Could this be the year that the Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading girls hockey team wins it all?
If you ask head coach Michelle Roach, now in her 10th year, the answer is an emphatic yes.
“Absolutely this team can win it all. I feel strongly they can go all the way,” said Roach, a St. Mary’s (Lynn) graduate. “This is the most talent I’ve ever had and the most talent we have had depth-wise, so absolutely they have the talent to do it. Starting from the net out, we have a lot of depth and talent and we also have a lot of experience. I think it’s going to be a fun year.”
Last year, the Tanners were 16-4 in the regular season, earning the No. 9 seed in the Division 1 state tournament. They squeaked by No. 24 Winchester 1-0 in the round of 32, then won another nailbiter in the Sweet 16, defeating No. 8 Pope Francis 2-1 on the road. The ride ended in the Elite 8 with a 2-0 loss to top-seeded Notre Dame Hingham, which went on to lose in the final to St. Mary’s 5-4 in triple overtime.
The Tanners return 10 seniors, most if not all of them logging significant ice time last year.
“We lost captains Catie Kampersal and Yasmine Giacolone, but we are returning everyone else,” Roach said. “This is my biggest senior class I’ve ever had. They are all in high-impact positions, so for this year, that is very positive for us as they have the experience. We are mostly seniors and juniors. We are still looking to fill a couple of spots and have some strong freshmen coming in, but this is a strong group no matter what positions you are looking at.”
Seniors Ava Buckley, Leah Buckley (both of Peabody), Alexa Pepper, Mia Lava, and Erin Dee (all of North Reading) will serve as captains.
“It was the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make because all 10 of my seniors are amazing,” Roach said. “Any one of them would have been great choices. This is the largest and most impactful class I’ve had so it was a tough decision. They are all leaders and I expect this group will do some great things over the next couple of months.”
Roach will skate three lines and utilize a four-to-six man rotation on defense.
“We ran five D last year, but with our depth, we are able to run six this year,” Roach said.
Leah Buckley, Lynnfield’s Chloe Gromko (back after a year at prep school), Eleni Spack (Peabody), Maura Flaws (Lynnfield), and Mikaela O’Driscoll (North Reading) headline the defensive unit.
The forward’s group includes seniors Lava, Vanessa Steinmeyer, and Shirley Whitmore, who will man an all-North Reading first line. Ava Buckley, Daniella White (Peabody) and Dee make up the second line and freshman Grace Allen (Lynnfield) and sophomore Ava Louanis (North Reading) will man the third line with a third player yet to be determined.
Waiting in the wings is Pepper, described by Roach as “a hugely-impactful player we are waiting on as she returns from an injury.”
Four-year goaltender senior Alyse Mutti is back.
“She has been so important to this team, so calm and collected all the time,” Roach said. “We’ve been able to do great things in front of her because we know how talented she is.”
Rounding out the roster are junior forwards Julia Guzzo and Ella Donovan (both of North Reading), sophomore forwards Ava Damiani and Lilli McSweeney (both of Lynnfield), freshman forward Alice Crowley (Lynnfield), freshman defenseman Sydney Zizza (Peabody), Lorna Murray (Lynnfield) and Elise Fallica (Lynnfield).
Roach said PLNR’s non-league schedule is extra challenging this year due to the Northeastern Hockey League splitting into large and small divisions. The large division includes PLNR, Winthrop, Beverly, and Medford/Malden, while the small division includes Gloucester, Marblehead, Newburyport, and Masconomet.
“We have some very tough non-league games,” Roach said. “We want to make sure we are playing the toughest teams we can find because we want to be playing our best hockey going into the tournament.
“The last three or four years, we have been eliminated by teams that ended up going to the (TD) Garden,” Roach said. “Last year, our game against Notre Dame was super close and I think their second goal was an empty net. This year, we have come back stronger with another year under our belt and a lot of talent and experience. I can’t wait to see what they can do.”
