Perfection: Austin Prep claims
2022 MIAA Division I State Champion Varsity Girls Ice Hockey Team
Austin Prep families, faculty, staff, alumni and friends filled the stands in Unitas showing their Austin Prep Pride wearing their green and white.
Two years after having their trip to the championship game denied by the Covid shutdown of March 2020, and one year after having the entire season suspended by pandemic health restrictions, Austin Prep’s Girls Hockey team steamrolled their way through their 2021-22 schedule on their way to an undisputed MIAA Division 1 State Title. By the time they took the ice at TD Boston Garden for the championship game against Arlington High School, the team had amassed a record of 26-0-0 and had outscored the competition 152 to 10. The seniors on the squad had been preparing for the championship game in 2020 when the pandemic shut down all activities in the state of Massachusetts the Friday before the State Championship game. Being declared co-champions due to the shutdown did little to satisfy a team that felt it had been denied its opportunity to prove it was the best in the state. The canceling of the subsequent 2020-21 season just fueled their desire to prove they were the best team in the state. They stormed TD Garden to prove once and for all they were the best in the state. Freshman Bree Anderson gave the team an early lead, allowing for the space to breathe as Arlington High hung tough for the first two periods. In the third period, Austin Prep’s depth and skill overpowered their opponent on their way to a 4-1 victory.
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Head Coach Stephanie Wood, in her ninth season at the helm, realized there was going to be the added pressure of high expectations this year. “We were confident we had a strong team at the start of the year. Staying focused and delivering on the promise took discipline, dedication and a lot of hard work. And as the pressure built of being undefeated, we also kept our composure. Hat’s off to the girls.” Austin Prep is fortunate to have Wood as coach. A native of New Brunswick, Canada, she was a scholarship four-year starter at Northeastern University who also has experience playing and coaching with national teams. She knows how to develop strong skaters and loyal teammates. The perfect season established Austin Prep as one of the strongest programs in the state. Next season it will test its mettle against new competition in NEPSAC. The loss of senior leadership: Kathryn Karo, Isabel Hulse, Maeve Carey, Emma Guthrie, Sabina Axelrod, Gianna DiFilippo, Emma Spengler, Katrina Michalak and goalie Lauryn Hanafin, will be considerable, but a young core including McKenzie Cerrato, Madison Vittands, and Bree Anderson will be back, and they are driven to write a championship chapter of their own.
Spring 2022
