12/12/202212/12/2022

2022-2023 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2022-2023 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

Canton

2021-2022 Record: 18-7-0
2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Final
Coach: Nikki Petrich
Canton has won four of the five Hockomock titles since league play began, including three in a row, and last winter the Bulldogs went to their fourth state title game in the past six seasons. It was an incredible stretch of success under Dennis Aldrich, who stepped down in the off-season, and the Bulldogs don’t look ready to slow down anytime soon. First-year coach Nikki Petrich, a former Northeastern University standout, comes to Canton after being an associate head coach for Austin Prep, helping them win a pair of Div. 1 state titles, and she has an experienced roster aiming for another trip to the Garden in March.

The Bulldogs can count on plenty of senior leadership this winter, starting up front with forwards Audrey Koen and Ellie Bohane. Koen is the team’s top returning scorer with 12 goals and eight assists last year and will be a focal point in the attack. Juniors Maggie Dailey, Lilah Spinelli, and Anna Lehan also contributed important minutes and important goals during last year’s playoff run and could be ready to step into bigger roles this season. As always, Canton can reload with talented underclassmen and freshmen Christina Curran, Abby Stock, and Izzy Cusack could also feature in a deep forward group.

Defense has long been a strength for Canton and it starts in goal with senior Carolyn Durand. The four-year starter has been one of the best shot stoppers in the state since her freshman year and gives the team a strong foundation in its own zone. Senior Maya Battista is another four-year starter and has emerged as a force on the blue line, both with her work in the defensive zone as well as her goals on the other end of the ice. Juniors Tori Carr and Devan Spinale will be back on the blue line with freshmen Kayleigh Koen and Georgia Campbell part of a talented rookie class that could contribute right away.

“We are looking to build off of the success of last year and continue to make sure that every single girl in our program has an incredible experience representing their town, high school, and family,” Petrich said. With a senior captain in net, a senior captain on the blue line, and two senior captains leading the way for your forwards, our team is going to compete every single game. A strong freshman class rounds out what is truly a team with extensive experience playing in meaningful games come the end of February.”

2022-2023 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

Franklin

2021-2022 Record: 6-11-4
2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Round of 32
Coach: Mike Lubin
Franklin is the only team other than Canton to have won a Hockomock League title and the Panthers come into the season with a more experienced, and deeper, roster to try and get back on top. Former assistant Mike Lubin has taken over as head coach after the retirement of longtime coach Margie Burke and he has a balanced lineup to work with this winter.

The Panthers will be hoping to be more solid on the defensive end of the ice this season, building on the structure they have created in all three zones. Senior Shaw Downing is a four-year varsity player and a dynamic skater along the blue line, not only being sure on the puck in her own zone but also capable of carrying the play into the attack. Junior Lindsay Dennett continues to improve each season and sophomore goalie Izzy Brown is coming off an impressive rookie campaign between the pipes.

Sophomore Julia Flynn was the team’s leading scorer last year and she is back to power the Franklin offense. Senior Lindsay Atkinson is also back, after missing all of last winter with an injury. Atkinson had a big sophomore season and will be a huge addition to the top line. Senior forwards Dana Stott and Molly Hurley bring two-way strength to the forward line.

“We’re a close group with great leadership and a good mix of young talent,” Lubin said. “We’re all excited to get the season started and build on our strong team chemistry from last year.”

2022-2023 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

Hockomock Stars

2021-2022 Record: 3-16-1 (formerly Mansfield/Oliver Ames)
2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 1 Round of 32
Coach: Jamie Mullin
The biggest co-op team in the Hockomock League is getting bigger. The Mansfield/Oliver Ames Warriors, which also featured skaters from Foxboro, now includes players from Attleboro, Milford, North Attleboro, and Taunton and will be going by the name of Hockomock Stars.

Jamie Mullen returns for her second year at the helm of the program and now has some more players to work into her lineup. The Stars lost some key players to graduation, including longtime goalie Jess Widdop and speedy forward Sam Ledin, and also have to replace the production of last year’s leading scorer Kylie O’Keefe (20 points). Leading the offense will be a pair of Mansfield juniors: Cammy Shenteler, fresh off a 7-goal, 9-assist season, and Maeve Anastasia, who totaled 11 points with six goals last year.

North Attleboro has four players in the mix with junior Ava O’Dwyer, sophomore Grace Cabeceiras, and freshmen Brittany Nordbeck and Alana Rice. Attleboro (Emily Davignon, Avery Drainville, McKenzie Sullivan) has three players, Taunton (Hannah Albert, Kendell Scheralis) has two, and Milford has one (Lindsay Casman).

Foxboro’s Mya Waras (five points) and Mansfield’s Ava Adams (five points) will also be key pieces in the attack. Foxboro junior Macy Quinn is back to anchor the blue line for the Stars while Davignon will be between the pipes.

2022-2023 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

King Philip

2021-2022 Record: 18-5-0
2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Round of 32
Coach: Ken Assad

King Philip is coming off a really strong year. The Warriors won 18 games last winter but saw the season come to an end in the opening round of the state tournament. KP scored 93 goals in 23 games in 2021-22 but graduated the bulk of one of the state’s top scoring lines, so will need new players to step into bigger roles in search of the program’s first Hock title.

While the top scoring line may look a little different this winter, KP does return its top goal scorer. Junior Kelly Holmes is back to lead the offense and is one of the most dynamic players in the league. Senior Katarina Precobb and junior Nicole McDonald will add more punch to the top line this season. The Warriors will have decent depth in the attacking zone, with senior Sydney Cloutier, junior Rylie Ryan, and freshmen Cam O’Shea and Kate McGann each ready to provide an attacking punch. Eighth graders Tayla McDuff, Rylan McKillop, Ella Morgan, Erin Steck, and Molly Murphy should all get their chance to contribute.

In the defensive zone, KP will have plenty of experience to try and keep other teams out. Seniors Brielle Hearon, Mara Boldy, and Emma Sullivan will all be back on the blue line, providing leadership and physicality to slow down the opposition. Freshmen Lydia Maxwell and Grace Lehan-Allen both saw time as eighth graders and will build on that important year of varsity action. Eighth-grader Calleigh Brady should see time in defense this year. Goalie is another position of strength for the Warriors with senior Mallory Johnston in her third year as a starter and classmate Haley Bright backing her up.

“I never call it a rebuilding year,” said KP coach Ken Assad. “With the returning players and newcomers, I believe with hard work and not taking any nights off we can be in the hunt for the Hockomock title and get into the tournament.”

2022-2023 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

Stoughton/Sharon

2021-2022 Record:
2021-2022 Finish: Missed postseason
Coach: Chad Kelley
Stoughton/Sharon continues to be a young program that is building up its numbers. With only one senior and two juniors in the program, the Black Knights will be focusing on youth and trying to build a foundation for future seasons. After a close loss in the season opener, Stoughton/Sharon continues to find ways to stay competitive even with a smaller roster of just 14 players.

Eighth-grader Sarah Scappaticci from Sharon will be the starting goalie this season. She made 34 stops in the opener against Cambridge and is already showing that she is a skilled player between the pipes. Brockton junior Molly Corvino will be one of the leaders in the defensive zone, along with classmate Samantha Calapai. Both players are solid in their own zone but can push the team into the attack. Stoughton freshman Addison Strunk will also be one of the defenders in the top two pairings.

Stoughton’s Ava Buckley is the lone senior on the team. The Assumption-commit will be the focal point for the Black Knights on the offensive end of the ice. Sharon eighth grader Ella Cummings has a lot of skill on the puck and already opened her varsity account with a goal against Cambridge. Sharon sophomores Peri Rodman and Heather Kelly and Stoughton sophomore Leila Uchani return to the forward lines. Stoughton freshmen Julia Monaghan, Meghan McGowan, Amanda Reid, and Stoughton eighth graders Nya’Lia Lindsey and Julia Henein will give the Black Knights depth up front.

“We are a young team with only one senior and two juniors in our program,” said head coach Chad Kelley. “Ava Buckley and Molly Corvino are our captains for this season. Both Ava and Molly have been tremendous with our young group. They are great examples for others to model.”

02/04/202202/06/2022

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/05/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Canton, 36 @ Oliver Ames, 46 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Taunton, 75 @ King Philip, 53 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Girls Basketball
King Philip, 52 @ Taunton, 44 – Final – Emily Sawyer scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the second half to help the Warrior hold off Taunton and pick up a road win. KP led 13-9 after the first quarter and extended its lead to five points at halftime. The teams were even in the third quarter, so the Warriors kept their five-point edge going into the the fourth. KP outscored Taunton 16-13 over the final eight minutes to secure the victory. Julia Marsden added 12 points for KP and Jackie Bonner had six. Kameron St. Pierre was Taunton’s top scorer with 16 points, including 11 in the second half. Jillian Doherty chipped in with 13 for the Tigers and Cali Melo had nine points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Boys Hockey
Stoughton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro senior Ben Ricketts found the back of the net twice to help the Warriors skate to a non-league win over Stoughton/Brockton. Ricketts scored the first goal for Foxboro and then the third goal, assists from Steve Bridges and Alex Coveillo on the first and Coviello again on his second. Derek Axon’s unassisted shorthanded goal proved to be the game-winner while Matt Grace (from Tom Marcucella and Brett Axon) tacked on a key insurance goal. Sophomore Trevor Marder played well in net for the Warriors with 24 saves. Anthony DeSousa scored the lone goal for the Black Knights.

King Philip, 2 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 3 – Final (OT)

Girls Hockey
Canton, 5 vs. Dennis-Yarmouth, 2 – Final

King Philip, 4 @ Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Kelly Holmes scored twice and Sydney O’Shea and Morgan Cunningham lit the lamp once each as King Philip skated to a league win over Mansifeld/Oliver Ames. Both Holmes and O’Shea also had a pair of assists and Cunningham had one, and Mallory Johnston had 19 saves in net for KP.

Stoughton/Sharon, 2 vs. St. Joseph’s Prep, 6 – Final – Ava Buckley accounted for both of Stoughton/Sharon’s goals but the Knights fell to St. Joseph’s Prep. Zoe Bangs assisted on both goals while Peri Rodman recorded one helper.

Wrestling
D2 State Dual Meet (Oliver Ames, Sharon, Mansfield, Milford, North Attleboro), 10:00 (@ North Andover) – Milford won three meets to claim the D2 State Dual championship while Oliver Ames took third and Sharon rounded out the top four. The Scarlet Hawks picked up a win over Plymouth South (60-18) to advance to the semifinal, where they secured a win over the Tigers (42-24). In the championship round, Milford pinned down a win over Minnechaug (52-22). Oliver Ames opened with a win over Mansfield (56-21), moved to the semifinals with a win over Dracut/Tyngsboro (43-33), and then after falling to Milford, rallied to avenge its league loss to Sharon with a come-from-behind 35-32 win, capped by a pin from heavyweight Jaden Hinton. Hinton, Kyle Hardie (145), Giovany Juste (170), and Nathan Lipski (132) went 4-0 on the day. Chris Mills (220) rallied for a win that cut the Sharon lead to three going into the last match, won by Hinton.

Brockton Quad (Taunton) – Taunton had another impressive day on the mat, picking up four wins at the Brockton Super Quad. The Tigers secured wins over Woburn (78-6), Quincy/North Quincy (63-12), Brockton (45-24), and Xaverian (52-27). Six Taunton grapplers went 4-0 on the day: Michael Leskoski, Anthony Vieira, Xavier Sandoval, Christian Balmain, Ethan Harris, and Peter Ye.

Girls Swimming
Hockomock Championships – Click here for Results and a Photo Gallery from the meet.

12/15/2021

2021-2022 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2021-2022 Hockomock Girls Hockey Preview

Canton

2020-2021 Record: 6-1-1
Coach: Dennis Aldrich
Canton will be back on the ice defending its league title and its Div. 2 state title (shared with Wellesley) from the 2019-20 season. The Bulldogs became the first team to repeat as Hockomock champion since the league introduced girls hockey and would love to add a third straight title to its trophy case this winter.

There will be a few changes in the lineup this year, as leading scorers Maria Femia and Lizzie Tassinari both graduated, but the Bulldogs remain a defense-focused team and will have preseason MVP favorite Allie McCabe leading things on that end of the ice. McCabe will have help on the blue line from junior Mya Battista, a three-year varsity player, and they both have plenty of experience to call on. Junior Carolyn Durand has been a standout in goal for the past two seasons and the Bulldogs will be hoping that a preseason foot injury won’t keep their netminder sidelined for too long.

On offense, Canton is going to be hoping for several forwards to step up and fill in the production lost to graduation. Seniors Payton McDonough and Tess Khoury will bring plenty of energy, leadership, and physicality to the forward line and junior Audrey Koen is poised for a breakout season after scoring six times as a sophomore. Junior Ellie Bohane and sophomore Devin Spinale could also play bigger roles this year.

“As always, the Bulldogs will be a defensively responsible and offensively opportunistic team,” said Canton coach Dennis Aldrich. “The hard work and toughness shown by the girls from day one of tryouts has been remarkable and should prove to benefit us this season.”

Franklin

2020-2021 Record: 6-3-1
Coach: Margie Burke
Franklin has a true blend of veterans and rookies this season and will be hoping that combination can lead to a Hockomock League title.

The Panthers have just under a dozen players back from last year but got a big boost to the roster from the freshmen class, with six skaters and two goalies. While head coach Margie Burke is counting on the freshmen to make contributions throughout the year, she’ll be leaning heavily on her upperclassmen.

Having to replace the top two scorers from last season will be a challenge but the Panthers have plenty of capable options to step up. Senior forward Maggie McCaffrey is off to a good start with two goals in the opening game, and the same goes for junior Molly Hurley. Senior Samantha Wong and juniors Avery Greco and Dana Stott add a lot of skill to the offense. Shaw Downing will be a key piece along the blue line for Franklin.

“We will be young and competitive,” Burke said. “We will be looking to our defensive play to contribute to our success this season.”

King Philip

2020-2021 Record: 6-5-2
Coach: Ken Assad
King Philip will be trying to break through this winter and add a third team to the list of Hockomock League champions, ending the two-year run of Canton at the top. The Warriors will bring plenty of experience into the season and plenty of scoring punch, as their top four scorers from last year are all back to make a run at a league title and a deep run in the postseason.

Senior forwards Sydney O’Shea, Morgan Cunningham, and Jen Daniels will bring experience and leadership to the top two forward lines. O’Shea is the league’s top returning scorer after recording 21 points in just 13 games last year. Sophomore Kelly Holmes is also back after an impressive rookie season, scoring a team-high nine goals, and looking to build on that performance now that she has a year of varsity experience. Freshman Cate Hart will be a newcomer to watch in the attack with sophomores Nicole McDonald and Rylie Ryan and junior Sydney Cloutier all getting opportunities to contribute.

There is also a lot of leadership on the blue line with seniors Ally Donovan and Meg Sherwood back to guide the defensive unit. Junior Katarina Precobb and sophomores Mara Boldy and Emma Sullivan will also be key contributors on defense. Junior Mallory Johnston is back in goal for the Warriors, but she will get a push from junior Haley Bright.

“Overall, if we can maintain our tough forecheck and play hard in all three zones, I believe with the hard work we have just as good a chance as any other team make a run for the Hock title this year and then look at getting into the state tournament,” said KP coach Ken Assad.

Mansfield/Oliver Ames

2020-2021 Record: 5-4-2
Coach: Jamie Mullen
The Mansfield/Oliver Ames/Foxboro co-op team has been a competitive squad for a solid stretch now and a big reason has been their ability to reload instead of rebuild.

That will be the case again this year as the Warriors still have a real strong core group of players back after graduating an impressive senior class. And the goes for behind the bench too after Roy Bain retired, as former assistant Jamie Mullen takes over the reins of the program.

One big advantage have is in net with senior captain Jess Widdop back between the pipes. Widdop is one of the most experienced goaltenders in the league having played since her freshman year. Her aggressiveness and quickness in net really gives the Warriors a boost on the defensive end. On the other end of the ice, the Warriors have a strong group of forwards. Samantha Ledin is one of the quickest in the Hock, Kylie O’Keefe has great playmaking skills, and senior Cierra Doherty sets the tone with her energy.

The line of Cammy Shanteler, Mya Waryas, and Maeve Anastasia gained some valuable experience last year and will be one to watch as this season plays out. Look for newcomers Emma Rabinovich and Madison Guilfoyle to help returner Julia Muttart on the blueline.

“I think we have a group that is going to surprise some people,” Mullen said. “We have some strong returning players and some new players that will help round out the team. Our humble leader Jess is solid between the pipes providing essential confidence for our defense. This team has a lot to prove to themselves, but I have full confidence in their enthusiasm and passion for working hard. We have a group that is determined to work hard, push themselves and their teammates to continue to improve, and play together.”

Stoughton/Sharon

2020-2021 Record: 0-8-2
Coach: Chad Kelley
Stoughton/Sharon has struggled for numbers over the past few years and the still relatively young co-op program will be playing an independent, rather than a Hockomock League, schedule this winter under first-year coach Chad Kelly. Despite the small roster, Kelly is happy with the energy and effort from the team during the preseason.

With players from four towns, building rapport between the players on the ice will be a key. Kelly is turning to his experienced players to help provide leadership, including senior forward Zoe Bangs and junior Ava Buckley, both from Stoughton. Senior defender Mikayla Snyder and senior forward Nina Hatch, also from Stoughton, will add to the experience in the lineup and senior goalie Janelle Murphy from Brockton could be a standout for the team this season.

There are several new faces from all of the towns, some who are new to the sport. Sophomores Samantha Calapai and Molly Corvino are new additions from Brockton that can help out on the blue line. From Sharon are two freshman forwards, Peri Rodman and Heather Kelly, who bring a lot of energy to the ice. Sophomores Nicole Reid and Brianna Moreno and freshman Leila Uchani, each from Stoughton, are also new to hockey and have impressed with their efforts so far.

“We have a great group of kids from our four towns,” said Kelly. “Our success will come from the net on out. Janelle is an all-star-caliber goalie and our defensive corps is excellent. We will struggle a bit on the offensive side of the ice.”