While much of the same roster returned and prepared for the team they last beat, the energy felt completely different for the Norwell girls hockey team before taking the ice in this year’s season opener against King Philip.
Just nine months beforehand, Norwell shocked even themselves when they pulled off one of the greatest upsets in tournament history. Maddie McDonald erupted for a hat trick and junior goalie Nicole Prescott accrued 30 saves, helping the 30th-seeded underdog defeat No. 3 King Philip in the Div. 2 first round.
This year’s season-opener between the two was the Warriors’ opportunity for revenge. But for senior captain McDonald and the rest of the Clippers, it was a chance to prove the upset wasn’t just luck.
“Obviously a 30 seed beating a three seed, I’m not going to blame anyone that says it’s a fluke, but we knew,” McDonald said. “Our coach said, ‘This is our chance, this is the start of the season. We’re re-writing the narrative, we’re Norwell hockey.’ … It was a great game and very intense, but we just knew what had within us after last year.”
With an 8-0 win, Norwell not only proved the legitimacy of that playoff win, but kicked off the season with the winning tone the Clippers had preached all offseason. Norwell is off to a 6-2 start entering the weekend – slotting at No. 7 in the MIAA’s first set of Div. 2 power rankings.
For head coach Tori Dinger, the team has showed energy in a way she hasn’t seen before. Players were always committed to improving and winning, but with sub-.500 seasons over the last two years, there’s a whole different level of comfort to this year’s group.
“It’s looking really good, it’s kind of a different vibe this year,” Dinger said. “The biggest thing for us right now is just our energy. Ending last season the way we did, and even our freshmen coming up and seeing that, to know what we can be capable of is a huge motivator for us. We’re just go, go, go, and every game we’re looking to improve there. It’s extremely, extremely exciting.”
“We’re not that much of a different team than we were last year,” McDonald added. “It’s just that we trust each other, we know each other well, and it’s translating. We’ve had that in the past years, just not to this level and it’s really awesome.”
A great deal of Norwell’s success flows through its offense, as McDonald pairs with sophomores Penny Saich and Lainey Burns to form one of the most electric scoring trios in the state. More than 10 players have scored goals this season in a well-balanced attack, helping the Clippers lead Div. 2 in goals scored and rank third among all teams entering the weekend.
McDonald, who was a freshman on the team when it went 14-4-1 in 2019 before falling in the second round, plays a critical role to not only keep it confident, but also level headed.
“We’ve spent a few times comparing this season to that one,” she said. “It’s awesome that all the girls are so excited and we want that excitement, but as seniors, we’re the only ones that experienced that tournament feel. So we (say), ‘Look, the job’s not done, we have to keep pushing.’ … We’re not really the underdog anymore, we’ve kind of established a name for ourselves going into the rest of the season. They’re all going to be battles.”
Hip – Dan Daley erupted for the Franklin boys (7-1) with two goals and three assists in an 8-0 win over Foxboro on Wednesday, giving him five goals over his last three games and a goal in every contest but one this year.
Hip – Chase Fields’ four goals for the Barnstable boys delivered a signature win over Nauset, setting up a dead-even race for the Cape and Islands League Atlantic title early on.
Hooray – Lynnfield boys senior Drew Damiani’s second assist in a 9-3 victory over North Reading Wednesday night not only gave him 100 career points, but it also helped head coach Jon Gardner secure his 100th win.
Very few attacks are as potent as Dracut/Tyngsboro’s, as Drew DuRoss, Colin Underwood and Tommy Workman are already above 15 points for an 8-1 team that averaged 7.25 goals per game entering Friday’s matchup with Methuen.
Believe in the process for the Milton girls, which started last year with a 1-8-1 record. The Wildcats are 7-1-1 to start this campaign, holding the No. 15 spot in the first MIAA Div. 2 power rankings.
The only team with more goals to this point than Dracut/Tyngsboro comes from fellow Div. 3 competition. Undefeated Essex Tech (8-0-1 entering Friday) leads the state behind strong starts from junior Logan Casey and sophomore Brady Leonard.
An early Div. 2 playoff exit for the Duxbury girls was followed by some key losses in the offseason, but the Dragons have mustered as strong of a response as they could to start the year. Friday’s comeback victory gave the Dragons their second win over Div. 1 threat NDA (H) as part of a 9-0 surge, establishing themselves as one of the division’s primary teams to beat.
Big day for boys hockey fans won’t want to miss on Sunday as the Catholic Conference Showcase kicks off a full slate of conference battles at Canton Ice House. Xaverian against BC High at noon, St. John’s (S) against Catholic Memorial at 1 p.m. and Malden Catholic against St. John’s Prep at 2 p.m.
