Safe title bet: Repeat by NDA
Notre Dame-Hingham skated off the Garden ice last March with the program’s first state championship, but the Cougars have taken it a step further already in 2016-17.
NDA established itself as arguably the top team in the state, regardless of division, by posting a 19-0-1 record and earning the top seed in the Division 2 bracket. The Cougars did need to storm back from a third-period deficit to tie unbeaten Needham a week ago and protect their unbeaten record, but they also have a pair of victories against defending Div. 1 state champ Austin Prep, the most recent coming last Thursday in the final of the Cougar Classic.
Junior captains Merideth Stewart, Jillian Lyons and Emma Duffey have led a stout defense for coach Jean-Yves Roy that yielded only 22 goals in 20 games.
But if the Cougars are to reach the Garden and play for a second state title, they will have to earn it by navigating a Div. 2 bracket that features a record 29 teams.
Pembroke also went unbeaten to earn the No. 2 seed with an even stingier defense (0.85 goalsagainst average) in front of goalie Katlyn Hathaway and a balanced offense. Delaney Couture is the top scorer for No. 3 Shrewsbury, which suffered its only two losses to Notre Dame and Needham.
Methuen/Tewksbury, which fell to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals a year ago, hopes for a deeper run with one of the state’s top scorers in junior Kelly Golini (35 goals, 26 assists). Sophomore Ciara Wall (27-33-60), who sits just behind Golini in the scoring race, will spark a No. 5 Matignon team that took the postseason by storm a year ago and fell one game short of the Garden.
Wellesley and Winchester are tournament-tested teams and will be tough matchups along with Longmeadow and Burlington.
Division 1
If there was any question that Needham should be a favorite in the bracket, last week’s tie with Notre Dame should have answered it. The Rockets stormed to the Bay State Conference’s Carey Division title behind top scorers Elizabeth Hernberg, Elizabeth Phalen and Gracie Bruno and carry their own unbeaten record into the tournament.
More importantly, the Rockets avoided a preliminary round that is loaded with great matchups.
St. Mary’s and Duxbury, who dominated the state championship level for much of the past decade, will square off in a classic 8-9 quarterfinal matchup. Just below them in the bracket, 2015 state champ and No. 4 seed Reading drew a brutal first-round matchup with dangerous No. 13 Hingham.
Resurgent Boston Latin, sparked by senior Rachel Tassinari, gets a third meeting with Merrimack Valley/Dual County 2 rival Haverhill/Pentucket/ North Andover in the opening round.
On the other side of the bracket, Austin Prep lurks as the seventh seed and with its only two in-state losses coming to Notre Dame, certainly has to be a favorite to repeat. The Cougars could line up in the quarterfinals with Beverly/Danvers/Ipswich and its trio of top scorers in McKinley Karpa, Izzy Primack and Sydney Cresta.
Third seed Woburn struggled a bit down the stretch, but the Tanners are capable of rolling all the way to Causeway Street. Sixth-seeded Westford Academy stormed to the semifinals a year ago, but the Grey Ghosts get an opening draw of Winthrop/Lynn and goalie Gretchen Howard, who is capable of stealing any game.