REGION – Fire up the Zamboni – Central Mass. girls hockey is officially back.
After a long offseason, teams officially hit the ice on Dec. 2 for the first practices of the winter season. After months of competition, the season will culminate around Saint Patrick’s Day with championships at TD Garden in Boston.
Algonquin and Shrewsbury – the two girls co-ops in the Community Advocate coverage area – hope to be there. Though both squads qualified for the playoffs last year, they ultimately fell in the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively.
The Community Advocate caught up with each team before the season started.
Algonquin (Division 2)
Northborough, Southborough, Hudson, Marlborough, Bolton, Lancaster and Stow all have one thing in common – this hockey team. With players from five Central Mass. schools – including Algonquin Regional, Hudson, Nashoba Regional, Marlborough and AMSA – building team chemistry is of the utmost importance, said Head Coach Tina Beauchemin.
“Some teams grow up playing with each other – they see each other every day in class. We come from five different schools, we only see each other when we get here,” said the third-year coach. “Success is keeping the culture, keeping the chemistry we create. Chemistry is huge – if the locker room is good, it shows on the ice. The girls are all supportive of each other.”
After a close loss to Duxbury in last year’s Division 2 semifinal, the Titans graduated several key contributors, including Emily Johns and Bryn Domolky. It will be up to the new captains – Lauren O’Malley, Annie Biagini and Betsy Bertonazzi – to lead the team with “heart and spirit” and help Algonquin make another deep playoff run.
“I’m really excited for this year. I just keep thinking about our freshman year when we won states, and I really want to end at the TD Garden at states. I think we have a lot of really good freshmen that will help us get there,” said O’Malley.
“This is my favorite season of the year. I love spending every day with my best friends,” said Biagini. “Games and practices are so much fun with this group.”
The Titans will rely on standout goaltender Addy Cagan to limit the scoring. O’Malley and Sara Albanese will shore up the defense. Beauchemin expects big things on the offensive end from Ariya Tice and Madelyn Glynn; versatile players Brenna Joyce and Brooke Cutler will split time between offense and defense.
“Our team is really well-rounded. We still have a great top 10 – we’re going to be extremely competitive – and then the next ones in line are right there. The girls from last year that were learning improved. It’s really exciting to see,” said Beauchemin.
Shrewsbury (Division 1)
In his 16 years at the helm of the Shrewsbury girls hockey program – which also welcomes athletes from Westborough and Wachusett Regional – Frank Panarelli has never missed the playoffs. Two years ago, the team won the MIAA Division 1 championship.
But in Year 17, Panarelli is facing a new challenge – or, perhaps, has a new opportunity. With 11 freshmen joining the program, the Colonials will have plenty of fresh faces. And the team is excited about what’s to come.
“I’ve been fortunate that we’ve never really had to rebuild, but it’s a little bit of a rebuilding year,” said Panarelli. “We have 11 freshmen, that’s the biggest class I’ve ever had. There’s going to be some growing pains with the freshmen, but so far, a couple practices in, I think they’re going to get used to the demand of our practices. There are some very promising freshmen.”
Shrewsbury lost 10 athletes in the offseason, including Marisa Montoya, the program’s all-time winningest goalie. Talented in her own right, sophomore Adrianna Boucher will guard the net this year, and captains Sofia Gardula, Blaire Fay and Lauren Albertson will look to provide leadership and guidance to the team’s younger players.
“I’m really excited. It’s going to be tough because we lost a bunch of girls from last year, a lot of seniors, but … we have a bunch of freshmen coming in from Wachusett and Shrewsbury, so we have a lot of potential,” Albertson told the Community Advocate.
The Colonials start the season with one main goal – make the tournament. With the team competing in perhaps the state’s toughest league, Panarelli has told the group that even if they lose a couple along the way, it’s more about the energy and effort.
“We’ve got a good nucleus. It’s going to be a typical, hard-working team. We’ll play within our systems, and I think we’ll be OK. We play in such a tough league – that’s why I told the girls that I don’t mind if we lose a game, I just don’t want to get outworked. As long as we outwork [our opponent], that’s OK,” said Panarelli. “At the end of the year, let’s just be better than when we started.”
Looking to support the Shrewsbury team? On Dec. 22, the Colonials will host their inaugural Alumni Hockey Game to benefit Ryla, a 3-year-old girl fighting kidney cancer and daughter of former Shrewsbury player Breana Monroe.
Come to Northstar Ice Sports at 7 p.m. More here.
