It didn’t take long for the Hingham Harborwomen to show they will be a force again this season.
Hingham beat St. Mary’s, 3-1, Wednesday in a rematch of last year’s dramatic Division 1 quarterfinal in which the Harborwomen ended the Spartans’ 100-game unbeaten streak.
Despite graduating their veteran leaders along with goaltender Beth Findley (20 saves in the tournament win over St. Mary’s), the defending Division 1 state champion Harborwomen are recharging.
Their top line of juniors Sarah Schwenzfeier and Jane Freda, and sophomore Catherine Linehan remains in tact, and in net, Hingham will turn to sophomore Taylor Walsh to fill Findley’s shoes.
St. Mary’s faces a big transition with the loss of leading scorer Sabrina Iannetti and stellar goaltender Sarah Foss, who pioneered an almost untouchable program that clinched three consecutive Division 1 championships.
Picking up the slack are junior forward Alison Butler and captains Rachel Donaho and Genevieve Benoit, while sophomore Lauren Skinnion (2.00 goals against average) guards the net. The biggest additions to the Spartans’ lineup are sophomore forward Brittani Lanzilli and junior forward Kaleigh Finigan. Lanzilli topped the Greater Boston League in scoring with 41 goals and 23 assists. Finigan is a transfer from Austin Prep.
Woburn’s returning leading scorer, junior forward Kayla Smith, has emerged as a swift and overpowering force on the ice, serving up a hat trick and an assist in the Tanners’ 5-0 victory over St. Mary’s last weekend.
The Tanners are also strong in goal with the return of sophomore Courtney Davis. Woburn has netted 27 goals with four shutouts to start the season.
Another team primed for a shot for the postseason is Acton-Boxboro, which is back with Merrimack Valley Conference/Dual County League leading scorer, senior forward Kati Goguen. The Colonials also return junior Lauren Roche and freshman Leah Cardarelli to the first line. Eighth grader Cali Loblundo is back in net, this time with tournament experience.
Another young goalie to watch is Winthrop/Lynn freshman Katie Burt, who had 30 saves in the Division 1 state semifinal loss to Hingham. The Lady Bulldogs also return their all-time leading scorer, senior center Mackenzie Clark, who has 141 career points.
Defending Division 2 state champion Duxbury returns forward Hannah Murphy, who netted the winning goal against Fontbonne in the title game. Martha Findley and Lily Connolly are back and Rachel Myette is in goal.
Senior goalie Casey Schaejbe leads Arlington as the Spy Ponders move from the Dual County League to the Middlesex Large.