Spring is here and the ice is starting to melt. As we head into the off-season, it's time to tighten up your skate guards to prevent pesky rust.
Before we zip up our hockey bags to wrap up the 2023-24 season for good, let's take a look back at the absolute best of North Shore women's hockey over the past few months.
Northeastern Hockey League Game of the Year
Beverley and Gloucester stand in the tank at Gloucester's Talbot Link during the first week of January.The Panthers won 5-4. Hal Greenleaf His second goal of the game came with 1:04 left. All afternoon, the teams were up and down, competing for chances and goals on the ice. The Fishermen rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game after Beverly went up 4-3.
It was kind of a coming out party for offensive defensemen. morgan linskey and Asuka Keogh Also Beverly's. Neither appears likely to delay the rest of the year.
Best non-league game
Peabody and Pope Francis battled in Springfield in the Division 1 Round of 16 in early March. The game had one of the most frenetic finishes in recent memory, with the Tanners going 5-3 on their own power play and the Cardinals pulling their goaltender to make it 6-3. Additional attackers. Granted, the advantage between the two was only his five seconds, but it still cringed at him as Peabody took his 2-1 victory.
The game was reminiscent of Super Bowl XXXVIII, with a slow, defensive start that was 0-0 at the end of the first quarter. Peabody took the lead in the second game, and with nine minutes remaining in the third, Pope scored, giving Peabody the go-ahead goal, and in the end, all the special teams played. Simply put, the drive west on Massachusetts Pike was worth it.
the best helping hand
Have you noticed Pingree's freshman goalie? Piper Davekos I didn't have one, but two Any assists this season? That's pretty impressive for a goaltender's accomplishments…even more impressive than her 1,300-plus minutes and 750-plus saves as the area leader. There are few plays as fun as a goalie assist. Her two successful goalkeeper assists deserve a lot of praise.
best senior class
It's hard to argue that this is Gloucester's. The Fishermen had their best season in over 20 years, winning a state playoff game for the first time in their history.Considering that abby lowthers, Ella Costa, Brooke McNiff, jenna connelly and Ari Scola Essentially starting the program from scratch during a strange 2021 COVID-19 season with no locker room, this type of progress is due to their will and dedication. It is.Salute to seniors lily pregent, hal wentworth and Sidney Boushie In the same way.
Best debut work
Marblehead's first year head coach Hadley Woodfin and freshman goalie scarlett lee, each won their debut by a score of 3-0 against Medford in the opening game. It was difficult for the young Lady Header to follow this the rest of the way, but the hardworking group definitely laid the foundation for future success.
best links
I still love Rocket Arena at Salem State University. It's one of the few barns that still offers a real bird's-eye view, it's not too cold, and it's now within walking distance of Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks franchises. It's hard to break through that combo.
best save
peabody junior Alice Mutti During a win over Winchester in the first round of the playoffs, he committed two felonies within two shifts in the second period. Her personal favorite save was an incredible leg stretch to kick away a puck that appeared to get stuck in her laces. The save where she used her open glove to force a loose puck into the boards at her crease was fun. This is called a draw. Mutti made 31 saves for her eighth shutout of the season and 20th of her career.
best return
why not? abby amigo Pingree School? The Essex native was limited by injuries last season and again this fall, when she led the Highlanders to the New England Championship in women's soccer. Once back on the ice, Amigo became a mainstay, scoring over 20 points. She has the potential to launch her strong campaign next winter and reach her career 100 points.
best leader
There are many great ones, but I choose hal greenleaf Beverly's. No matter what the team needed, she was going to find a way to make it happen. If the Panthers needed a goal, she got it. If they needed a defensive stand, she would block the shot. She's the type of player who can start in the offensive zone or the defensive zone, and she's the type of player who is complete from start to finish. After all, there's a reason she was a captain for two years, and she'll graduate from Ipswich High School ranked No. 10 on Beverly's women's hockey all-time scoring list before playing at Salem State University. .
busiest player
What about Bishop Fenwick's goalie? Ella Tucker• She made 60 saves in one game against Malden Catholic and never stopped taking a ton of shots during the Crusaders' extremely tough schedule.? The Gloucester native and Essex Tech junior thrived under pressure, averaging 34 shots per game but only stopping about 88 percent of them.
best skater
It's hard to choose anyone other than Peabody Senpai. katie campersal, whose big and quick strides create all kinds of problems for the opposition. There are few wingers in the state who can run as quickly and dangerously through neutral territory as Campersal, who will be playing in the Massachusetts Hockey Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game this weekend. If they had tracked the penalties drawn throughout the season, she would have set a record this year… Her opponents couldn't catch her, and as a result, many were hit with hooks, holds, Or ended up stumbling.
most versatile player
Why not Masconomet? vera flynnwho split the season between playing forward and defense while earning Northeastern Hockey League All-Conference honors. A great leader for the Chieftains, Flynn helps out not only in the locker room but on the ice as well. and has definitely set up a program that will continue to rise in the coming years.
The best way to improve NEHL
Seeing as Peabody and Winthrop have fallen out of the top eight in Division 1's final power rankings, and Beverly and Gloucester have fallen out of the top 16 in Division 2, I think it's worth considering the structure of the Northeastern Hockey League.
Simply put, having to play 16 league games is too much. The power rankings require him to play at least four non-league games in order to consolidate these all-important percentage points.
There are currently nine teams in the NEHL, so splitting into two tiers, one with five teams and the other with four teams, would effectively double the number of nonleague games available to coaches.
What would it be like? NEC divides the soccer divisions based on recent league results, so we added up the league results for all three seasons for the current nine-team group. Obviously Winthrop (43-2-3) and Peabody (43-4-1) will be in the top division. Beverly has the next best record as he stands at 29-16-3. These are clearly the best teams in the league, and the only three teams with winning records in each of the past three seasons.
Newburyport (23-23-1) is followed by Gloucester (20-27-1).In that case, Shawsheen (18-29), Masconomet (16-23), Marblehead (12-35-1), and Medford (5-42-1) would clearly be in the “South” of the NEHL. (Alternatively, you could name these divisions something like) What Women's Hockey Builders Like ben smith of Gloucester, fiona rice Beverly's Megan Duggan Like Danvers? ).
In terms of point difference, Winthrop, Peabody, Beverly, and Newburyport are all positive, and the other five are all negative, so it's easy to draw the line. If you wish, you can swap Port and Gloucester, or split 5-4 with Gloucester in the upper division.
In any case, we recommend that you seriously consider playing two games against your team and one game against the other team.
Please note that the annual Kick Saves Super Teams and Best of Grade Teams do not overlap Super Teamer performances to the extent possible.
Kick saves super team
F: Hal Greenruff, Beverly; Eva Buckley, Peabody.Jenna Connelly, Gloucester
D: Keegan Jewell, Gloucester; Avery Fredo, Pingree
G:Alice Mutti, Peabody
All senior team
F: Katie Campersall, Peabody. Ashley Smale, Pingree.Lily Pregent, Gloucester
D: Maddy Faragi, Fenwick.Ella Costa, Gloucester
G: Mackenzie Cronin, Masco
all junior team
F: Maddie Kenny, Masco; Abby Amigo, Pingree.Miaraba, Peabody
D: Leah Buckley, Peabody.Caroline Horne, Beverly
G: Ella Tucker, Fenwick
All second year team
F: Teya Fleming, Marblehead; Maia Jewell, Fenwick.Meredith Johnston, Beverly
D: Ashley Freitas, Beverly.Eleni Spak, Peabody
G: Kaydin Cusumano, Gloucester
All 1st grade/Junior high school team
F: Clara Carey, Beverly; Melanie Earle, Marblehead.Liv Baldassare, Beverly
D: Asuka Keogh, Beverly.Addy Co. Pepys, Marblehead
G: Piper Davekos, Pingree
“Kick Saves,” a column about North Shore women's hockey, has appeared in the pages of the Salem News for the past 17 winter seasons. Contact Matt Williams at MWilliams@salemnews.com and follow her on Twitter/X @MattWilliams_SN.
