Much like last season, it's Duxbury and St. Mary's world, and the rest of the MIAA is living in it. With experience and plenty of depth, the Dragons continue to dominate. Meanwhile, few have been able to match the Spartan's dynamic, young talent. We're still over a month out from the tournament, leaving plenty of...
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Much like last season, it's Duxbury and St. Mary's world, and the rest of the MIAA is living in it.
With experience and plenty of depth, the Dragons continue to dominate. Meanwhile, few have been able to match the Spartan's dynamic, young talent.
We're still over a month out from the tournament, leaving plenty of time for some of the other top teams in the state to make a run at Duxbury and SMH.
There are other challengers in the mix. Burlington is on a meteoric rise, thanks to huge wins over Hingham and Malden Catholic. Falmouth has the most potent offensive attack going right now, too. As a result, both cracked this week's top five. A pair of newcomers entered the rankings this week as well.
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Let's dive in.
1. Duxbury (12-1-0)
Previous rank: 2
Head coach: Dan Najarian
Next game: vs. Hanover, Jan. 26, 3:20 p.m.
There's no stopping Duxbury right now. The Dragons have upped their win streak to nine straight with five shutouts within that span. They outlasted Pembroke, 1-0, last time out with Reese Porter burying the lone goal. Addy Harrington has been red-hot of late, too, while Anna McGinty remains a force between the pipes. Dan Najarian's team has only given up nine goals this season, tied for the fewest in all of girls MIAA hockey. Their plus-42 differential is one of the best, too. Hanover is up next.
2. St. Mary's (11-1-1)
Previous rank: 1
Head coach: Frank Pagliuca Next game: at Bishop Stang, Jan. 27, 11:40 a.m.
The Spartans sustained their first loss of the season, a close 3-2 result to Canton, since our last round of rankings. But SMH, who plays a very fast brand of hockey, charged right back with three straight wins with a 2-1 victory over Bishop Feehan bookended by shutouts over Bishop Fenwick, 7-0, and Malden Catholic, 3-0. Freshmen forwards Alyssa Norden (Peabody, Mass.) and Bella Freitas (Everett, Mass.) showed out against MC, as did senior defender Kasey Litwin (Swampscott, Mass.). Gianna Tringale (Danvers, Mass.) is hitting her stride in net, too. Bishop Stang is on tap this weekend.
Previous rank: 3
Head coach: John Findley
Next game: vs. Archbishop Williams, Jan. 26, 6:50 p.m.
The Cougars added some more hardware to their collection this season, knocking off crosstown foe Hingham, 3-1, for the Hingham Cup. They followed it up with a 2-2 tie on the road at Bishop Feehan. Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.) continues her hot streak since the calendar flipped, adding a pair of goals against Feehan. The Cougars' nine goals allowed this season are tied with Duxbury and Winthrop for the fewest allowed in the MIAA, thanks in part to standout goaltender Ava Larkin (Canton, Mass.). Archbishop Williams awaits on Friday.
4. Burlington (9-1-1)
Previous rank: 7
Head coach: Rick Sheehan
Next game: at Woburn, Jan. 27, TBD
Burlington is one of the hottest teams in the state right now. The Lady Devils are unbeaten in six straight (5-0-1). They're coming off a 2-2 tie with Belmont/Watertown after huge wins over Hingham, 1-0, and Malden Catholic, 2-0. Goaltender Isa Fischer has been fantastic of late, while seventh-grader Sofia Cleary came through with the lone goal against Hingham. Shea McDonald and Caitlyn Tremblay found the back of the net against MC. Burlington is back at it against Woburn this weekend.
Previous rank: 8
Head coach: Brian Ferreira
Next game: at Sandwich, Jan. 27, 6 p.m.
Falmouth is surging, too. The Clippers are unbeaten in nine straight with wins in eight of those nine. They're coming off a dominant 8-0 win over Nantucket, which followed a 2-2 tie with Nauset Monomoy. The Clippers' offense is rolling, scoring six or more goals in five of their last seven games, including three eight-goal outbursts. Their 73 goals this season are far and away the most in MIAA girls hockey — 13 clear of Pembroke's 60. Only Sandwich boys (87) and Diman boys (85) have more when it comes to the entire MIAA. Casey Roth had a huge game against Nantucket, picking up two goals and two assists. Avery Johnsen had a hat trick against Barnstable, too. A tilt with Sandwich awaits.
6. Lincoln-Sudbury (10-2-1)
Previous rank: 5
Head coach: Paul Hardy
Next game: vs. Shrewsbury, Jan. 27, 6:20 p.m.
After impressive wins over Methuen/Tewksbury, 3-2, and Andover, 4-2, the Warriors stumbled against a tough Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover team, falling 2-1. But they bounced right back with a 3-1 win over Billerica/Chelmsford. The loss to HPNA ended a six-game heater for LS. Harper Friedholm (Sudbury, Mass.) continues to score at a ridiculous clip, while Torrey Winrow (Sudbury, Mass.) has come on strong of late, too. It doesn't get any easier for the Warriors. Shrewsbury awaits this weekend before a tilt with Algonquin/Hudson.
7. Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading (10-1-0)
Previous rank: 6
Head coach: Michelle Roach
Next game: vs. Beverly/Danvers/Ipswich, Jan. 27, 12 p.m.
PLNR's dip to the seventh spot isn't so much a reflection of them. It's just that Burlington and Falmouth have been that good to leapfrog both LS and PLNR. The Tanners are up to eight straight wins, fresh off a big league win over Gloucester, 2-1. They also knocked off Masco, 5-2, and Medford/Malden, 6-0, since our last top 10. Ava Buckley (Peabody, Mass.), Catie Kampersal (Peabody, Mass.) and Alexa Pepper (North Reading, Mass.) continue to drive offense. Alyse Mutti (North Reading, Mass.) remains one of the MIAA's very best in net as well. Another stiff league matchup is ahead this weekend against Beverly/Danvers/Ipswich.
Previous rank: 4
Head coach: Alexa Hingston
Next game: vs. Canton, Jan. 27, 10 a.m.
The Lancers have hit a bit of a slide, dropping three of five and going winless in five of six (1-3-2). After knocking off Winchester, 4-0, MC lost in a rematch with Burlington, 2-0, before tying Archbishop Williams, 2-2, and falling to St. Mary's, 3-0. The Lancers couldn't overcome a sluggish start against SMH, despite Taylor Daley's (Malden, Mass.) efforts in net. Alyssa Jankowski (Medford, Mass.) had a pair against Winchester, while Antonia DiZoglio (Wilmington, Mass.) and Gianna Holland (Malden, Mass.) scored against Archies. MC might have the toughest schedule moving forward, too. Canton visits this weekend before NDA and Duxbury in the next two weeks. They'll close the regular season with three straight road games against Bishop Feehan, HPNA and Pope Francis. Not easy.
9. Canton (11-2-1)
Previous rank: NR
Head coach: Nikki Petrich
Next game: at Malden Catholic, Jan. 27. 10 a.m.
Canton is red-hot, going unbeaten in seven straight. The Bulldogs are coming off a 2-2 tie with Medfield, which put a stop to their six-game win streak. That streak included a massive 3-2 overtime win over St. Mary's to take home the Nan Rheault Memorial Tournament at Martha's Vineyard. Sophomore Izzy Cusack has been one of Canton's go-to scorers this season, and she came through against SMH with a goal. Senior captain Anna Lehan had the game-winner. Sophomore Kate Budway has been strong in the crease as well. Another big test is ahead with a road matchup at MC.
Previous rank: NR
Head coach: Bill Flynn
Next game: at Plymouth North/South, Jan. 27, 10 a.m.
Like Canton, Falmouth and Burlington, Pembroke is one of the hottest teams in the MIAA right now, despite the close loss to Duxbury. The Titans had a 10-game win streak entering their tilt with the Dragons. They've allowed fewer than two goals in five of six. Pembroke looks to get back on track against Plymouth North/South this weekend before a big matchup with Hingham.
Junior Jen Birolini is on a tear once again, breaking the 100-goal and 150-point thresholds for her career on Jan. 10. She broke the program record with her 104th career tally in a 6-0 win against Wellesley on Jan. 17. Birolini tacked on a pair against Norwell/Scituate/Abington the following game. She's up to 24 goals and 11 assists in 14 games this season. The loss to Duxbury is the only game she hasn't scored in.
In the hunt: Hingham, Methuen/Tewksbury, Nauset Monomoy (11-1-1), Milton (10-3-0), Bishop Feehan (6-6-1)
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2. St. Mary's (11-1-1)
