Large School Tournament | Small School Tournament
But Sally Komarek's team had a 3-2-2 run to finish the season, including a massive win and tie over Elite 8-bound St. Paul's as well as a tie with New Hampton, the No. 2 seed in the Small School bracket. All of it was enough to propel Exeter back into the Large School fold.
Sophomore forward Maria Gray paces the Big Red with 26 points (16 goals) in 25 games. Meanwhile, freshman forward Paisley Meyer (Greenland, NH) has 21 points (nine goals) on the season.
Between the pipes, junior Allie Bell (Rowley, Mass.), a Villanova commit in lacrosse, has gotten the lion's share of the work, putting up an .88 save percentage.
