With the prep and high school seasons in the rearview, club hockey is the main focus for a lot of the region's hockey players once again.
Some of the best teams in Massachusetts and New England will compete next week for a shot at glory during USA Hockey Nationals.
Massachusetts held its 16u championship back in the fall after Thanksgiving. Assabet Valley beat the Massachusetts Spitfires in the 16U division to earn a spot at nationals. Meanwhile, the Spitfires qualified on an at-large basis. In the 14U division, which took place earlier this month, the Boston Advantage beat Assabet Valley to automatically advance to nationals. Assabet earned an at-large bid as well.
The New England District held its regional championships earlier this month. The Connecticut Polar Bears won the 16U division, while the Casco Bay Mariners (Maine) won in 14U.
All of the tournaments will be held April 2-7. The girls 16U and 14U Tier I championships will be held in Wesley Chapel, Fla., along with the 19U championship. Meanwhile, the 16U Tier II championship will be in Green Bay, Wisc., beginning April 3. The 14U Tier II tournament will be in Sioux Falls, S.D., beginning April 3 as well.
Earlier this week, we broke down the players to watch across the 19U age group. So, now it's time to take a look at some of the headliners across 16U and 14U to watch at nationals.
16U Tier I
There are plenty of current NEPSAC and MIAA stars in this group.
Among the MIAA representation is the Spitfires' Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.), who scored 27 goals in 20 games this year for Pembroke. The rising senior eclipsed the 100-goal and 150-point milestones for her career.
From the NEPSAC, the Spitfires also feature Williston rising senior Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.), who can be a dangerous scoring threat as a forward or a dynamic two-way presence as a defender. There's Milton rising junior defender Mary Quatrale (Pembroke, Mass.), who had career highs on the blue line this season for the Mustangs. BB&N rising junior forward Anika Singh (Lexington, Mass.) is coming off a strong playoff run and a season where she posted a career-best eight goals.
Thayer, Nobles and Dexter Southfield are well-represented on the Spitfires. Thayer rising senior defender Abby DeAnzeris (Needham, Mass) had a big breakout season with 19 points (seven goals) from the blue line. Teammate and rising senior Kate Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.), a UNH commit, had a career season as well. She had 18 goals and 34 points on a productive top line for the Tigers. There's Nobles' rising junior Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.). Hulbig enjoyed a big season with 11 goals and 25 assists for the Bulldogs, and she's someone who should hear from colleges come June 15. Rising junior Maddie Jaeger (Westwood, Mass.) played big minutes on the blue line for Nobles, too. Meanwhile, Dexter rising senior Alaina Dunn (Walpole, Mass.) is a strong defender committed to Boston College. Rising junior forward Maddie Funk (Duxbury, Mass.) ranked third in scoring for Dexter this season.
Also among those to watch on the Spitfires is Tilton goalie Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.). The rising junior saw the sixth-most shots of any NEPSAC goalie this season and put up a .94 save percentage. There's Loomis Chaffee rising junior forward Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.). She had 18 points this season, second among the Pelicans. Keep an eye on Brooks' rising senior Bella Mondolfi (Waltham, Mass.), coming off a career season, as well as Tabor rising sophomore Lilly Shaughnessy (Medfield, Mass.) as well.
Assabet boasts a ton of high-end talent from the prep ranks as well. Groton rising junior Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) led the Zebras in scoring for the third straight season. Her 51 points (25 goals) ranked third in the NEPSAC.
Phillips Andover has plenty of representation. Rising junior forward Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) is a top 2007-born prospect, and the same is true of younger sister Maggie Averill when it comes to 2008 defenders. Caroline will be a popular college recruit come June 15. Rising junior forward Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) and rising senior forward Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.), a Boston College commit, ranked second and third, respectively, in scoring for the Big Blue this season. Mara's twin, Lexi, is coming off the Large School title with BB&N this season. Also among the Andover contingent is rising sophomore defender Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.). She had an impressive freshman season, playing mostly big minutes alongside Maggie Averill.
Dexter rising senior defender Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) is an excellent puck-mover and two-way presence. She's committed to BC, too. There's also Dexter forwards Evelyn Doyle (Needham, Mass.), a rising junior, and Marion Legge (Scituate, Mass.), a rising senior. Doyle led Dexter in scoring this season with 26 points.
Assabet also features St. Mark's goalie Ines Khamis. A rising junior, Khamis split the net this season, posting a .92 save percentage. Cushing rising junior forward Madelyn Soderquist (Woburn, Mass.) ranked second in goals for the Penguins. Nobles' Rachel Zhao (Westwood, Mass.) is coming off a 21-point season as a sophomore.
Taking a look at the Polar Bears, there are plenty from Williston to keep track of, whether it's forwards Riley Stocker, Brooke Schlutter and Brenna Ziter (Williston, Vt.) or defender Nina Coffee (Old Lyme, Conn.). Stocker had 18 points as a freshman this season. Schlutter had 11 points as a freshman, including a goal in the Elite 8 championship. Ziter saw big jumps in production as a sophomore, going from one goal to seven and two points to 10. Coffee, a left-handed defender, brings a tall frame to the blue line.
Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.) led Loomis Chaffee with 19 points (six goals) as a junior this season. Amanda Ranaudo led Canterbury with 11 goals (17 points) as a sophomore this season. Meanwhile, Jillian Smith ranked second for goals (10) and points (17) on Millbrook this season. There's also Westminster rising sophomore Bella Zapata, a strong skater who made a good first impression this season with 10 goals.
NATIONALS: 19U girls players to watch at USA Hockey Nationals
All three Polar Bears goalies, Berkshire's Katie Hurley, Hill's Amy Wang and Lawrenceville's Sarah Martin saw action this season.
16U Tier II
There are a handful of players to keep an eye on in the 16U Tier II group as well, mainly with the Spitfires.
Several impact players from both the NEPSAC and the MIAA will suit up with the Spitfires in Green Bay. There's Notre Dame (Hingham) rising junior center Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.), who is coming off a 20-goal season. She's someone who could have college interest come June 15. There's also Canton rising junior forward Izzy Cusack, one of the more dangerous scorers in MIAA Division 2. She had 19 goals this season.
As far as the NEPSAC representation goes, the Spitfires have Dexter rising juniors Addie and MacKenzie Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.). The former had a .90 save percentage in net for Dexter, and the latter had nine points on defense. St. George's rising junior Maddie Lahah (North Attleboro, Mass.) is coming off a big breakout season with 37 points (19 goals) in 22 games. Meanwhile, versatile Groton rising junior Jamie Noonan (East Bridgewater, Mass.) provided solid secondary production for the Zebras this season.
The Rhode Island Sting, Boston Jr. Eagles and Mid Fairfield Stars all qualified for the 16U Tier II as well.
The Jr. Eagles feature young goalie Sophia Luoni (Natick, Mass.). She ran with the starting job as a freshman for Natick High this season.
Portsmouth Abbey goalie Jayden Elias is in net for the Sting. She had a .95 save percentage while facing the third-most shots of any goaltender in the NEPSAC (758) this season. Ravens rising sophomore defender Anna Hutton is coming off a solid freshman season. She had 12 points on defense. The Sting also have St. George's rising sophomore blue-liner Maggie Buffery (Warwick, R.I.). She put up 13 points as a freshman.
RESOR RETURNING:Â Longtime Nobles coach to come back for another season
Loomis Chaffee has some names to watch with the Stars in rising sophomore forwards Brooke Murphy and Easton Pramuka. Each had 12 points as a freshman, with Murphy chipping in seven goals and Pramuka dishing 10 assists.
14U Tier I
Lastly, we have the 14U's, which includes some of the top young skaters to look out for in the NEPSAC and MIAA moving forward.
Starting with Assabet, St. Mary's Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.) was flat-out dominant as a freshman in the MIAA this season. The Spartans' top-line center had 48 goals this season and capped her debut off with a three-point outing (two goals, one assist) in the Division 1 championship en route to a title. She's an electrifying player.
Also among MIAA players to watch are Lincoln-Sudbury's Tatum Friedholm and Lauren Kennedy. Kennedy had a fantastic season as the starting goalie for LS, posting a .947 save percentage and 1.03 goals-against average as an eighth-grader. Meanwhile, Friedholm put up 22 points as a freshman defender.
Yes, there's another Averill, too. Elizabeth Averill (Wayland, Mass.), a 2010, is an intriguing forward prospect to track, given the success of her older sisters, Caroline, Maggie and Anne Averill. Anne, currently a freshman blue-liner at Dartmouth, also played at Phillips Andover.
Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.) excelled as a freshman on Williston's top line this season. She had 24 points (eight goals). She had five points in five games during the 14U state tournament earlier this month. Groton forward Zoe Smith (Westford, Mass.) had five points as an eighth-grader. Rivers defender Kathryn Butkus and Pomfret forward Alex Lee (Pomfret, Conn.) each had solid freshman seasons as well.
Berwick's Blake Metcalf (Scarborough, Maine) put up 16 points as a freshman defender this season. Eighth-grader Ava Souza (Portsmouth, NH) led the team in scoring with 20 points.
STATE OF GIRLS HOCKEY: It’s surging. And it’s only going to get bigger
For the Mariners, Charlotte Matusovich (New Gloucester, Maine) ranked third in scoring for North Yarmouth Academy with 19 points as a freshman. Franke Cormier-McFarlane (Old Orchard, Maine) led Berwick with 11 goals as a freshman.
The Boston Advantage, a full-season squad out of Lovell Academy, has some prospects to watch closely as well. Annabelle Lovell (Hingham, Mass.) showed out during the state tournament earlier this month with 16 points (eight goals) in five games. The same can be said of Aubryn Monter (eight goals, 13 points) and Sydney Stoughton (three goals, 10 points). Mirella Martinelli (North Providence, R.I.) had five points in five games on defense. Goalie Peyton Scott (Hanover, Mass.) had a 1.14 goals-against average in four starts.
