We did this yesterday with basketball, so of course we have to take care of our “Puckheads” as well.
But as the weather heats up, we turn away from the Graf Rink until next year.
And all told, it was another solid year on the local hockey scene, with two teams making Sweet 16s in the Pentucket boys and the HPNA girls. The most notably storyline, though, of course had to be senior Chase Pelletier breaking the all-time Pentucket scoring record, netting 34 goals with 19 assists this season to finish his career with 130 total points (74g, 56a).
But next on the list has to be the young scoring talent in our area.
Out of our 14 area male skaters who finished with 15 or more points this year, 10 are slated to return next winter. That list is headlined by electric Amesbury sophomore Grady Stickney (30g, 23a), but also includes the Newburyport trio of Henry Waddell (19g, 24a), Luke MacIsaac (18g, 23a) and Jack Sullivan (24g, 14a), as well as the Pentucket duo of Sam Escobar (7g, 11a) and Caleb Coppo (4g, 13a).
So heading into next season: CAL goalies beware.
But before finally melting the ice on the year that was in local hockey, here’s one final look at what our six area teams (boys and girls) were able to do. As well as a quick look ahead at what each team could look like in 2026-27.
AMESBURY/WHITTIER
Final Record: 11-8-2, lost in Div. 2 First Round.
While Amesbury wasn’t able to once again work it’s “Cinderella Magic” as a lower seed in the Division 2 playoffs, the program still brought home a CAL Baker championship this year. And the driving force behind that title was probably the best defensemen grouping in the league, highlighted by multi-time All-CAL selections Lincoln Kime and Evan Murphy. The Redhawks averaged just a stingy 16 shots-on-goal against them each game, while other blue-liners Ryan Guertin, Logan Pickering (6g, 8a), Logan Genualdo and Ryan Franz helped to make sure that only two opponents got more than 24 shots-on-goal.
The best part? Besides Pickering, the other five should be back next year.
It’s slightly different in the forward room, where seniors Owen Bartniski (9g, 11a), Wes Ackerman (9g, 9a) and Thomas McElaney (2g, 5a) will be moving on. But like was mentioned in the preamble of this article, Stickney’s two-year career has already seen him pot 46 goals with 33 assists, and earn an All-CAL nod this winter. Fellow sophomore Tommy Puorro — the son of Amesbury hockey legend Tom Puorro — was also named All-CAL, and look for athletes like Jack Kusler, Jacob Noyes, Colin Brown and Puorro’s younger brother, Jack, to make leaps forward this offseason.
The Redhawks just need to figure out goalie.
Key 2026-27 Returners: Grady Stickney (30g, 23a), Tommy Puorro (12g, 18a), Lincoln Kime (9g, 12a), Evan Murphy (9g, 11a), Colin Brown (3g, 7a), Ryan Guertin, Logan Genualdo, Ryan Franz.
HPNA GIRLS
Final Record: 15-3-4, lost in Div. 1 Round of 16.
After graduating out a significant number of contributing players from the program’s first ever Final Four team the year prior, a re-tooled HPNA still found a way to have a successful season. That included earning a tie against eventual Division 1 State Champion and rival Methuen/Tewksbury, as well as wins over state powers Bishop Feehan, Woburn, Malden Catholic and Peabody.
And they did it with only three seniors on the roster.
Mia Kmiec (15g, 14a) led the team in scoring, then the Pentucket duo of fellow co-captain Talia Armata (5a) and Sydney Caddigan also had strong years. But looking ahead to next year, everyone else is slated to be back. That includes the team’s other top scorers in Charlotte Woodford and Taylor Bierschied, as well as Pentucket sophomores Agatha Quinlan and Mia Covey.
Key 2026-27 Returners: Charlotte Woodford (20g, 7a), Taylor Bierschied (10g, 12a), Maddie Bush (5g, 9a), Camden Sloper (5g, 8a), Savannah Bissonette (3g, 7a), Agatha Quinlan, Mia Covey.
NEWBURYPORT BOYS
Final Record: 12-8-3, lost in Div. 2 First Round.
You just knew that a coach like Paul Yameen was going to figure it out.
It’s not like anybody in the program wanted a slower start to the year. But when the Clippers were sitting at 3-4-0 seven games in, nobody was really all that surprised. When you consider 80% of the starting defensemen had never played varsity before, and the team had a first-year goalie in sophomore Sean Murray, it was kind of expected.
But, of course, Yameen and his team figured it out.
The Clippers went 9-4-3 to end the regular season, with two of those losses coming to eventual Division 2 state champion Canton, and to superpower St. John’s Prep in the annual Lt. Derek Hines Memorial Game — this year played at the Graf for the first time ever. Senior stalwart Jagger Gudaitis brought the defense along, and a midseason line switch-up gave the Clippers three forward groupings that consistently produced.
And the bulk of this roster should be coming back next year.
You have the “Big 3” forwards of Henry Waddell (the CAL Kinney MVP), Luke MacIsaac and Jack Sullivan, but Owen Mongeau, Braden Arel, Tommy Gagnon and Patrick Bavaro should all be back as well. You give Murray another year to develop in net, and the Clippers should welcome back the bulk of their D-core between Mason Varay, Axel Becker, Tyler Bergeron and Charlie Tramontana.
Key 2026-27 Returners: Henry Waddell (19g, 24a), Luke MacIsaac (18g, 23a), Jack Sullivan (24g, 14a), Owen Mongeau (5g, 11a), Tommy Gagnon (6g, 3a), Braden Arel (1g, 6a), Axel Becker (2g, 4a), Patrick Bavaro, Mason Varay, Tyler Bergeron, Charlie Tamontana, Sean Murray.
NEWBURYPORT GIRLS
Final Record: 6-14-0, missed playoffs.
This team fought until the end.
There were some tough outings early in the season with a couple of lopsided scores, and the Clippers dropped two overtime heartbreakers to Marblehead and Masconomet. But a 5-3-0 surge near the end of the season brought the Clippers back into playoff contention, and that run included revenge wins over Marblehead, Gloucester and archrival Masco.
There was no quit, even if the team fell just short of making the postseason.
Moving forward, though, it’s going to be impossible to replace the legend of Olivia Wilson, who is probably the greatest player in program history and will hold that title for quite some time. The senior forward scored 23 goals with 10 assists this winter — marking her remarkable third 20-goal season — and leaves Newburyport with 145 career points (88g, 57a). Then elsewhere, Riley Freeman has been a staple on defense for the program over the past five years now, and fellow seniors Joely Middleton, Cody Saboliauskas, Lainey Pare and Mackenzie Riley will be major losses.
But freshman Bella Belanger broke out and made the NEC All-Star Second Team this year, and other forwards Caroline Jones and Harper Palermino had strong winters as well. Reese Beauparlant and Maggie Moriarty are the future of the program on defense, and 7th-grader Catherine Hajjar got a handful of starts in net.
Key 2026-27 Returners: Bella Belanger (5g, 10a), Caroline Jones (1g, 7a), Harper Palermino (1g, 3a), Maggie Moriarty (1g, 3a), Emma Jarosch (1g, 2a), Reese Beauparlant, Kaleigh Bligh, Catherine Hajjar.
PENTUCKET
Final Record: 8-13-1, lost in D4 Round of 16.
It took until the final buzzer, but Chase Pelletier got it done.
The senior forward broke the Pentucket all-time scoring record during the team’s first round Division 4 playoff win over Lunenburg, then added a goal against Littleton in the Sweet 16 to finish with 130 career points (74g, 56a). Pelletier, who went out scoring an area-high 34 goals this year to go along with 19 assists, passed Richie Hardy (PRHS ‘21, 127) and Billy Bomba (PRHS ‘04, 120) as the only three skaters in program history to reach 100 career points. Fellow senior forward Mac Cole (8g, 9a) was named to the All-CAL team for the second straight year, and the Panthers saw the four-year of run of Josh Yoon in net come to an end.
So there will be a lot to replace come next winter.
But the cupboard certainly isn’t bare for the Panthers, who are in line to return forwards Sam Escobar, Caleb Coppo, Brody LeColst and Cooper LeColst. On defense it’ll be Owen Case, Charlie Botto, Spiros Sakkas and Will Furlong leading the way, but the Panthers will need to find a new goalie.
Key 2026-27 Returners: Sam Escobar (7g, 11a), Caleb Coppo (4g, 13a), Charlie Botto (7a), Brody LeColst (4g, 3a), Will Furlong (6a), Cooper LeColst (2g, 3a), Spiros Sakkas (2g, 1a).
TRITON
Final Record: 0-20-0, missed playoffs.
This was always going to be a multi-year rebuild.
When first-year coach and former program legend Sam Rennick — who scored 59 goals with 52 assists during his Vikings career — was hired, he was taking over a gutted roster that was basically all seniors a year ago. The Vikings really only had a few returning players who had any previous varsity experience, and obviously the results of that played out. But this team fought until the end, evidenced by scoring a season-high six goals against Amesbury in its final game.
And the rebuild is very much on.
Triton found something this year at the most important position, goalie, in freshman Alex Witt, who stayed cool and had a terrific season while being bombarded with shots. Cullen Kohan, Max Pasquini and Collin Ingalls is a solid trio on defense to continue building around, and forwards Josh Monteiro, Carson Rumph, Jase Hersey and Mason Fowler showed that they can find back of the net.
Trust the process.
Key 2026-27 Returners: Alex Witt, Josh Monteiro (9g, 5a), Carson Rumph (5g, 3a), Cullen Kohan (2g, 6a), Jase Hersey (2g, 5a), Mason Fowler (1g, 4a), Vaughn Gagnon, Riley Early, Max Pasquini, Collin Ingalls.