Forward thinking: Girls' hockey players are faster, stronger, better, and yes, embracing the physicality
Welcome to the age of the power forward, in which physical play and a gritty mind-set is encouraged, rather than punished by officials. And it has trickled down to new players joining the high school ranks.
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Typically, a power forward is a strong skater who possesses a hard shot and a physical presence who looks to attack the front of the net. They don't need to be 6 feet to have that presence – it's more about mentality than size, especially in the girls' game.
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Westwood senior forward Kate Sullivan (front) has been happy to see her teammates embrace the new physical style of play that has transformed girls' hockey, saying it "makes the game so much more fun."
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
'It's definitely taken on a life of its own in the past couple of years,' Archbishop Williams coach
Doug Nolan
said. 'You see a lot more girls playing, and a lot more bigger, stronger girls playing. Having a big, strong forward like that, battling against other girls, is definitely an advantage.
'It's hard to defend those girls, unless you've got some big, strong defenders.'
Coinciding with the rise of the role is the rise of women's hockey. With the PWHL having embraced physical play, kids with aspirations on the ice see that as part of the game.
'I think girls in general are influenced a lot by the women who play professional sports,' Sullivan said. 'As their physical levels increase, so do ours. It's just looking up to them and wanting to be like them.'
Nolan coaches one of the younger power forwards in the state — freshman
Julie Murphy
. Murphy leapt onto the scene a year ago as an eighth grader, delivering clutch moments during the Bishops' run to the state semifinals — notably setting up a last-minute winner to beat Methuen/Tewksbury in the second round.
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Her fearlessness in crashing the net or winning a battle in the corner is key for the Bishops, ranked No. 7 in the Globe Top 20. Murphy said it wasn't immediately there as a newcomer, but now it's integral to her game.
'I had a really bad start,' Murphy said. 'I was so scared. But then I realized, these are the same girls I've played with for the last 10 years of playing hockey. It's really the same stuff, just a higher competition. Having those second- and third-effort plays really helped me find my groove.'
Up at the Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading co-op, senior captain
Mia Lava
has embraced the power forward role. A Northeastern Hockey League All-Star last year and the team's second-leading scorer this winter, the road to success starts in the weight room. Coach
Michelle Roach
said the Tanners frequently use Lava to demonstrate exercises for the team thanks to her excellent form.
'Mia's one of our stronger players in the weight room,' Roach said. 'And being a captain, she is getting in there, talking to the other kids, bringing them along with her, and she is working out just as hard as when she's on ice.'
On the ice, Lava excels at winning puck battles and picking her spots to play with an edge while playing in all situations for the Tanners, ranked No. 9 in the Globe's Top 20.
In addition to the additional competitive fire, Roach feels the sport adopting physicality has also led to less injuries due to these hits becoming the norm.
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'Players are expecting that competitive contact,' Roach said. 'They're not shying away from it. It's not taking them by surprise where before, when it was strictly managed in the game, sometimes people were caught off guard — and that's when people get hurt.'
With her work in the weight room, Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading senior captain Mia Lava is a strong presence around the net.
Shlok Kudrimoti/Lynnfield High School
Ice chips
▪ Boston Latin is just 5-11-3 overall, and 2-9-2 in the competitive Merrimack Valley/Dual County Large. But the Wolfpack will be a challenging out in the MIAA Division 1 postseason tournament.
In the month of January, Boston Latin lost by one-goal margins to No. 5 Methuen/Tewksbury and No. 2 Malden Catholic, and tied No. 6 Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover.
Finally, the Wolfpack got over the hump last Wednesday with a 4-3 overtime victory over No. 11 Billerica/Chelmsford after letting a two-goal lead slip away in the third period. The victory propelled Boston Latin to No. 22 in the MIAA Division 1 power rankings.
'I feel we're knocking on the door,' said coach
Tom McGrath
. 'We want to be around No. 20 [in the power rankings] by the time we get to the tournament. We're going to be a tough, tough game for whoever we draw in the playoffs. I don't think anyone should take us lightly.'
The Wolfpack are led by senior defenseman
Ava Enright
(12 goals, 6 assists), a returning Globe All-Scholastic.
'She's gotten even faster this year, just rounded out her game in all areas,' McGrath said of Enright. 'She's kind of taken the team on her shoulders and saying 'come follow me.' That means a lot to the team.'
▪ Two milestones were reached during the past week in the NEPSAC ranks. The first came Saturday from Thayer Academy senior
Morgan McGathey
, who rifled in her 100th career goal in a 5-1 win over Brooks. Then on Monday, Nobles senior forward
Molly MacCurtain
reached the 100-point plateau in a 4-2 win over Rivers.
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McGathey is committed to play at Harvard next season, and MacCurtain is Northeastern-bound.
Games to watch
Wednesday, Martha's Vineyard vs. Falmouth
(at Falmouth Ice Arena, 4:30 p.m.)
— The two teams atop the Cape & Islands League will meet for their second matchup of the season, after Martha's Vineyard took the first meeting, 4-2, in December.
Wednesday, PLNR vs. Malden Catholic
(at Malden Valley Forum, 6 p.m.)
— The Lancers have not lost in eight games despite facing top-20 opponents in almost every contest, and their gauntlet schedule rolls on against an Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading squad that has won seven of its past eight games.
Wednesday, Bishop Stang vs. Archbishop Williams
(at Canton SportsPlex, 7:10 p.m.)
— Two of the top teams in the Catholic Central League, the Bishops were held scoreless for the first time all season in a 0-0 tie when the two sides faced off on Jan. 29.
Thursday, HPNA vs. Andover
(at Breakaway Ice Center, 7:10 p.m.)
— The top 20 matchup pits a Golden Warriors squad that has been middle of the pack in the MVC/DCL Large against an Haverhill/Pentucket/North Andover team that's won four straight league contests. HPNA came away with a 3-1 win in the teams' first matchup.
Monday, Hingham vs. Westwood
(at Pilgrim Arena, 2:30 p.m.)
— One of the marquee games of the Hingham Hockey Showcase will pit the top-ranked Harborwomen against an unbeaten Wolverines squad.
Correspondent Matty Wasserman contributed to this story.
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