Phillips Andover has a lot to prove this season.
Martha Fenton's squad was dominant last season, finishing 24-3-1. Their first loss didn't come until Feb. 1, which was a 5-3 result at the hands of Tabor. The Big Blue made it to the Elite 8 championship for the second time in three seasons, where they fell to Williston Northampton. It was their fifth straight year reaching the Elite 8.
"I think that team competed so well against everybody. I just wish we had that last day back," Fenton said. "That final game felt like our first off day. ... I wouldn't do anything really differently throughout the season. I thought our kids did everything we asked them to and more last year."
Andover graduated eight seniors from last year's team. The returners this season have a huge opportunity to step up for the Big Blue.
"Having graduated the kids that we did, we've got a lot to prove," Fenton said. "We certainly can't rest on last year's success. We'll have a lot of work to do, especially because there are going to be so many new faces on this team. But we have depth, I think that will help us. We'll be able to skate three or four lines against most everybody."
With the way last season ended, a 4-1 loss to Williston, Fenton expects Andover to come back as competitive as ever.
"We've got a number of kids that have just worked really hard, I think over the last nine months," she said. "I think this whole team is going to come back really hungry. To lose in the way that we did left a pretty sour taste for nine months."
Some rising stars
Even after graduating a large chunk of the core, Andover still has some of the biggest names on the prep hockey scene back for this season.
The Big Blue see sophomore forward Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) as well as junior captain and defender Molly Boyle (Scituate, Mass.) return to the fold.
"I know that Molly, Caroline and others will come back with a lot of experience not just national team stuff," Fenton said. "There were some other kids that progress pretty far in that process, too, but didn't make it."
Entering the mix this season is freshman defender Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.). All three skaters play for the East Coast Wizards, and each made the final Team USA roster for the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in January.
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"Everything that they're doing with their clubs and through the developmental programs, I think what I've seen from these kids, they've grown as athletes," Fenton said.
Boyle is a Yale commit with plenty of offensive upside from the blue line. She should be one of the best defenders in the NEPSAC this season. The younger Averill, Maggie, is considered one of the best 2008-born prospects on defense between her size (5-foot-11), strength and offensive upside as well. Boyle's return and Maggie Averill's arrival will help lessen the loss of the elder Anne Averill (Wayland, Mass.), now a freshman blue-liner at Dartmouth.
Meanwhile, Caroline Averill was a standout for Andover as a freshman last season. She's a playmaker who elevates those around her because of her intelligence on the ice. Fenton believes Averill can take an additional step as a finisher this season. She has the chance to become one of the top players in prep hockey.
"Caroline just sees the game really well," Fenton said. "She's really smart. Her hockey IQ is higher than most kids a good bit older than her. She just really understands the game and knows where to put herself. I think as a 10th grader this year, I think she'll just be that much more confident. My sense is that she will take on less of an auxiliary role and more of a leadership role."
A newer core
With the significant departures from last season, Andover is looking for returners like Boyle and Caroline Averill, along with newcomers like Maggie Averill to step up and play impact roles.
Adding experience alongside Boyle and Caroline Averill will be senior forward Shea Freda (Lexington, Mass.), someone the Big Blue will count on for leadership. They'll also look to junior Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) as well as Boyle's co-captain, junior forward Peyton Kennedy (Sudbury, Mass.).
"I think Peyton's gonna have a big year," Fenton said. "She's been consistently in the last two years in our top four or five in scoring."
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Andover will also rely on starting junior goalie Avery Rodeheffer (New Haven, Conn.). Fenton also expects incoming freshman Codi Pickering (Barnstable, Mass.) to push Rodeheffer for playing time. Pickering is a Bay State Breakers product and a former standout at Barnstable High School. She had a .928 save percentage and a 1.08 goals-against average in 15 games last season.
But last year's exits will be felt most on the blue line. The Big Blue lost five regulars, including Anne Averill, Olivia McManus (Winthrop, Mass) and Lulu Rourke (Wellesley, Mass.). McManus is now a freshman defender at Middlebury while Rourke skates for Holy Cross.
"The biggest gaping hole is on the blue line," Fenton said. "They counted for a good portion of our offensive production last year. We had a lot of points from the blue line."
More of that responsibility will fall to Boyle, as well as Maggie Averill, who will step into a premier role from Day 1.
But Fenton knows Andover will also need more production from the forwards, too, even after losing Ava Murphy (West Roxbury, Mass.) Murphy, who committed to Liberty for field hockey, won't play this season.
Helping on that front will be sophomore Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.). McInerney was a first line forward as a freshman last year before tearing her ACL.
"I'm excited to see what she's going to be able to do this year," Fenton said.
Fenton hopes postgrad transfers Cat Buckley (Pembroke, Mass.), out of Milton Academy and Gabriella Batchen, from the St. Louis Lady Blues 19U, will add critical experience up front as well.
