Maggie Averill ’27 passes the puck to her teammate
This past Friday and Saturday, Girls Hockey fought two close battles against Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N) and Deerfield, respectively. On Friday, Girls Hockey tied its opponent; on Saturday, it fell short to Deerfield in a late goal.
Reflecting on last weekend’s matchups, Sienna Glass ’27 elaborated on the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Glass explained the team’s emphasis on hard work in practice.
“I anticipate [Girls Hockey] will be working on playing 110 percent all the way to the third [period], we have great work ethic and hustle; however I also think we’ll be focusing on winning 50/50 puck battles more often. Our team has also been talking a lot about discipline; not letting the other team outwork us, and striving for greatness in all areas of our play,” Glass wrote in an email to The Phillipian.
According to Vanessa Hall ’28, Girls Hockey applied strong offensive pressure against Deerfield, minimizing time spent in the defensive zone and forcing turnovers from the opponent. The game had high levels of physicality; yet, Hall noted, referees made limited penalty calls. Players thus adjusted, adopting a simpler style of play to navigate the conditions.
“In the first period, we were very offensive. We didn’t take a lot of time in the [defensive] zone and put a lot of pressure on their team. It caused them to turn the puck over. They were also playing very chippy, but you couldn’t really make a move because [the referees] weren’t calling much. You had to play simple and play around it,” said Hall.
Historically, Andover has seen success against Deerfield, eliminating them from the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) quarter-finals last year, 3-1. This year’s matchup, according to Maya Kou ’28, was tense throughout. After a late goal by Deerfield, Andover played the last two minutes of the game without a goalkeeper, desperately attempting to gain control over the game.
Kou said, “We usually win against Deerfield. Last year, our team eliminated their [team] in the quarterfinals of the Elite Eight playoffs. The score was something like 3-1. The atmosphere of the whole game was pretty tense, but Deerfield scored a bad goal with 2 minutes left in the game. So in the next two minutes, we desperately tried to score; we even pulled the goalie.”
Avery Rodeheffer ’25, the team’s starting goalie, was sidelined due to a concussion. Backup goalies Marie Lee ’28 and Lauren Kennedy ’28 stepped up in her place. The game against Deerfield was among Kennedy’s first starts in the role. Kou praised Kennedy’s standout performance.
“This game was one of Lauren’s first starts, and I thought she did well. For a Freshman, to have had the courage to save the shots and step up when she is needed shows a lot of her character. Overall she did great,” said Kou.
Girls Hockey will face New Hampton on February 7 and Austin Prep on February 12.
