Girls prep: Handing out our awards for 2025-26 season

What a season it was in New England girls prep hockey.

There was no shortage of excitement down the stretch, whether it was heroic tournament runs or dazzling individual performances in the regular season and playoffs.

In the Elite 8, it was all about Loomis Chaffee for the second year in a row, as the fifth-seeded Pelicans took down No. 6 Deerfield. Both teams pulled off notable upsets on their roads to the final. Meanwhile, top-seeded Phillips Exeter took down No. 2 Choate for the Big Red's first title in over two decades. In the Small School, the third time was the charm for No. 1 Groton, which beat No. 8 New Hampton after losing to the Huskies in the 2023 and 2024 title bouts.

Along the way, plenty of the region's best players stepped up for their teams and stood out from the crowd.

This won't be the last time you hear from the players listed below, either. All of these players have real shots at success in higher levels.

Here's who took home the hardware in girls prep from the 2025-26 season.

Player of the Year: Francie Ames, Nobles

Ames (Brookline, Mass.) had one of the best single seasons in recent NEPSAC history. The sophomore posted 65 points in 30 games, leading the NEPSAC with 39 assists. Her 26 goals were tied for second. Ames posted 20 multi-point outings and found the scoresheet in every game, earning ISL co-MVP and All-NEPSAC honors. She became the first skater to reach the 60-point mark since 2021-22, and she had the most assists by any skater since 2019-20.

2026 AWARDS: Men's college hockey | Women's college hockey

Defenseman of the Year: Megan Hosman, Loomis Chaffee

Hosman was one of the highest-scoring defenders in prep this season, with a career-best 29 points (seven goals) in 28 games. She controlled the play in all three zones and was the backbone of Loomis Chaffee’s blue line en route to a repeat Elite 8 title. The Penn State-bound senior earned an All-NEPSAC nod. Hosman had four assists in three postseason games, including a pair in the championship win over Deerfield.

Goalie of the Year: Moira Landsverk, Frederick Gunn

Landsverk earned an All-NEPSAC nod in her first season with Frederick Gunn after standing out at Lovell Academy. The UNH-committed junior posted a .945 save percentage with five shutouts, all while making the third-most saves (724) and facing the third-most shots (766) among NEPSAC goalies. She helped lead Gunn to the Small School tournament as the No. 8 seed, where the Highlanders took No. 1 Groton, the eventual champion, to overtime of the quarterfinals. Landsverk was the bedrock of that effort with 42 saves.

Rookie of the Year: Kelsey MacPherson, St. Paul’s

MacPherson (Hopkinton, Mass.) stepped right in as an immediate contributor in prep after a standout eighth-grade season in the MIAA. Despite missing 10 games with injury, she led all freshmen in scoring with 26 points (11 goals) in 20 games for St. Paul’s this season as the Big Red reached the Elite 8. MacPherson, who was an All-NEPSAC honorable mention, had seven multi-point games, including three points in a 5-4 overtime loss to No. 1 Nobles in the Elite 8 quarterfinals.

FULL-SEASON MODEL: Why it works for Winchendon girls hockey

Coach of the Year: Sally Komarek, Phillips Exeter

Komarek led Exeter to its best season under her tenure. The Big Red went 19-7-2, posting their highest win total since Komarek took over in 2022 en route to the top seed in the Large School tournament and their first playoff win in at least 22 years, a miraculous 4-3 comeback win in overtime against No. 8 Middlesex. It all led to Exeter beating Choate in the Large School final for their first title since 2000. Under Komarek, the Big Red posted the sixth-highest scoring output in prep with 97 total goals, while forwards Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.) and Maria Gray ranked second and third, respectively, in NEPSAC scoring.