The third time was a charm for Groton.
New Hampton entered this year’s Small School bracket with an incredible championship pedigree on its side, seeking a fourth straight championship. Twice in the last three seasons, it was the Zebras on the losing end of the title game.
Naturally, when Groton reached the winner’s circle in the Large School tournament, past heartbreak was going to make for a sweet taste regardless of the opponent. But getting it done against the champs, to become the champs? That was icing on the cake.
“Getting over that hurdle, that hump (against New Hampton), it’s such a relief,” said Groton coach Tim LeRoy, whose team was the No. 1 seed in this season’s Small bracket after its first-ever Elite 8 appearance last season. “It’s a special moment, for sure. … (Craig Churchill) has a really good club and he finds ways to get the team going, especially in the playoffs.”
There was little margin for error in the championship.
Sophomore defender Caroline Matusovich (New Gloucester, Maine) scored the game-winning goal in the third period and junior goaltender Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.) pitched a shutout to secure MVP honors, leading the top-seeded Zebras to a 1-0 win over New Hampton — a statistical underdog this time around as a No. 7 seed — and their first crown under LeRoy.
LATEST MAGAZINE: Check out the March/April 2026 edition of New England Hockey Journal
While a pair of underclass players were the championship heroes, the story of this team was its seven seniors, including a pair of five-year members of the program in forward Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) and defender Sydney Nelson (Lowell, Mass.).
“I’m just so proud of this group. I think we played really well as a team,” said Scalese, a Princeton commit who was a three-time 20-goal scorer with the Zebras and netted 12 this season. “It feels awesome. We came here having been in this position twice before, knowing what it takes to win. I think we came out with the idea that we weren’t going home with second place again.”
LeRoy feels the same. Their presence made all the difference.
“If anything, it means the world,” LeRoy said. “I think our girls rallied around our seniors. With Tina and Syd being (here) five years and the rest all four years, they’ve been in it. I think (the rest of the team) trusted them. They also knew we were going to get the job done. They’re experienced. So, this is for them.”
It wasn’t smooth sailing all the way through the season, though.
After a split of the first four regular-season games, Groton found a turning point at Cushing’s Edward G. Watkins Invitational the week before Christmas, sweeping past Millbrook, Berkshire and the host Penguins. From there, the team overcame a mid-season period with an inconsistent lineup due to injuries and illness to become its best self when the games mattered the most.
In the end, the Zebras held a 19-6-2 record, taking back-to-back losses only once while finishing the season on a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1). It was their fourth straight winter posting 17 or more victories.
BOYS BEST OF NEW ENGLAND: Top 50 ’07s | Top 50 ’08s | Top 50 ’09s | ’10s to watch
“I think that (Watkins) win showed us that there was potential and we could get over the hurdle of winning that big game,” LeRoy said. “I think that point showed us a lot, and the wins throughout the next two months helped us kind of believe that we could get it done.”
The team’s NEPSAC Small postseason run featured three low-scoring games, as it notched a 2-1 overtime win over Frederick Gunn and a 2-0 shutout of St. Mark’s to set the stage for the title game.
A defensive-minded game was a theme of Groton’s play all season long, not just at the very end. Incredibly, it allowed no more than one goal in 19 of 24 games.
“I went into the preseason and was like, ‘Wow, this year feels different,’” said junior defender Tatum Friedholm (Sudbury, Mass.). “We had more girls than we’ve ever had, and we were deeper, especially bringing back five of our six defensemen. … I knew that we could make it all the way.”
Wilson backstopped that effort with a .938 save percentage in her second season as the starter.
“Some of the tough losses we’ve had against the bigger clubs, she was frustrated by it because she knew she could have a better showing,” LeRoy said. “Nora is someone who will show up and compete, and we challenged her to take that role and be ready to go. … She did the job. She’s one that’s gonna keep getting better, and we’re excited to have her another year.”
While the roster is set to lose three NCAA hockey commits among its seniors, the Zebras are excited about the return of Wilson and a talented crop of defenders, including Matusovich and Friedholm, who have helped set the groundwork for the program.
GIRLS BEST OF NEW ENGLAND: Top 50 ’07s | Top 50 ’08s | Top 50 ’09s | ’10s to watch
The future is bright, but this one’s for the seniors.
“It’s bittersweet because I don’t want it to end,” Scalese said. “I’m so sad, but to do it alongside all my best friends who are seniors — we’ve been here for so long — it’s just so special. I’ll definitely remember this for the rest of my life.”
