It's tournament time in the NEPSAC.
The full sprint that is the playoffs begins this week with the Small School, Large School and Elite 8 tournaments. The quarterfinals kick off Wednesday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday. A Small School champion will be crowned Sunday at 11 a.m. at Taft School.
New Hampton, the back-to-back champions, enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed, coming in at 19-6-4. Rivers is the No. 2 seed at 17-9-1. Meanwhile, Governor's (14-12-2) is No. 3, and Lawrence Academy (10-15-0) is No. 4.
So, how does every team stack up in this year’s tournament?
Let's look at each team and why they could win it all.
1. New Hampton (19-6-4)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 0-0-2Â
Why they could win: The short answer here is New Hampton has the deepest roster in the Small School field. Senior Yale commit Kennedy Walker is tied for second in the NEPSAC with 42 points (24 goals). Five other forwards have 20 or more points. Senior Middlebury commit Trinity Walsh has 31 points (11 goals), while senior UNH commit Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.) has 29 points (12 goals). Junior Kelsey Baker has 28 points, and senior Colby commit Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan (Wells, Maine) and senior Middlebury commit Caroline Thomas each have 22 points. On defense, UConn commit True Thompson leads NEPSAC defenders with 37 points (11 goals), and junior Vermont commit Addy Peel has 18 points (five goals). In net, newcomer Elizabeth Vincent boasts a .920 save percentage with three shutouts. New Hampton's 106 total goals are fourth-most in the NEPSAC and by far the most in the field.
The Huskies are red-hot, too. They've won nine in a row and are unbeaten in 14 of their last 15 after beating St. Paul's for the Lakes Region title. New Hampton started its season with a win at Nobles, but struggled around the holidays with losses to Thayer, Groton and Berkshire, plus a tie with Deerfield, hurt their Elite 8 odds. Nevertheless, they enter the Small School tournament with back-to-back titles to defend, gunning for a fourth straight trip to the championship.
PREP BRACKETS: Girls Elite 8 | Girls Large School | Girls Small School | Boys Elite 8 | Boys Large School | Boys Small School
2. Rivers (17-9-1)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 4-0-1
Why they could win: The Red Wings have a good blend of youth and experience and have benefitted from balanced production throughout the lineup. They play an up-tempo offensive style. Eight skaters have over double-digit points, and six are over 15 points. Lindsay Morin (Weston, Mass.) leads the way with 23 points (13 goals), with freshman Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.) and sophomore Brooke Bartlett behind her with 21 points (eight goals) each. Freshmen Nora McLean (Canton, Mass.) and Nora Swaim (Concord, Mass.) are exciting talents, too. On defense, freshman Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.) has 14 points (five goals), leading a young blue line along with junior Kyleigh Rabazzi (Burlington, Mass.) and sophomore Kathryn Butkus (Hopkinton, Mass.). All three goalies have contributed, too, between juniors Ellie Beigel (Natick, Mass.) and Ava Russo (Newton, Mass.) as well as senior Colby commit Serafina Applegate (Lexington, Mass.).
Keith McLean's team will be flying high after upsetting Dexter in the regular-season finale. Rivers has also beaten Small School opponents like Mount, St. Mark's, Governor's and Lawrence Academy. They also tied St. George's. Other notable results for Rivers include a win over Exeter and losses to Williston, Cushing, BB&N, Thayer (twice), Tabor and Nobles. They were in Elite 8 contention early on in the season, too.
3. Governor's (14-12-2)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 2-0-2
Why they could win: Governor's is much improved from last season after injecting even more young talent to the roster. Eight skaters have reached double-digit points, including three with 20 or more. Freshman Brooke Carlson (North Andover, Mass.) leads with 30 points (14 goals). Sophomore Lana Hardin (Tyngsboro, Mass.) has 23 points (11 goals) and sophomore Elena Gordon has 22 points (11 goals). Freshman Megan Carlson (North Andover, Mass.) is an exciting presence on defense, too. In net, junior Liz Luong (Framingham, Mass.) gives Gov's an all-important edge. She has a .931 save percentage.
Claudia Barcomb's team has the third-highest opponents' winning percentage of the Small School field. They've taken down teams like Lawrence Academy and St. George's, tied New Hampton and St. Mark's and fallen to Exeter, Cushing, Andover, Dexter, Groton, BB&N, Thayer, Tabor and Rivers. Five of those losses have been this month, and two were in overtime. That challenging road could have Gov's sharp once the tournament begins.
WHY EACH TEAM COULD WIN:Â Girls Large School breakdownÂ
4. Lawrence Academy (10-15-0)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 1-3-0
Why they could win: The Spartans have taken massive strides under first-year coach Nikki Petrich, improving on last winter's four-win season. They have a strong first line, led by Norwich-bound senior Geena Cookinham's (Gilmanton Ironworks, N.H.) 30 points (17 goals). Seniors Ava Glab (24 points) and Kayla Rice (Walpole, Mass.; 16 points) round out the top unit. Sophomore goalies Olivia Doucette (Hamilton, Mass.) and Madi Beyor (Candia, NH) have each had good seasons. Beyor has a .933 save percentage and Doucette has a .928.
Lawrence has faced a tough road. Their schedule was the hardest of any Small School team. They've had competitive losses against Nobles and Andover. Against Small School foes, they beat St. George's, lost to Rivers and lost by one goal to Governor's and St. Mark's. They also have a win over Large School contender Berkshire.
5. St. George's (11-11-2)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 1-3-1
Why they could win: The Dragons have one of the more dynamic talents in the field in junior Holy Cross commit Maddie Lahah (North Attleboro, Mass.). A strong 200-foot presence, she's in the midst of another point-per-game campaign, leading St. George's with 15 goals and 31 points. She could take over a game. If an opponent shuts her down, Kim Tiberi's group will look to Carah Ford (York, Maine), Sophie Procaccini (Walpole, Mass.), Maggie Buffery (Warwick, R.I.) and Cora Buzzard (Branford, Conn.) to step up. They'll need St. Anselm commit Kalyssa Bayne at her best in the crease, too.
St. George's has had a tough finishing stretch with one-goal losses to Nobles, Groton, Tabor and St. Mark's as well as two-goal losses to Dexter and BB&N. They also tied Rivers and gave Thayer a fight earlier in the season.
ELITE 8 PREVIEW: Breaking down every team in this year’s bracket
6. St. Mark's (9-12-3)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 2-1-2
Why they could win: The Lions have done well against Small School opponents. Kerstin Matthew's team tied New Hampton and Governor's and beat Lawrence and St. George's. They also lost a competitive game against Rivers. St. Mark's also gave Deerfield a tough battle early in the season. Senior Boston University commit Jackie Wright gives them an all-important advantage in net. She's faced the most shots of any goalie in the field (449) and holds a .933 save percentage. They'll need Ella Lefebvre (Grafton, Mass.; nine goals, 16 points), Hadley Gibbons (Needham, Mass.; five goals, 14 points) and Katie Barrett (Sandwich, Mass.; eight assists, 10 points) to continue their production, as well as Hannah Macron (seven goals) and Allie Sauls (five goals).
7. Mount Saint Charles (14-7-0)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 0-1-0
Why they could win: It's been all about offense for Mount in their debut season in the NEPSAC. Sophia Vingi's group has posted four or more goals in 11 of 20 league games this season. In league play, eighth-grade sensation Alexa Buco (Cranston, R.I.) has 24 goals and 32 points. Senior Kaylin O'Connor (Smithfield, R.I.) has 31 points (17 goals) in league games, freshman Madison Caramante (Glocester, R.I.) has 26 points (13 goals) and senior Keira Goffe (Smithfield, R.I.) has 22 points (10 goals). If Mount's offense can catch lightning in a bottle, they could do some damage. They'll know what to expect against their first-round opponent, Rivers, losing to them on Dec. 18.
MVP CANDIDATES: 18 players who could win MVP in the girls Elite 8
8. Frederick Gunn (14-11-1)
Record against teams in the Small School tournament: 0-1-0
Why they could win: Gunn struggled with a six-game losing streak to end January and start February, but they've turned it around of late, going 4-2-1 since Feb. 8. Daniel Allen's squad has a strong goaltender in senior Emily Krauss (Milford, Conn.), who's having a career season with a .933 save percentage and two shutouts. The offense has been balanced, too. Gunn can continue to lean on Maria Gilshannon (Woodbridge, Conn.; 11 goals, 21 points) and Sofia Cuozzo (Guilford, Conn.; 16 goals, 20 points) and Izzy Blake (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.; nine goals, 19 points) as well as Brianna Boulanger (Danbury, Conn.) and Skylar Toffolo.
