Girls prep hockey is back, and so is our weekly round-up of top performers.
Last season, we took a look at some of the top performers from the previous week every Thursday. With the vast majority of prep teams playing on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday most weeks, we're evaluating top performers for each week from Wednesday through Tuesday.
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.
The round-ups are always among the highlights of the week as we track who's among the very best in prep, who's having a breakout season and who might've been an unlikely hero in any given game.
Most prep teams got their seasons underway last week. Some teams even had games before Thanksgiving, which will be included where applicable. As such, there's a lot to get into.
Let's dive into the first top performers of the 2025-26 season.
Ava Souza
Berwick, 2010, F, left shot
Hometown: Portsmouth, N.H.
Souza's name was all over the scoresheet in Berwick's 12-3 rout of Windsor in the season opener. The sophomore was red-hot with a hat trick and two assists for a five-point night, including a shorthanded goal.
RANKINGS: A new team takes over the No. 1 spot in first in-season girls prep top 10
Erin Flaherty
St. Paul's, 06/2008, F, right shot, 5-5
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
NCAA: Boston University
The junior could be in line for a big year after leading St. Paul's in scoring last season. She wasted no time getting things started, putting up a four-point night with a hat trick in SPS' 10-3 win over Brewster in the opener. Flaherty also added an assist in a 4-2 loss at Williston, putting herself at five points through two games.
Lydia Kealty
Thayer, 02/2010, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Norfolk, Mass.
It's Kealty's time to step up and be one of Thayer's leaders, even as a sophomore. So far, she's been up to the task with three goals in two games. After scoring a pair in a 3-3 draw with Milton in the opener, Kealty added another in a 4-2 loss at Cushing.
Carah Ford
St. George's, Class of 2028, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: York, Maine
Ford was the difference in St. George's 2-1 win over Pomfret in last Wednesday's opener. The sophomore, fresh off a 20-point freshman year, scored both goals to power the Dragons to the win.
Ava Scannell
Milton Academy, Class of 2026, G, catches left
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.
NCAA: Northeastern
Scannell figures to be Milton's bedrock this season, and she was last Wednesday in the draw with Thayer. The senior stopped 49 of 52 shots, and she was a main reason that the Mustangs were able to pull away with a tie.
DOWN GOES NO. 1: 11 standouts, takeaways from No. 4 Nobles’ win over No. 1 Loomis Chaffee
Gabriella Cohen
Hoosac, 2007, G, catches left, 5-3
Hometown: Indian Trail, NC
Cohen was routinely among our top performers last season, and she wasted no time getting back into the mix this winter. The uncommitted senior started two of Hoosac's four games, and she was busy in both. She turned aside 51 shots in a 1-0 loss to Hotchkiss before making 23 saves on 25 shots in an 8-2 win over Mount St. Charles. She has a .961 save percentage through two games.
Kelsey MacPherson
St. Paul’s, 11/12/2010, F, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.
MacPherson was a force as a youngster in the MIAA last season, and the freshman stepped right in and made an impact in her first action at St. Paul's. MacPherson had a goal and three assists in a four-point showing versus Brewster before scoring another in the loss at Williston. She has five points in two games to begin her prep career.
Erin Sears
Phillips Exeter, 2008, F, left shot
Hometown: Cornwall, Vt.
NCAA: Northeastern
Sears had a hand in every goal for the Big Red in their tie with Governor's on Friday. The junior opened the scoring on a shorthanded break before assisting the next three Exeter tallies en route to a 4-4 tie.
Simone Burns
Rivers, 03/2009, F, left shot, 5-4
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
The Red Wings are hoping for a big year from Burns after she broke out last season. Through one game, she delivered. The sophomore led the way with a hat trick in a 6-0 win over Kimball Union in the opener.
BACK AND FORTH: 5 takeaways from No. 9 Phillips Exeter and Governor’s high-scoring tie
Sarah Sampson
Austin Prep, Class of 2026, F, right shot, 5-3
Hometown: Wilmington, Mass.
After a breakout junior season, Sampson is off to a red-hot start as a senior with seven points in two games. She had a hat trick and an assist in a 5-1 win over Northfield Mt. Hermon before scoring twice with an assist in a 4-1 win over Tilton. 2
Maggie Averill
Phillips Andover, 9/9/2008, D, right shot, 6-0
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
NCAA: Princeton
Andover came out firing in a 6-0 win over Groton to begin their season, and so did Averill. The junior defender led the way with a hat trick, including two on the power play.
Sarah Lawson
Hoosac, 2008, F, right shot
After being held off the scoresheet in Hoosac's narrow loss to Hotchkiss last Wednesday, Lawson has come alive with eight points in her last three games. She scored in a 4-1 win over Hebron before putting up a hat trick and an assist against Mount. She followed it up with a goal and two assists in a 4-1 win over Pingree.
Rachel Zhao
Nobles, Class of 2026, F, right shot
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.
Zhao has been key to a pair of quality wins for Nobles so far. The uncommitted senior scored twice in a 3-0 win at New Hampton in the opener, and she scored a beauty to ice a 4-1 upset over then-No. 1 Loomis Chaffee on Saturday.
SEASON-OPENER: 11 standouts from Thayer and Milton Academy’s tie
Caroline Doherty
Williston Northampton, 8/13/2006, F, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Hingham, Mass.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Doherty wasted no time making an impact in prep after she was the MIAA's best goal-scorer over the last few seasons. The postgrad scored a hat trick in the Wildcats' 4-2 win over St. Paul's.
Julia Lambert
Cushing, 07/2008, F, right shot, 5-4
Hometown: Wilmington, Mass.
NCAA: Stonehill
Cushing has lived up to its billing with a high-flying offense through three games so far, and Lambert has been a key part of that. She led the way with a hat trick in a 5-1 win over Brooks in the opener.
Scarlett Gustafson
Middlesex, Class of 2028, F
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Gustafson, a former standout with Winchester, made an immediate impact for Middlesex with five points in her first two games. She had a goal and an assist in a 6-0 triumph against Pingree before picking up a goal and two assists in a 7-2 win over Kents Hill.
Kate Tortorella
Choate, 8/27/07, D, right shot, 5-6
Hometown: Mamaroneck, N.Y.
NCAA: Ohio State (rowing)
Tortorella led the way in Choate's 4-1 win over Lawrence Academy to kick off the season. The senior blue-liner scored twice, including a power play goal, and added an assist. She already matched her point output from 2024-25.
‘FULL-CIRCLE’ How the Averills became one of New England’s most successful hockey families
Gabby Blier
Hotchkiss, 2010, G, catches left, 5-2
Hometown: Cheshire, Conn.
Blier has been terrific so far for Hotchkiss. The sophomore holds a .978 save percentage through two games, stopping 45 of 46 shots. She made 20 saves for the shutout in a 1-0 win over Hoosac last Wednesday. She followed it up with a 25-save outing in a 1-1 tie with Frederick Gunn on Friday.
Alessandra Picard
Deerfield, 01/2010, F, right shot, 5-8
Hometown: West Haven, Conn.
Picard couldn't have asked for a better opening weekend in prep. The freshman scored in Deerfield's 5-1 win over North Yarmouth Academy on Friday. She added a pair, including the overtime winner, in Saturday's 3-2 win over St. Mark's.
Caroline Schmidt
Tilton, Class of 2026, F/D, left shot, 5-8
Hometown: Manchester, N.H.
Schmidt has been a model of consistency through four games for Tilton, finding the scoresheet in each. With five points on the season already, she's matched last season's output and is one point off her career high. Schmidt, who had two assists in a Nov. 19 win over Kents Hill, had three points in three games over the past week. She had an assist in a 2-2 draw with Holderness, a goal in a 4-2 win over Proctor and a goal in a 4-1 loss to AP.
