We're one month into the New England girls prep hockey season, and there's plenty to take stock of.
Some teams have been as good as advertised, while others have been even better than expected. It's made for plenty of movement in our rankings so far.
Individually, many of the usual suspects have been key forces for their teams in the early going. There have also been plenty of players who exploded out of the gates, already matching or exceeding previous career highs.
Several of the players highlighted in this story have been regulars in our weekly top performers. Many will likely continue to make names for themselves at the collegiate, professional and international levels.
Let's dive into the top performers from the first month of the season.
Savana Littlewood
BB&N, 7/5/06, F, left shot, 5-3
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
NCAA: Williams
Littlewood is well on her way to another strong season for the Knights with seven goals and 12 points in eight games. She's a major reason BB&N has climbed our rankings, sitting 6-1-1. The senior is on pace to top her career-highs in goals (11) and points (18), which she set as a freshman. Littlewood has four multi-point games, including two points (one goal) in a season-opening draw at Dexter Southfield, three points (one goal) against Pomfret and three points (two goals) against St. Paul's. She helped the Knights reach the championship of the Harrington Tournament.
TENNEY CUP: 9 standout forwards | 10 standout defenders and goalies
Megan Tremblay
Brewster, 2008, D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Mascouche, QC
NCAA: Assumption
Tremblay is one of the most productive defenders this season with 13 points (11 goals) in 10 games for Brewster. Her 11 goals sit in a tie for fourth in the NEPSAC. She had points in seven straight games from Dec. 11 to Dec. 20, including two hat tricks. The Assumption commit has found the back of the net against teams like Holderness, Phillips Exeter and Tilton, and she factored in on both goals in a 2-1 overtime win over Austin Prep with a goal and an assist.
Sadie Bellissimo
Cushing, 10/2006, G, catches left, 5-7
Hometown: Littleton, Colo.
NCAA: RPI
Bellissimo has had an excellent start in her first season as the starter for Cushing, and she's one of the biggest reasons the Penguins are 10-2-0. Entering the holiday break, Bellissimo had a .965 save percentage with three shutouts. She dominated as Cushing won the Edward Watkins Tournament, posting a .972 save percentage in three appearances and making 44 saves in a 4-1 win over Groton in the championship. The RPI commit also had a 44-save outing in a win over Worcester Academy earlier in December.
Bella Freitas
Cushing, 2009, F, right shot
Hometown: Everett, Mass.
After taking the MIAA by storm last winter, Freitas hasn't missed a beat in her transition to the prep ranks. She's stepped right into a productive role on Cushing's top line. The freshman is tied for second in the NEPSAC with 17 points in 12 games, and her 11 goals are tied for fourth. She's also been getting it done at even strength with just three of her goals coming on the power play. Freitas has seven games with at least two points this season, including a three-point (one goal) showing in a win over Tabor. She scored twice against Groton to help the Penguins capture the Watkins Tournament crown, too. Before going scoreless in her last two games, Freitas was on a run of five straight two-point games with seven goals in that stretch.
HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS: Top performers before the holiday break
Maddie Murphy
Dexter Southfield, 4/24/07, D, right shot, 5-9
Hometown: Dorchester, Mass.
NCAA: Boston College
Few defenders, if any, have been as good as Murphy. The Boston College commit is on a mission to start her senior year, sitting in a tie for third in scoring with 16 points (eight goals) in eight games. Murphy has already topped the career-high six goals she had as a junior, and she's matched her career-high 16 points from last year. She's put up four multi-point games, including a five-point showing (with a hat trick) against Middlesex. She also came through with four points (two goals) in a statement, 4-0 win over Phillips Andover. Murphy finished off December with three points (two goals) against Hill School.
Tina Scalese
Groton, 1/17/2008, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: West Boylston, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Coming off a 51-point sophomore season, Scalese is right back at it for the Zebras with a big start to her junior season. She's third in the NEPSAC with 12 goals and tied for fourth with 15 points in eight games. The Princeton commit has points in every game this season, including four multi-point games. She scored a hat trick and added an assist in a win over Kimball Union early in the year, and she had a hat trick against Tabor as well. Scalese also had six points in four games at the Watkins Invitational before the break, including two goals against Berkshire and a goal and an assist versus Deerfield.
Lindsay Stepnowski
Loomis Chaffee, 1/28/08, F, left shot, 5-5
Hometown: South Glastonbury, Conn.
NCAA: Harvard
After Nobles kept Loomis quiet in a 1-0 season-opening result, Stepnowski has caught fire with points in seven straight as the Pelicans sit 6-1-1. The Harvard commit has 15 points (seven goals) in eight games, and she's well on her way to obliterating the career bests she set last season (eight goals and 18 points). Stepnowski exploded for five points, including a hat trick, in a dominant win over Westminster in December. She also had a pair in a win over Kent, two points in a win over Taft and three in a win over Choate. The junior added an assist in Loomis' tie and shootout win over Andover to repeat as Patsy K. Odden Tournament champs.
GIRLS PREP RANKINGS: There's a clear No. 1 entering the new semester
Alexa Buco
Mount Saint Charles, 1/8/2010, F, left shot
Buco has ben a major factor in Mount's 5-2-0 start in their first season in the NEPSAC. The eighth-grader is second in the league with 17 points and 13 goals in just seven NEPSAC games. She also had 10 goals and 13 points in three non-NEPSAC games, making for 23 goals and 30 points in 10 overall games this season. She's scored in every contest, too. Buco has seven multi-goal games to her credit, including four hat tricks. Her highlights in NEPSAC play include a run of seven goals in three games in wins over Greenwich Country Day (two goals), Pingree (two) and Sacred Heart Greenwich (three). She also had a goal and an assist against Rivers.
Elizabeth Vincent
New Hampton, 2008, G, catches left
Hometown: Quebec City, QC
Huskies coach Craig Churchill had high hopes for Vincent entering her first season in prep, and she's delivered. The sophomore has two shutouts and a .950 save percentage in six appearances. She impressed with a 20-save shutout in her debut, a win over Milton Academy. She's also had strong outings against Thayer (30 saves in a 2-1 loss), Groton (19 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss) and Deerfield (33 saves in a 1-1 tie).
Annika Jonas
Nobles, 11/2007, G, catches left
Hometown: Weston, Mass.
Jonas had big shoes to fill entering the season after Nobles graduated star netminder Anya Zupkofska (Braintree, Mass.). Jonas allowed two or more goals just twice in six appearances, and she had .949 save percentage and two shutouts entering the break. She was busy in the season-opening loss to New Hampton, making 35 saves, before pitching a 32-save shutout against Loomis Chaffee the next game. Jonas also faced plenty of quality shots in a 2-0 loss to Williston at the Harrington, making 26 saves.
HARRINGTON TOURNAMENT: 9 takeaways from the 43rd annual tournament
Maddie Lahah
St. George’s, 2008, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Lahah is on track to smash her career high of 37 points last season, leading the NEPSAC with 18 points (10 goals) in 10 games this season and guiding the Dragons to a 6-4-0 record. The Holy Cross-bound center has found the scoresheet in all but one game this season, and she has six multi-point games to her name thus far, including a trio of three-point outings. Lahah also has four multi-goal games this season. Among her season highlights so far: she scored a pair in St. George's recent win over Canterbury and had a goal and two assists in a 3-1 win over Frederick Gunn earlier in the year.
Madison Hayes
Thayer, Class of 2027, G, catches left
Hometown: Foxboro, Mass.
Hayes has been a rock in net as Thayer is off to an 8-0-1 start, sitting third in the RPI. She's faced the same amount of shots as she did last season (143) and holds a .979 save percentage in six appearances, compared to last year's .916 marker. Even more impressive, Hayes has only given up three goals across her starts this season. She has three shutouts and hasn't allowed more than one goal in any game. The sophomore came through with a 29-save shutout in Thayer's 4-0 win over Rivers to win the Dexter Southfield Holiday Tournament, and she made 29 saves in a 1-1 draw with Dexter. Hayes also turned aside 27 shots in a big 2-1 win over New Hampton.
Morgan McGathey
Thayer, 8/30/2006, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
NCAA: Harvard
McGathey, like Hayes, has been among the biggest reasons for Thayer's early success. She leads the region in goals with 14 through nine games. Her 17 points are also one shy of the NEPSAC lead as of Jan. 7. The Harvard commit has scored in all but two games this season, and she has four multi-goal outings, including three hat tricks. She helped Thayer win Dexter's holiday tournament with three points (one goal) in the championship against Rivers. McGathey also found the back of the net in a key win over New Hampton and scored twice in a big win at St. George's.
GIRLS MIAA RANKINGS: There's a new No. 1 after drama at the Tenney Cup
Evelyn Lacey
Tilton, 10/22/07, G, catches left, 5-8
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
Lacey is perhaps the best goaltender in prep in the early going, performing well in the face of a heavy shot volume. Tilton has had its ups and downs, sitting at 3-5-1, but they've had plenty of close contests, thanks in large part to Lacey. She made 35 or more saves in all but one of her eight starts, including 40 or more in four of those starts. Some of her highlights include a 54-save outing in a 1-0 loss to Frederick Gunn before the holiday break, a 47-save performance in a 2-0 loss to Portsmouth Abbey and 43 saves in an 8-1 win over Brewster. Lacey also showed out with a whopping 68 saves in a 3-1 loss to Groton earlier this season. She boasts a .960 save percentage while having faced 350 shots, one behind Westminster's Kate Epke (Guilford, Conn.) for the most in prep.
Violet Carroll
Williston Northampton, 5/22/07, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Milton, Mass.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Carroll has been one of the biggest drivers of Williston's early dominance (9-0-0), sitting at 17 points in nine games. Her 11 assists are tied for the NEPSAC lead with Thayer's Abigail DeRoeve (Charlestown, Mass.). Carroll has five multi-point outings this season, including two four-point games. She's come through in key moments, too, posting a pair of assists in Williston's Harrington Tournament championship win over BB&N as well as scoring in their New Year's Prep Puck Drop title win over Cushing. Carroll has been a versatile, energetic force at even strength and on special teams.
Nora Curtis
Williston Northampton, 1/9/06, F, right shot, 5-10
Hometown: Skaneateles, NY
NCAA: Cornell
Curtis is right up there with Carroll as a driving force of the Wildcats' success so far with 16 points in nine games. Her 10 assists are tied for second in the region. The Cornell-bound center has gotten in done in all three zones in all situations. She has five multi-point games, and most recently had two goals and two assists in Williston's 5-0 win over Cushing to kick off 2025 with a trophy.
Olivia Ferebee
Williston Northampton, 1/31/06, G, catches left, 5-6
Hometown: Lake Placid, NY
NCAA: Cornell
Ferebee is one of the top goaltenders in the NEPSAC once again. She has four shutouts in seven appearances. The Cornell commit held BB&N off the board in the Harrington championship after putting up a 22-save shutout against Nobles in a rematch of last year's Elite 8 final. Ferebee also combined with River Grady (Bedford, NH) for a clean sheet against Cushing in the New Year's Prep Puck Drop title game. Another one of her highlights this season includes a 27-save outing in a 3-1 win over St. Paul's in the opener.
