Ask almost any NEPSAC program coming into the season, and you’re sure to hear that expectations are high.
It’s a reasonable ask. The talent pool around the region is as deep as ever. Almost anyone can beat anyone on any given night. A bounce here or a bounce there could be the difference between reaching the Elite 8, landing in the Large or Small School tournaments or missing the postseason entirely. Rivers knows that well.
Two seasons ago, the Red Wings finished under .500. Since Keith McLean took over following the 2022-23 season, his group has qualified for back-to-back Small School tournaments. Rivers was also in Elite 8 contention for a large chunk of last season.
The margins are ever thin, though. One of the favorites in the Small School field, the No. 2 Red Wings came up short in the semifinals, falling to eventual runner-up No. 6 St. Mark’s, 3-0, to finish 18-10-1. It marked their highest win total since 2019-20.
Coming into this season, Rivers is positioned better than ever.
“We made major strides in improving our program from two years ago,” McLean said. “Last year was really a major step up in our level of play. We competed hard, and we had a few signature wins that went a long way with our young core.”
Rarely do teams have the luxury of returning essentially the same lineup from the previous season.
Consider Rivers one of the lucky few.
The Red Wings might have graduated six players, but they return 12 upperclassmen, including nine seniors, as well as a talented core of six underclassmen.
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“It’s a luxury,” McLean said. “We lost really one key player in Lindsay Morin … so it’s not like we were in a situation where we had to go out and rebuild the team. Everyone will be a year older, a season stronger and used to playing at the prep level, which helps our continuity and chemistry as a team. I know what the chemistry of this team is going to be because pretty much everyone’s returning.”
Nine of the 10 leading scorers from last season are back in the mix. Of those nine, four are part of that vaunted sophomore class, including three who finished with at least 20 points and were among Rivers’ five leading point-getters.
“Really, the strength of our team was our freshman class,” McLean said. “That experience from last year, playing a lot of hard games and playing meaningful games at the end of the season, should help them take another jump.”
McLean expects big things from sophomore forwards like Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.), Nora Swaim (Concord, Mass.) and his daughter, Nora McLean (Canton, Mass.). Nora McLean finished second on the team last season with 24 points (nine goals), one behind Morin (Weston, Mass.), now a freshman on Georgetown’s field hockey team. Burns tallied 23 points (nine goals), while Swaim’s 14 goals were good enough for second on the team as part of a 20-point year.
“They had breakout years last year, but I think they can continue to get better,” McLean said. “With the two Noras as power wingers, our goal-scoring was really spread out last year. … We have so many supporting cast members who can all play and all score when needed.”
Along with the underclassmen up front, Rivers will rely on an experienced presence in junior forward Brooke Bartlett (Wayland, Mass.) to also drive the offense. The standout center broke out as a sophomore with 21 points (nine goals) before committing to Harvard in the offseason.
Bartlett, who McLean sees as the “complete package” along with Burns, has been on the team since she was in seventh grade, steadily improving each year. Entering her fifth season on the team, she’s had a front-row seat to the program’s growth.
“My freshman year was definitely hard. We had issues, and it just didn’t really click,” Bartlett said. “Last year, I definitely saw some big improvements. I really had so much trust in my teammates. … I’m very excited for how this season is going to go because I know everyone’s just getting better. I think it’s all going to come together.”
High, too, is the ceiling of dynamic sophomore defender Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.), coming off an 18-point year on the back end. McLean has high hopes for her and freshman Joelle Burns (Winchester, Mass.) as key pieces on the blue line, along with senior Kyleigh Rabazzi (Burlington, Mass.) and junior Kathryn Butkus (Hopkinton, Mass.). Each has the mobility to make an impact in all three zones.
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“We play an aggressive style. I want my defense jumping into the play,” McLean said. “We try to utilize their skating and offensive ability with Mia and Kylie. Joelle is super aggressive and fearless, and I would add Kathryn to that mix. … She’s becoming way more comfortable with the prep game.”
With such a young group of key contributors, learning from last season’s shortcomings will be critical.
“Having your hopes being crushed — we knew we could win that (Small School) tournament,” senior goalie and captain Ellie Beigel (Natick, Mass.) said. “We’re definitely going to try and make that a key point as captains, to remember last year, play for the prize and play for your seniors. I’m excited. I think a lot of people have that fire in them, especially the underclassmen.”
Beigel, a SUNY Plattsburgh commit, will be vital to Rivers’ success.
After sharing the net with Serafina Applegate (Lexington, Mass.) the past two seasons, Beigel is in line to take the reins in the crease. The continuity around the team entering the year has only bolstered her confidence.
“I’m ready to just show what I’m capable of,” Beigel said. “I’ve been waiting for a year like this. I feel like we have a great group that can score, that keeps their head up and communicates. We have tons of chemistry.”
Beigel makes up a leadership group that includes senior forwards Chloe Chitkara (Wayland, Mass.) and Kate Hayes (Wellesley, Mass.), who are each critical pieces as well. Chitkara, a reliable, 200-foot center, had nine points (six goals) last winter, while Hayes had 18 points (10 goals).
McLean believes a big season is in store for his netminder, thanks in part to Beigel’s work ethic, which he hopes will permeate throughout the locker room.
“Honestly, Ellie Beigel is the most underrated goalie in our league,” McLean said. “Having the net to herself this year and being committed, I feel like she’s going to have a breakout season, and people are going to see what I know. … She’s on the ice in the mornings, having kids come shoot on her before school. I can’t tell you how hard she works. She’s a kid who loves it and outworks every kid on our team. That’s why she’s been elected captain.”
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With so many young stars coming of age together, it could be easy for Rivers to become overconfident. But the Red Wings still have that chip on their shoulders.
“Two years ago, when we would play teams hard or knock off a good team, it was almost like a backhanded compliment: ‘Oh, they’re a gritty team.’ I think that transition from two years ago to last year is that we probably earned more respect,” McLean said. “I think people may be seeing us for what we are, which is a very talented, young team who are disciplined and play hard and are a tough team to play against.”
Bartlett said, “I think some teams we put up really good fights against are going to be a bit more worried, but in the grand scheme of things, I don’t really think teams are ever going to be scared to play against Rivers, and I think that’s something that can be a strength of ours. … I’m definitely someone who likes to go to a game and prove people wrong.”
