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Season Preview: For girls’ puck, confidence is key

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Senior captain Emily McDonald, of Whitman, skates in the Panthers’ season opener against Quincy/North Quincy. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The girls’ hockey team is hoping to keep the momentum going from last season.

For the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ high school hockey team, it all starts with confidence — just look at last season.

After opening the year 0-4, WSHL won 11 of its last 16 games to earn its first tournament berth in three years. Head coach Kevin Marani hopes that success carries into this season.

“It’s just hard work and believing in yourself,” said Marani, who enters his sixth year on the co-op’s bench. “They just needed to believe they could win and it’s contagious. They truly believe they’re a good team.”

The Panthers return two-thirds of their top line in senior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) and sophomore Shea Kelleher (Kingston). 

McDonald, who enters her second year as captain, potted nine goals last season. 

“She is just a great kid to coach, great leader and has great talent,” Marani said of McDonald. “Her leadership and what she brings to the defensive side of the ice, as well as her offensive skill — she is one of our best players. If I had 15 of her, we’d be state champs, for sure.”

Kelleher found the back of the net 13 times and dished out 14 assists in her freshman campaign.

“Shea Kelleher is probably our best all-around player,” Marani said. “She is just good at everything. She is great offensively, she is fast, she has great hands and she has a really good shot.”

Alyssa Murphy also has a really good shot — one the Panthers wish they still had following her graduation. Murphy scored a team-high 31 goals last season.

“I’ve pretty much challenged every girl, if every girl can get three more goals we can at least make up for what we lost from Murph,” Marani said. 

Junior Lily Ulvila (Kingston) will replace Murphy on the top line. 

As for the other end of the ice, senior captain Caleigh Tompkins (Kingston), sophomore Kira Peterson (Kingston) and seniors Neve Corkery (Kingston) and Molly Duff (Kingston) are all back in the fold. Marani said he believes incoming freshmen Jocelyn Moore (Kingston) and Caitlin Dilley (Kingston) can play regularly, as well. 

“We have six really good defensemen,”Marani said. “I expect really big things from her and our defense.”

Marani also expects really big things from senior Kat Gilbert (Halifax), who is back for her third season in net. 

“She’s put in the work,” Marani said. “She is totally focused and when she’s totally focused, she’s one of the better goalies in the league.”

WHSL is scheduled to be back in action Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. against East Bridgewater at Rockland Ice Rink.

“I just want to see their confidence, they’re good,” Marani said. “I just believe that if they believe and they have the same focus as they did at the end of last year we’re gonna be fine and we’ll win our fair share of games and we’ll be a tough out come Patriot League playoffs. All the hard work they put in will come to fruition right now.”

Season Review: WHSL finds its winning ways with confidence

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Junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) had nine goals this season. / Photo by: Sue Moss

WHSL went 11-10 this season and made the tournament for the first time in three years.

Coming into the season, Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey head coach Kevin Marani had an idea of what it would take to jumpstart his team.

“We just need that signature win — that one signature win that we know we can do. And once that happens — winning is contagious,” said Marani back in December.

He was right. After an 0-4 start to the season, the co-op shut out Plymouth, 5-0, and finished the season winning 11 of its last 16 games for its first tournament berth in three years.

“When we started off 0-4, it was almost like, ‘Here we go again,’” Marani said. “I think the signature win was against Plymouth. They were good and we gave them a good popping and I think at that point they were like, ‘Ya know what, we really can, we can believe in ourselves,’ and they did.”

WHSL fell to Waltham, 5-3, in the first round of the Div. 1 tournament.

“Just making the state tournament is huge for this program,” Marani said. “What happens is little girls start watching you and want to be a part of the success.”

Senior captain Alyssa Murphy (Kingston) was a huge part of WHSL’s success. The Western New England bound-forward finished the year with 31 goals and eight assists. She was named a Patriot League All-Star.

“She reminds me a lot of Mel [McAleer],” Marani said. “She just made every single person on that team better. She had that leader’s attitude. She’s a great leader and a great captain with all the skills in the world. It was always team first.”

Freshman Shea Kellleher (Kingston) was also a league all-star after finding the back of the net 13 times to go with 14 assists.

“She is really, really good,” Marani said.

Junior captain Emily McDonald (Whitman), who was Kelleher’s linemate, scored nine goals, but her coach said it could have been a lot more.

“She was snakebitten this year,” Marani said. “She played crazy good. Her and Shea are a great combination together. She should have probably had 20 goals.”

In net, junior Kat Gilbert (Halifax) was a rock yet again this season.

“I knew she had it in her,” Marani said. “She worked her butt off all offseason. She is the most improved player in the league by far. It was just confidence and concentration. The sky’s the limit for her. She can be the best goalie in the league, I truly believe that.”

Fellow junior Caleigh Tompkins (Kingston) was the backbone of WHSL’s defense. And with 11 rising seniors set to return next season, Marani has set the expectation high.

“If we don’t make the state tournament, it’s going to be a disappointment,” Marani said.

*This article will run in the Express’ print edition at a later date.

Season Preview: ‘Fed up with losing,’ WHSL searching for winning ways

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W-H captain Emily McDonald. / Photo by: Sue Moss

WHSL is searching a signature win to get it kick-started.

Fifth-year Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey head coach Kevin Marani is a firm believer that winning is contagious.

However, it’s something his squad has done little of over the past two seasons, posting just six victories combined. As WHSL heads into this winter, Marani said he once again believes his squad has the talent to be successful, it’s just about going out and executing.

“They’ve lost enough and they’re fed up,” said Marani, who guided the Panthers to back-to-back tournament appearances in his first two seasons. “They know that they’re a good team, and they know that they’re good players. We just need that signature win — that one signature win that we know we can do. And once that happens — winning is contagious.”

Marani said winning is also mentality he’s constantly trying to instill in his players.

“It’s truly just believing in yourself, like, ‘OK, we’re down a goal, but we’ve been here before, we’re going to win this game,’” he explained. “Not, ‘Oh boy, we’ve been here before, we’re here again, we’re going to lose again.’”

On the ice, it’s about perfecting the basics.

“We work on practice every single practice for 15 minutes of practice and it’s fundamentals, some days they got it, some days they don’t,” Marani explained.

It starts with commitment.

“We made a big thing at the end of last season that we need every girl committed,” Marani said. “Even when we don’t practice, give us 15 to 20 minutes of shooting balls or hockey pucks against the net or a wall or whatever and passing and stick handling. That’s something that I challenged them with.”

Marani said that so far he’s been impressed with what he’s seen.

“We’ve 100 percent seen the hard work they’ve put on in the offseason,” he said. “Now it’s just about execution.”

Senior captain Alyssa Murphy (Kingston) had no problem with execution last season pacing WHSL with 27 goals and 15 assists en route to league all-star status. She’s once again going to be relied upon to shoulder the load on offense. She’ll serve on the first line, alongside junior co-captain Emily McDonald (Whitman) and sophomore Ellie Grady (Kingston).

“Alyssa is everything you want to coach,” Marani said. “Talent-wise, she is right up there with the best in our league. She is a good kid and great leader. She works her butt off and is one of the hardest working kids we have on the team.“

McDonald potted six goals and dished out nine assists last winter.

“She is such a good kid,” Marani said. “She is a great leader and she’s got great skill. She’s worked on her shot, she’s worked on her shot. We’re looking from big things from Emily. I think she’s going to have a breakthrough season.”

Sophomores Abby Powers and Lilly Ulvila, both of whom are from Kingston, combined for 10 goals and 11 assists last winter and have improved immensely, according to Marani.

Junior Caleigh Tompkins (Kingston) anchor the blue line with freshman Kendyl Peterson (Kingston).

Peterson is one of a few freshmen that are expected to contribute right away. Shay Kelleher and Casandra Martin will see significant ice time at forward.

Junior Kat Gilbert (Halifax) returns in net after turning away 481 shots last season.

“She is motivated, into it and you can see the difference,” Marani said. “She seems like she is very concentrated. When she is engaged, she is one of the best goalies in our league.”

Marani is setting the bar once again this season.

“This is probably the deepest team I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Marani said. “If we don’t make the state tournament this year, it would be a disappointment. I expect 100 percent to make the state tournament.”

WHSL returns to the ice Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7:45 p.m. against Bishop Stang at Rockland Ice Rink.

“I’m looking forward to this season,” said the coach. “We’re so close. I’m just hoping that everything clicks. We need that one signature win to get that confidence so the girls know we’re good.”

Season Review: For WHSL, ‘We’re so close’

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WHSL skated to a four-win season. Photo by: Sue Moss

Inconsistency. It was a thorn in the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team’s side all season.

“We’ll play two really good periods and have one really bad period and every time we had a really bad period, it hurt us,” said fourth-year WHSL head coach Kevin Marani, whose team finished the winter 4-13-2.

The co-op’s youth played a large factor in its inability to string together a full three periods. Fifteen of its 19 skaters were either freshmen or sophomores. They dropped five games by two goals or less. Wins came against Stoughton (twice), Quincy/North Quincy and Shawsheen.

“I said to the girls, ‘We’re so close. Once you start to win, it becomes a habit,’” Marani said. “We had a ton of one-goal games, two-goal games with an empty net.”

The Panthers did make strides from last season, doubling their win total, upping their points total from four to 10 and potting 62 goals as opposed to 31.

Back with WHSL  after playing club hockey last season, junior captain Alyssa Murphy (Kingston) was a force on offense, netting 27 goals and dishing out 15 assists. She was in on 67 percent of the team’s tallies.

“She’s such a good talent,” Marani said. “Her talent speaks for herself. She was very unselfish, all about the team. Everything she does is team first. “

Sophomore Emily McDonald (Whitman) was second on the team with 15 points (6 goals and 9 assists). Not only did she play on the same line as Murphy, but she’ll serve as a captain with her next season as well.

“She’s another great kid,” Marani said. “She’s a leader. She is a quiet girl that leads by example. She is probably the hardest working player on our team. Every practice she is there. She is exactly what we want from every single player. If we had 20 Emily’s we’d be very, very good.”

Surprisingly enough, Marani said the strength of the team was defense. To be strong on defense, you need a steady presence in net, and sophomore Kat Gilbert (Halifax) provided that, turning away 481 shots.

“Kat is becoming a really goalie,” Marani said. “She is one of the better goalies in the league and that is a big part because she was committed. A lot of her issues were concentration.”

Freshmen Lilly Ulvila (Kingston) and Abby Powers (Kingston) provided the Panthers with a look into the future. The two combined for 11 goals and 10 assists.

Marani said he has the same expectations heading into the offseason as he did coming into this year.

“We should make the state tournament next year,” said the coach. “If we don’t, it’s going to be a disappointment.”

A leader on the team: WHSL’s Maddie Soule to serve

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Maddie Soule. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Maddie Soule, a four-year player, will enlist in the Army after hockey season.

Maddie Soule’s importance to the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.

The senior defenseman from Hanson has one point this season. It was a goal back on Jan. 27.

Soule’s niche is elsewhere. It’s her leadership.

“She is a great leader and just a good kid,” said WHSL head coach Kevin Marani. “That’s what we need.”

Soule, a team captain and four-year varsity player, has seen the highs and the lows of the program. After winning back-to-back SEMGHL titles in her first two campaigns, the team has collected just five wins since, as it undergoes a massive rebuild. She is one of just three seniors on the roster.

“[Being a captain] is a lot harder because of our record,” Soule said. “It takes its toll on these girls, especially me, so I to set the tone and keep everyone’s attitude the same and make sure everyone is still committed and giving fill effort.”

Soule described her leadership style as “intimidating.”

“I just feel like people take me more seriously because I’m all business,” she said.

With a passion for leadership, coupled with hockey, Soule will head into the Army after she graduates in May.

“I just knew that I wanted to start doing something right away out of high school,” she said. “I realized going into the Military will help me with my job because I want to go into law enforcement. I’ve always wanted to serve my country.”

Her training kicked into full gear in the fall.

“I met with my recruiter at 5 a.m. at the track at the high school and we worked out,” Soule said.

Being a hockey captain also works to her benefit.

“Making sure everyone follows has prepared me a lot for the future,” Soule said. “Hockey prepared me with mental toughness and physical toughness so I can take hits and get up.”

Soule said her memories as part of the WHSL girls’ hockey team will be everlasting.

“I’ll remember my freshman and sophomore year when we were back-to-back league champs,” said Soule. “My sophomore year we were two games away from going to the Garden.”

Soule said she hopes she left a permeant stamp on the hockey co-op.

“I kind of helped build the program, my freshman year it had just started, so I feel like I was part of starting it,” Soule said.

Season Preview: WHSL girls’ hockey is much improved

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Emily McDonald of Whitman keys the returnees back for WHSL. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The WHSL looks to move on from a 2-18 season last winter.

For the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team, it’s a lot more clear heading into this season than it was going into last winter, when it returned just eight players.

“It was a shock to all of us,” said fourth-year head coach Kevin Marani of the lack of familiar faces to start last season.

With the exception of a select few, Marani had no idea who was going to play, or even who could play and where.

“Last year was a trying year,” he said.

While it was a trying season, it certainly wasn’t a lost one for WHSL, which went 2-18 overall with both wins coming in the final month. The Panthers had 15 new faces, 11 of whom were freshmen.

“The first part of any freshman year, you’re just learning,” Marani said. “You think you know high school hockey and speed and you don’t.”

Nine of those now-sophomores are back, along with a handful of upperclassmen, while a former league all-star has returned and a few incoming freshmen have impressed, all combining to put WHSL in a good spot this winter.

“The experience that we have with all the sophomores that we have along with the return of [Alyssa Murphy] and there are a couple freshmen are going to be helpful for us,” Marani said. “The newness of playing in high school hockey is gone and now it’s experience. Confidence breeds success.”

Yes, junior Alyssa Murphy (Kingston), who played for the junior hockey team Walpole Express last season, has returned.

“She’s just a great kid, a great hockey player,” Marani said.

Murphy scored 20 goals and dished out 23 assists as a freshman. WHSL scored just 31 goals last winter.

“When we let up a goal, we’d be defeated,” Marani said. “We could not score. She’s also a lot faster from when she was a freshman, she’s probably one of our faster, if not fastest girls.”

Murphy will captain the team with senior Maddie Soule (Hanson).

“She’s a great leader and great kid,” Marani said of Soule “I believe the two captains that we choose, we could not be happier.”

Emily McDonald (Whitman), who scored three goals last season, will be looked upon to produce even more in her sophomore campaign.

“This year, I can see the strength,” Marani said. “She’s stronger. Her shot’s better. Her passes are more crisp, pure strength.”

Sophomores Caity Hazley (one goal, nine assists last season) and Ellie Grady (one goal, two assists), both of Kingston, also provide some goal-scoring potential on the wing.

Senior Zoe Lydon (Hanson) and sophomores Neve Corkery (Kingston) and Caleigh Thompkins (Kingston) will help sure up the blue line with the transfer of junior Natalie Nemes (Kingston), the team’s lone league all-star last season, to Tabor Academy.

GOALKEEPERS

After entering last season with no goalies, the Panthers embark on their upcoming campaign with two sophomores Kat Gilbert (Halifax), who is the starter, and Rylee Moran (Whitman). Both have been working with a goalie coach brought on about midway through last season.

“Kat had started and just didn’t know the nuances of being a goalie and this summer, both her and Rylie have gone to multiple, multiple goalie clinics and it’s just about knowing how to play the position,” Marani said.

Marani said he’s put a heavy emphasis on improvement in two key areas thus far that go hand in hand with success in the win column.

“It comes straight down to passing and shooting, and that’s something these girls have been working on in every practice, along with [then] going home and shooting against a garage door or a wall and passing it against a wall,” he said “They see the teams we play and how good of a passing team they are. If we can improve our passing and our shooing, hitting the open net, we’ll score a lot of goals.”

Marani said he’s excited to see what his sophomore-driven team does in the future.

“Going through tough times makes you closer,” he said. “You can either get closer or start fighting with each other. They want to take a team that was 2-18 and make the state tournament and maybe one day win a league championship. There’s still three years to go. They’re only going to mature more and they do have the talent.”

WHSL will open the season Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. against Dennis-Yarmouth at Troy Kent Arena.

“I just want to see competitiveness,” Marani said. “I want them to be a competitive team. Go out and play like you can win and let the chips fall in the net. If we don’t win, that’s fine. I want to see we’re competing and improving every game and if we can do that by the end of the year, we’re going to be fine.”

Season Review: Girls’ hockey improved by the day

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The Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team finished the season at 2-18 and had 15 new players on its roster. 

The 2017-18 campaign served as a learning experience for the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team, which skated to a 2-18 record.

WHSL, which was coming off its first tournament victory since the co-op’s inception in 2014, underwent a complete roster transformation. The Panthers lost 12 players off last season’s roster, which included three of their key defensemen, their lone goaltender and 80 percent of their goal scoring. The departures paved the way for 15 new players, 11 of whom were freshmen, to join the team.

The Panthers, who started the season 0-11, finally broke into the win column with a 3-1 triumph over Scituate on Jan. 27.

“It was a nice feeling for the girls to finally feel the winning situation,” third-year WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said. “They never gave up, at practices they came upbeat, wanted to learn, practice on their skills. If you didn’t know our record, you would have never known we had no wins.”

One of those skills was passing.

“Every practice we worked on passing and we became not a good passing team to a pretty good passing team by the end of the year,” Marani said. “Because we were so young and we started off with such a tough schedule, confidence means a lot. If you don’t have the confidence, no matter how hard you’re working or how hard you practice, it doesn’t go that far. We’re losing three girls, three really good leaders, but three girls, that’s it we’re losing from this team.”

Also, midway through the season, WHSL added a goalie coach to work hand in hand with freshmen netminders Kat Gilbert (Halifax) and Rylee Moran (Whitman). Gilbert entered the season with no experience in between the pipes and Moran had little action herself.

“The improvement of those two girls from just getting that goalie coach were leaps and bounds,” Marani said. “Rylie improved unbelievable. She’s really into it, she really wants to practice. She’s playing goalie over the summer doing a bunch of clinics so she’s only going to go up. At some point, I’d love to be able to play two goalies. Kat’s really into it now and she’s starting to play. Both of them truly were the most improved players on our team.”

WHSL surrendered just 16 goals in a four-game stretch from Feb. 3 to Feb. 16. In that span, the Panthers pulled off a 3-2 win over Plymouth. Marani sees a similarity between that Plymouth team, which went from 0-19-1 last winter to 14-4-3 this season, and his club.

“You can look at Plymouth, they had zero wins last year and they ended up having 14 wins this year,” Marani said. “I feel like we’re the exact same team Plymouth was the year before.”

Manning the blue line was sophomore and Patriot League All-Star Natalie Nemes (Kingston), who led WHSL with 14 goals.

“I believe she is the best player in our league,” Marani said. “When you’re that talented and you’re going through a tough season, she could have got down on her and her teammates, but she never did. She was always cheering on every player, no matter what the ability. She’s just a great, great kid.”

Sophomore Meagan Elwood (Kingston) also provided a much-needed spark for WHSL’s offense, ending her season with 10 goals.

“She’s a pure goal scorer,” Marani said. “She can score, she has a great shot, [and] gets to the net which is what you want. Meagan was huge.”

Freshman Emily McDonald (Whitman) ranked third on the team with three goals.

“In the tryouts, she was pretty good and every game she got better,” Marani said. “Now she’s one of the better players. We expect big things from her next year, absolutely. She’s a very, very smart player, got great hands, strong skating. She’s got all the ability. You could see if by the end of the year, she was carrying the play. She’s a good player, very good player.”

The young WHSL team will be in search of some leadership come next season as it will lose senior captains Shannon Elwood (Kingston) and Colleen Hughes (Hanson) along with classmate Emily Knight (Hanson), all of whom were four-year players.

“We’re losing three girls, three really good leaders,” Marani said.

As for the future, Marani believes his team will only get stronger due to the struggles sustained this winter.

“It’s pretty easy when you start losing to start finger point and start blaming people and there was none of that,” Marani said. “They stayed close-knit, they stayed friends, good teammates. It was a good learning situation for all of them. It was a tough season, but the way that they battled through everything and kept a positive attitude, it’s only going to make them better next year.”

Scoreboard debut

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Freshman Emily McDonald has been logging significant minutes at forward for the Panthers, and Sunday evening at Hobomock Arenas, she collected her first career varsity goal.

PEMBROKE — With a rash of offensive production gone from last season, opportunities have arisen for many younger players on the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team.

One of those younger players getting the chance to shine is Emily McDonald, a freshman from Whitman. McDonald has been logging significant minutes at forward for the Panthers, and Sunday evening at Hobomock Arenas, she collected her first career varsity goal. 

Whitman freshman Emily McDonald netted first career varsity goal in WHSL’s loss to LaSalle Academy/Moses Brown Sunday, Jan. 7. / Photo by: Sue Moss

With 6:41 remaining in the third period, McDonald, from inside the blue line, blasted a shot on the La Salle Academy/Moses Brown goalie Asia Porter, and it found the back of the net.

“[It felt] good,” McDonald said of her goal.

WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said McDonald had been snakebitten a bit this season – hitting the post on a few chances in a pair of prior games – so he was happy to see her have something to show for her savvy play.

“She’s a smart, smart player,” Marani said. “She’s a good kid, tries hard. It was nice to see her finally break the ice.”

McDonald’s tally was one of three WHSL (0-7) goals in an 8-3 loss to La Salle Academy/Moses Brown (10-0-1).

The first came just 52 seconds into the contest when sophomore defenseman Natalie Nemes (Kingston) worked her way up the boards, to left circle and flicked a shot that beat Porter right over her left shoulder, making it 1-0.

The advantage was WHSL’s first all season.

“It was a nice celebration,” Marani said. “We needed a lead, we deserve it, we work hard.”

Unfortunately for WHSL, it would not last as LA/MB knotted the score at 1-1 with 7:11 remaining in the first period when Alexa Morra blasted a wrist shot past freshman goalie Kat Gilbert (Halifax).

Less than a minute later, LA/MB went ahead 2-1 and that’s where it stood after the opening frame.

The second stanza is where the contest would get away from the Panthers as 41 seconds into it, the visitors pushed ahead 3-1 when Grayson Goolgasian found twine. Tallies by Samantha Marsh and Jennifer Rickard gave LA/MB a four-goal cushion through two periods.

With 6:41 remaining in the final stanza, McDonald’s tally drew WHSL within 6-2.

After another LA/MB goal, WHSL’s Meagan Elwood (Kingston) found the back of the net with 2:31 left, making it 7-3.

However, it took LA/MB 14 seconds to respond as it made it 8-3 and that’s where it would stand.

WHSL will be back on the ice Saturday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. against Haverhill/Pentucket/ North Andover at The Bog Ice Arena in Kingston.

“I think we’re getting it,” WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said. “We had a bunch of breakdowns. They’re trying hard. Today was a good game, they played hard.”

Season Preview: WHSL relying on young players to fill McAleer, Tracy’s skates

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WHSL is now tasked with replacing 80 percent of its offensive production from last winter, its starting goaltender and three of its four starting defensemen.

The Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team enters the new season with a lot of challenges — some that were inevitable, some that frankly blindsided it — but you won’t hear it making excuses, that’s for sure.

As the final horn blew last March that concluded WHSL’s campaign with a 2-0 loss to Winchester in the first round of the Division 2 state tournament, it would be the last time two of the program’s most decorated players — Mel McAleer and Hannah Tracy — would sport Panthers black and red on the ice again.

McAleer and Tracy, who combined for 194 goals and 142 assists dating back to the Pembroke/Whitman-Hanson co-op, headlined an eight-player senior class that guided WHSL to a 38-19-5 record, back-to-back SEMGHL Northeast crowns and its first tournament win since the co-op’s inception at the outset of the 2014-15 season. WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said the loss of McAleer and Tracy, who both hail from Hanson, serves as a great opportunity for the players on this season’s team.

“I think now they know, well we don’t have Hannah and Mel, if I don’t score we don’t win,” Marani said. “Where if they don’t score last year, Hannah and Mel would score and we’d win.”

OTHER DEPARTURES

On top of the senior class’ departure, two players Marani was going to rely heavily on this season in sophomores and SEMGHL Northeast All-Stars – forward Alyssa Murphy (20 goals and 23 assists in 2016-17) and defenseman Delaney Grace (five goals and 13 assists) – opted not to return to the club, which threw a wrench into the Panthers’ plans.

WHSL is now tasked with replacing 80 percent of its offensive production from last winter, its starting goaltender and three of its four starting defensemen. Regardless of the losses, WHSL does, however, return sophomore defenseman Natalie Nemes, who burst onto the scene last season contributing big minutes for the Panthers en route to being named an SEMGHL Northeast All-Star.

“Even last year with the talent we had on the team, she was our best skater,” Marani said. “From last year into this year it’s just confidence. As a freshman last year, she held back a tiny bit [and] I think this year it’s going to be her coming out party, I really do. I haven’t seen a better defenseman in the three years that I’ve coached on any team I’ve played against.”

Joining Nemes on the WHSL blue line will be sophomore Antonia Driscoll and junior Zoe Lydon (Hanson), both of whom played sparingly last winter. Along with those three, the co-op will need at least one newcomer to solidify herself into a starting role, but who that will be is up in the air at this point.

“We expect a lot, we need a lot from Zoe and Antonia,” Marani said. “Both look like they’ve put in the work, so we need them to step up obviously from not playing much last year to getting into a major role this year. [Also], we just need one freshman to step up and hopefully have four deep and make it a solid defensive corps in front of our freshman goalie.”

That freshman goalie Marani referred is Kat Gilbert, who he said has impressed him thus far. Gilbert is just one of about a dozen freshmen that will take the ice for WHSL this season.

While the team may be young, they still have three seniors – led by captains Shannon Elwood and Colleen Hughes (Hanson). “All of them are leaders, they’re great kids, they’re great academically,” Marani said. “They’re just good kids.”

Another change for WHSL this season is it will be competing in the newly formed girls’ hockey Patriot League, which will offer some enhanced play with the likes of Duxbury, Hingham and Pembroke in it. Not only did the Panthers’ path to a Division title get a bit tougher, but its route to a possible state title down the road did as well, as they have been moved from Division 2 up to Division 1. Regardless, Marani said as long as his club gives it its all, that’s all he can ask for.

“We need to go out and play,” the third-year WHSL head coach said. “The schedule is in front of us and if we win, we win, if we lose, we lose, but as long as we’re all going in the same direction and with one goal, and that is to play our best and to give it our best, then wins and losses are going to be irrelevant.”

WHSL will open its season on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 8:45 p.m. at Hobomock Arenas in Pembroke against Marshfield.

“I truly just want them to go in, play as hard as they can, learn the speed of high school hockey and we’ll grow from there,” Marani said. “We’ll get better every game.”

Sachems end WHSL season: Team finishes best campiagn

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The teams shake hands at game’s end. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey bowed out of the Div. 2 state tournament with a 2-0 loss to Winchester.

KINGSTON — They say all good things must come to an end. For the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey team, that proved true Sunday.

The co-op gave it everything they had, but came out on the wrong end of the stick in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Winchester in the first round of the Division 2 state tournament held at The Bog Ice Arena.

Sixth-seeded WHSL (15-4-3), which was in the midst of its best campaign since its inception in 2014, allowed a quick goal 3:05 in, and could never recover, as No. 11-seed Winchester added another tally late in the third to secure its victory. The Sachems silenced a WHSL offense, which found the back of the net 120 times coming in, and had only been shut out once (5-0 against Duxbury Feb. 5) all season.

“They did a good job shadowing Hannah [Tracy] and Mel [McAleer] all game, taking away time and space for them to create offense,” WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said. “They played a strong game.” 

Winchester (14-4-4) will meet No. 14 Canton (12-4-6) in the quarterfinals Saturday at 5:15 p.m. at Galo Ice Arena.

At the 11:55 mark of the first period, the Sachems’ Mariah Redler snuck behind the WHSL defense and found herself all alone with netminder Melissa Crone and flung a shot on goal. The senior goaltender looked as if she had made the stop, the referee at the goal line signaled for the save, but the referee at center ice overruled him.

“It absolutely did not go in the net, but sometimes you’ve got to fight through those things,” Marani said. “Melissa was great in goal all game, like she’s done for us all season.”

The Sachems had a few more quality chances on net – including a Redler blast from the face-off circle – but Crone stood strong in goal. WHSL found itself on the power play with 9:14 remaining in the second period, but failed to even record a shot onnet. Late in the second period, Mary Kate Webb ripped a blistering shot on Winchester goalie Baile Lazarus, who turned the senior captain away with a glove save.

With time winding down in the second frame, Tracy found herself in 1-on-1 with Lazarus, who yet again rose to the occasion to preserve the shutout.

2:59 into the third period, Meave Hickey beat Crone on a wrist shot to push the Sachems ahead 2-0, and that is where it would stand.

Over the past three seasons, the Panthers have snatched back-to-back SEMGHL Northeast titles, have not missed the MIAA tournament and have gone 3819-5. 

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Melanie McAleer (Hanson) was a focal point of the Sachems’ defense. / Photo by: Sue Moss

But this go-around had the makings of something special. Not only was it the first year WHSL had made it out of the preliminary round of the tournament, it was the last season on the ice sporting red and black for seniors Tess Corkery, Crone, Sophia Dauksevicz, Katie Johnson, McAleer, Tracy and Webb. 

If there was ever a lining coming from the defeat, it is the mark all seven of them have had on the underclassmen of the team. They helped establish a culture, a tradition, a foundation and most importantly a hockey program.

“They’re a great group of girls,” Marani said. “With them, they brought girls that could have gone to other schools and now that they get the fever of WHSL hockey, I think they’re going to stay.”