The mad dash to the holiday break is upon us.
Nearly every team in prep will be busy this weekend with holiday tournaments taking over the region.
Before we can get to any of that, though, we've got some top performers to break down. The past week was a big one across the NEPSAC with a handful of ranked matchups to go along with plenty of scoring, individual heroics and stout goaltending.
It all led to plenty of shuffling in this week's rankings, not to mention a ton of top performers to get to below.
A friendly reminder: attending every NEPSAC girls prep hockey game in New England is impossible, so we rely on reports from coaches, parents and social media accounts to help us select the performers in a given week. If you have a nominee, please email me at patrick.donnelly@hockeyjournal.com by Tuesday of a given week.
Let's dive into the top girls prep performers from Dec. 10-16.
Rachel Zhao
Nobles, Class of 2026, F, right shot
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.
Zhao is prep's leading scorer to begin the season with 13 points (nine goals) in five games. The uncommitted senior is well on her way to a career season, and she had 10 points (six goals) in three games last week. Zhao had two goals and two assists in a 6-1 win over St. Mark's, a hat trick and two assists in a 12-0 thumping of Mount and a goal in a 2-1 win at Choate.
Austin Prep, Class of 2026, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Wilmington, Mass.
Sampson continued her ridiculous start to the season with seven points in two games last week. She had two goals and two assists in a 4-1 win over Worcester Academy before potting two more and an assist in a 4-1 win over Pomfret. She now has 14 points (nine goals) in five games.
Adia Murphy
Austin Prep, 7/11/2008, F, right shot
Hometown: Dedham, Mass.
Murphy also had seven points in two games for AP last week, with a goal and three assists versus Worcester and two goals and an assist versus Pomfret. She's up to 13 points (four goals) in five games.
Brooke Carlson
Governor's, 01/2009, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: North Andover, Mass.
Carlson is off to a fantastic start to her sophomore season at Gov's. She had five points, including four goals, across three games last week. She scored in a 2-1 win over New Hampton and a 2-1 loss to then-No. 5 Cushing, and she added two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win over Proctor.
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Janie Martin
Middlesex, 05/2008, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Burlington, Mass.
NCAA: Assumption
Martin remains one of prep's more prolific goal-scorers as a senior, sitting at seven tucks through five games. She came out firing in a 7-1 win over Proctor, leading the way with a four-goal game.
Lindsay Stepnowski
Loomis Chaffee, 1/28/08, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: South Glastonbury, Conn.
NCAA: Harvard
After being held in check in Loomis' opener at Nobles, Stepnowski caught fire last week with seven points in two games. She had a hand in every goal in a 3-1 win over then-No. 7 Deerfield, putting up two goals and an assist. She also had a four-point game, including a hat trick, in a 10-0 win at Canterbury.
Paisley Meyer
Phillips Exeter, 8/3/2009, F, left shot, 5-6
Hometown: Greenland, NH
NCAA: Yale
Meyer is on fire to begin her junior season with 10 points in five games. She had a huge weekend at the Exeter Invitational, putting up six points in two of three games. She had two goals in a 4-2 win over Brewster before putting up a goal and three assists in a 5-0 shutout against Kimball Union.
Nora Shea
Nobles, 08/2008, D, left shot
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
After a nine-point, three-goal showing in 30 games as a freshman, Shea is already having a career season with 10 points (three goals) in five games. The blue-liner had seven points across three contests for Nobles last week, notching assists against St. Mark's and Choate. She also had a goal and four assists against Mount.
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Phillips Exeter, 2008, F, left shot
Hometown: Cornwall, Vt.
NCAA: Northeastern
Sears is a massive part of Exeter's attack once again, putting up 12 points (10 assists) in five games. She had five points at the Exeter Invitational, posting two assists against Brewster Academy and KUA before adding another in a 1-1 tie with Hill School.
Kelsey MacPherson
St. Paul’s, 11/12/2010, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.
MacPherson hasn't missed a beat in her transition from the MIAA to prep, leading St. Paul's with 10 points (three goals) in five games. The freshman is coming off a five-point week in which she had a goal and two assists in a 7-0 win over Lawrence Academy before adding assists in shutout wins against Middlesex and Holderness.
Raven Bennett
Frederick Gunn, 07/2010, D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Morris, Conn.
Bennett already has career bests in goals (four) and points (nine) after putting up a goal and five helpers as a freshman. She had six points across four games last week. After scoring against Millbrook, she had a goal and two assists against Vermont Academy at the Exeter Invitational before finishing the weekend strong with a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Brewster.
Maddy Humber
St. Paul’s, 2010, D, left shot, 5-9
Hometown: Concord, Mass.
After an impressive freshman season, Humber could be on her way to an even better sophomore campaign with eight points in five games. Six of those points came in the past week. She had a goal and an assist against Lawrence before scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 win at Middlesex. Humber also had a three-assist game in a 5-0 win over Holderness.
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Edith Hayes
Hebron, Class of 2026, F, left shot
Hometown: East Hartford, Conn.
Hayes is off to a big start to her senior year, leading Hebron with five goals and seven points in five games. She had three goals in two games last week, scoring twice in a 4-0 win at Newton Country Day before adding another in a 2-1 loss at Proctor.
Tina Scalese
Groton, 1/17/2008, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: West Boylston, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Scalese is up to her usual tricks for the Zebras, putting up a five-point game in Groton's 6-0 win over Tilton on Dec. 10. The senior Princeton commit had a hat trick and two assists to lead the offensive charge.
Allie Sauls
St. Mark's, 11/2009, F, right shot, 5-7
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
Sauls is well on her way to career highs, sitting at three goals and five points in five games to begin her sophomore season. She scored in all three of the Lions' contests last week, finding the back of the net against Nobles, Pomfret and Portsmouth Abbey.
Olivia Polles
Pingree, Class of 2029, F
Hometown: Danvers, Mass.
The freshman is Pingree's leading scorer so far with six points (three goals) in seven games. Five of those points came in two of Pingree's three games last week. She had a huge night with four points (two goals) in a 5-4 win at Newton Country Day. She scored again in a 6-1 loss at Worcester Academy.
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Jillian Smith
Hill School, Class of 2026, F, left shot
Hometown: Long Valley, N.J.
NCAA: Middlebury
It was a big weekend for Smith at the Exeter Invitational, putting up a point per game in three contests. After posting an assist in a 2-1 overtime loss to Gunn, she scored in Hill's 5-0 win over NYA before adding another, plus another in a shootout, in a 1-1 tie with Exeter.
Maddy Call
Thayer, 02/2009, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Dedham, Mass.
Call showed out in Thayer's 5-3 win over St. George's last Wednesday. The sophomore had a three-point night, finishing with a goal and two assists to power the win.
Keileigh Donovan
Worcester Academy, Class of 2026, D, right shot
Hometown: Wilmington, Mass.
Donovan is Worcester's leading scorer to begin the season with five points (four assists) in four games. Four of those points came in two games last week. She scored in a 4-1 loss to Austin Prep before posting a three-assist outing in a 6-1 win over Pingree.
Dawson Styles
Tabor, 2010, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: South Hamilton, Mass.
Styles led the way in Tabor's dramatic 3-2 win in overtime against then-No. 9 Rivers. The sophomore scored twice, including the overtime winner. She's one away from tying her goal total (three) from her freshman season.
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Katie Berard
North Yarmouth Academy, 2008, F, left shot
Hometown: West Gardiner, Maine
NYA's leading scorer thus far, Berard has seven points (three goals) in seven games. The junior had four points in three games at the Exeter Invitational, putting up a goal and two assists in a 3-0 win over Vermont Academy. She also added an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over KUA.
Megan Grace
Hoosac, 2008, F, left shot
Hometown: Manasquan, N.J.
NCAA: Roger Williams
Grace is en route to a career-best season as a senior with 11 points (five goals) in five games for Hoosac. After a big start to her season, she kept things going with a four-point game against Vermont Academy, factoring into every goal in the 4-0 win. She had a goal and two assists.
Alex Hebert
Austin Prep, Class of 2026, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: Reading, Mass.
NCAA: Endicott
Things didn't go AP's way in an 11-0 loss to Andover on Tuesday, but Hebert was sensational in a pair of wins for the Cougars last week. She made 37 saves on 38 shots against Worcester Academy before making 40 saves on 41 shots against Pomfret. She finished with a .975 save percentage across the two games and held a .970 for the season entering Tuesday.
Niamh Tobin
Middlesex, 10/2008, G, catches left, 5-10
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
Tobin wasn't tested much in Middlesex's 7-1 win over Proctor, turning aside all seven shots she faced as she split the net. She was more than busy in a 1-0 loss to St. Paul's, serving as the main reason that Middlesex kept SPS at bay. The junior made 50 saves.
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Moira Landsverk
Frederick Gunn, 1/7/2009, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: Seattle, Wash.
NCAA: New Hampshire
Landsverk bounded back from a 5-1 loss to Taft on Dec. 8 with a big week last week. She made 28 saves in a 4-2 win over Millbrook before turning aside 34 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to Hill School. She also made 16 saves in a shutout against Vermont before making 16 saves in a 2-1 win over Brewster. Landsverk ended the week with a .949 save percentage in four appearances.
Marguerite Cordahi
Portsmouth Abbey, 9/28/2008, G, catches left, 6-0
Hometown: Montreal, QC
Cordahi has been busy for the Ravens so far this season, and that was the case again against St. Mark's. The junior made 47 saves to carry Portsmouth Abbey to the 3-2 win on the road.
Sydney Kelm
Pomfret, Class of 2028, G, catches left
Hometown: Erie, Colo.
Kelm faced a big shot volume last season for Pomfret, and she has again to begin this season. She kept her side in it with a 62-save performance in a 3-0 loss at Dexter last week before making 47 more stops in a 2-0 loss to St. Mark's. Kelm also made 10 saves on 11 shots in relief in a loss to AP. She finished with a .960 save percentage across three appearances.
Lilly McInerney
Phillips Andover, 7/2/2007, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: North Reading, Mass.
NCAA: Northeastern
McInerney had five points in two games for Andover over the past week. She scored in a 2-2 tie with then-No. 6 Dexter Southfield before putting up two goals and two assists in an 11-0 thumping of Austin Prep.
Sarah Powers
Phillips Andover, 8/30/2007, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: Lynnfield, Mass.
NCAA: Boston College
Like McInerney, Powers had five points (three goals) in two games. She scored against Dexter and filled the scoresheet with two goals and two assists against AP.
