5 North subject hockey groups to look at this season
Area hockey season is in full swing, and a few well-established applications are off to a quick begin.
Listed here are 5 groups from the North to regulate this season. They’re listed alphabetically with final 12 months’s total report and playoff consequence.
Belfast (14-2-1, misplaced to eventual state champ Lawrence 4-3 in B North last)
Jan (Holmes) Jackson’s Lions are off to a 7-0 begin they usually have outscored their opponents 60-1.
“This is without doubt one of the greatest groups I’ve ever coached,” mentioned Jackson, who has been at Belfast since 2013 after starting her profession at Camden Hills in 1996.
The Lions have been led by prolific scorer Breanna Shorey, a junior who scored greater than 20 objectives a 12 months in the past en path to All-KVAC North accolades.
Speedy junior Ava Markham and sophomore Payton Wadsworth be part of Shorey up entrance and also can put the ball within the cage with proficiency. Jackson has additionally acquired offensive manufacturing from sophomore midfielders Halle Tarbox, Jocelyn Valleau and Allison Friel.
The Lions have been stable within the again with Emily Friel, sophomore Laura Carpenter and junior Kali Knight patrolling the Level Lookout synthetic turf in entrance of sophomore goalkeeper Nikki Shorey.
Level Lookout is in close by Northport and Jackson mentioned they’re hoping to boost cash to have a multi-sport synthetic turf floor in Belfast.
Jackson famous that she additionally had some high quality depth together with the likes of swift-footed sophomore left wing Lawless Desrochers, junior midfielder Kayla Wight and sophomore again Oralee Woodbury.
Belfast received 4 B state titles between 2004 and 2011 and was the state runner up in 2012 and ’16.
Dexter-Central (12-4, misplaced to Maine Central Institute 1-0 in C North semifinals)
Coach Brittany McAllister returned 10 starters off final 12 months’s C North semifinalist staff and all have expertise on the varsity degree.
Dexter received its first 5 video games coming into a Tuesday showdown with archrival Foxcroft Academy, a streak throughout which the staff scored simply 9 objectives however allowed solely three.
“We now have dominated our video games, getting 15 to twenty penalty corners a sport. However we’re nonetheless engaged on placing the ball within the objective. We’re getting a variety of alternatives. We’ve confronted some robust goaltenders,” McAllister mentioned.
Two of her catalysts have been twins Brianna and Lexi Vafiades. Brianna Vafiades is a middle midfielder and Lexi is the correct wing.
“Brianna has actually stepped up and may play all around the subject. She is actually doing a pleasant job,” McAllister mentioned. “Lexi does an exceptional job carrying the ball and getting it down into the offense finish.”
Two seniors, left again Lily Brown and sweeper Acadia Markham, have anchored the protection and are top-notch one-on-one defenders, based on McAllister.
Junior Sunny Bache is the full-time goalkeeper after sharing the duties a 12 months in the past.
Junior Brooklyn Dow and sophomore Kallie Stone be part of Brown and Markham within the again, and accompanying Brianna Vafiades within the midfield are junior McKenzie Clay and Keira Bennett. Alex Vafiades has sophomore Abby Trafton and junior Preslee Dow along with her up on the entrance line.
McAllister mentioned she is searching for her staff to proceed having the lion’s share of possession and is hoping that dominance will flip into extra objectives.
Dexter received 4 C state titles in a row from 2000 to ’03 however hasn’t appeared in a state sport because it beat North Yarmouth Academy 1-0 within the 2009 last.
Foxcroft Academy (8-8, misplaced to Dirigo 5-0 within the semifinals)
The Ponies have returned to kind after an uncharacteristic .500 season a 12 months in the past. Foxcroft Academy had posted a 61-9 common season report within the earlier 5 campaigns.
Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft received its first 5 video games earlier than assembly Dexter-Central on Tuesday.
“The factor I really like about this 12 months is we don’t have one standout participant. All of them should work collectively they usually have. The passing has been on, our assault on objective has been robust, and now we have Emma Bither in objective and he or she has 4 shutouts and has allowed just one objective,” mentioned second-year head coach Davan Walker, whose staff has scored 16 objectives in 5 video games.
Bither had been a midfielder however was keen to provide goalkeeper a attempt after they wanted one halfway by means of final season. Walker feels she has potential to play the place in school.
Bither is considered one of six returning starters together with senior ahead and main scorer Hilary Howard, junior middle again Emily Greenlaw, sophomore left again Emma McGary, sophomore midfielder Jaiyde True and senior sweeper Laney McGary.
True, a again final season, is accompanied within the midfield by freshman Jadenne Frigon and senior Elina White, who transferred from Stearns of Millinocket.
Spanish boarding pupil Marie Galera, a junior, joins Howard up entrance together with freshman Jenna Hartford.
The Ponies are taking part in their residence video games on the unreal turf within the Jim Robinson Area Home and it has made “such a distinction,” based on Walker.
Foxcroft Academy received its final C state crown in 2019, six years after its earlier title.
Nokomis (10-5-1, misplaced to Belfast 3-1 in B North semis)
Head coach Shaunessy Saucier mentioned that is one of the best of her three Nokomis groups and it has proven with the Newport-based Warriors’ 5-0 begin through which they’ve outscored their opponents 36-1.
“These gamers are tremendous dedicated. They play all summer season collectively in a few totally different leagues,” Saucier mentioned.
Saucier returns six starters off final 12 months’s staff. Junior Eliya Drummond returns in objective, senior Madeleine Roundy and sophomore Addison Hawthorne are influential midfielders, tenacious senior Ava Lovley and junior Myia SeeHusen are two of the first point-producers up entrance, and junior Alaina Donahue is taken into account an “wonderful tackler” by Saucier.
Three freshmen have cracked the beginning lineup. Delanie Randlett and Annie Nyce begin within the midfield and Mackenzie Watson begins within the again.
Junior Aryanna Turner is a flexible participant who can play quite a lot of totally different positions and is taking part in up entrance proper now. Abbie Reynolds is a senior again and junior Madelynn Wyman and sophomore Future Desjardins present stable depth.
Sophomore ahead Raegan King has been misplaced for the season attributable to damage.
“We have to proceed to develop our passing sport,” Saucier mentioned. “It’s onerous to defend a very good passing staff.”
Nokomis received its final B state title in 2013, three years after its earlier one.
Skowhegan (18-0, beat Cheverus 3-2 in state A last)
Regardless of dropping its first common season sport since Sept. 7, 2017, on Monday evening, 2-1 to Messalonskee Excessive in Oakland, the River Hawks are nonetheless the staff to beat in A North since they’ve received the final 21 regional titles and 17 state championships throughout that span.
“Messalonskee is an superior staff. It’s actually evident they’re used to taking part in on [artificial] turf and we wrestle on it,” mentioned Skowhegan coach Paula Doughty, who can be inducted into her fourth Corridor of Fame in January when she goes into the Nationwide Area Hockey Coaches Affiliation’s Corridor of Fame.
Skowhegan, which is now 4-1, performs on pure grass and Doughty mentioned that because of the quantity of rain this season, their subject has been taking part in slower than regular so it requires an even bigger adjustment after they play on synthetic turf.
“I’m pleased with the staff,” Doughty mentioned. “We now have some inexperience however they’ll get extra expertise day-after-day and I can see us doing properly this season.”
Whereas Doughty admitted that Class A North is aggressive this 12 months, the River Hawks have three returning All-KVAC Class A North gamers in senior midfielder Laney LeBlanc, senior ahead Layla Conway and junior again Sydalia Savage.
LeBlanc was chosen the Participant of the Yr.
Michela Provost, a junior, is in her first season as a goalie and has performed properly, based on Doughty.
Savage headlines the fullback corps and he or she is joined within the again by junior Lucia Siren, senior Jayla Gentry and vastly improved senior Gemma Kennedy.
LeBlanc and senior Masyn Atwood are difference-makers within the midfield and they’re joined by senior Kaylee Bruce and freshmen Charlotte Haynie and Jaiden Dodge.
Conway is the catalyst up entrance and he or she can be complemented by sophomores Grace Mayo and Dasia Alberico, juniors Ellie Quinn and Sophie Noyes and freshman Religion Pease.
