Top notch defense and the ability to create scoring chances are crucial at playoff time, so it should come as to surprise that the girls hockey team that boast the region’s top goaltender and leading scorer are the ones bound for the state tournament.
Peabody and Beverly each received playoff invitations when the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association unveiled its brackets on Saturday morning. The Tanners are seeded 12th in the Division 1 field while the Panthers are No. 28 in Division 2; both Northeastern Hockey League clubs open with first round games this Wednesday.
The Tanners are making their 8th consecutive postseason appearance and have advanced to the Elite Eight round the last two seasons. At 15-3-2, Peabody (which co-ops with Lynnfield and North Reading) has the fewest regular season losses in program history and has also allowed the fewest goals in the state at 16 through 20 games. Senior goalie Alyse Mutti has tied her own single season shutout record with 10 and has 30 goose eggs and 60 victories in her career.
She’ll be in net Wednesday at McVann-O’Keefe Rink against No. 21 Waltham (13-5-2), a team that took No. 6 seed Methuen/Tewksbury to overtime earlier this season. Up front, Peabody is led by captains Ava Buckley (90 career points) and Mia Lava at center along with dangerous wingers Shirley Whitmore, Vanessa Steinmeyer, Sydney Zizza and others. Leading scorer Chloe Gromko (27 points) anchors a deep, talented D-corps with Leah Buckley, Eleni Spack, Mikaela O’Driscoll and Maura Flaws.
Should Peabody advance, they’d likely face No. 5 Archbishop Williams in the second round. A rematch with No. 4 HPNA, who they tied 0-0 last Wednesday, could loom in the quarters.
Beverly (8-12) makes its fourth straight playoff appearance and first under coach Kristen McCarthy. The Panthers won eight of their last 12 games to qualify as the No. 28 seed and don’t take a long trip as they go to No. 5 Burlington (14-6) at the Ice Palace Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
The Panthers, who co-op with Danvers and Ipswich, have the region’s leading scorer in sophomore center Asuka Keough (27 points) and the only 20-goal scorer in junior sniper Meredith Johnston. Ashley Freitas, Morgan Linskey and Caroline Horn are strong puck moving defensemen to watch while Libby Sherr, Pheobe Allen and Sarah Belford give the Orange-and-Black an impressive deep rear guard.
The Beverly/Burlington winner meets either Pembroke or Martha’s Vineyard in the second round.
Locally, Bishop Fenwick was squeezed out of the D1 playoffs with the 33rd ranking (32 make the cut). The same fate befell Gloucester in Division 2.
Around the Northeastern Hockey League, Winthrop is the No. 18 seed in D1 and Newburyport made it at No. 31 in D2. St. Mary’s Lynn will also be dangerous at No. 14 in Division 1.