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U19 Red – Massachusetts State Tournament

The Massachusetts Hockey State Championship took place November 28-December 1 at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, MA, for the U16 & U19 Tier 1, U16 & U19 Tier 2, U16 & U19 Tier 2-S divisions.

The #5 nationally ranked U19 Red team opened their weekend against the #14 nationally ranked Assabet Valley on Friday morning. In a tight game, a brief lapse in the middle frame allowed Assabet Valley to jump to a 3-1 lead. Goals by Amelia Spencer and Alyssa Jankowski late in the third period tied the game, but after missing an opportunity to win the game early in the extra 3 on 3 frame, Assabet went down the other end and finished off the game for a 4-3 OT win despite being outshot 40-17.

The team rebounded with a big 4-0 win later in the day against the #13 nationally ranked Charles River Blazers, led by Helen Zeaske in net and two goals by Olivia Wilson. Nora Hurley and Elliana Calo chipped in goals as well. To round out round robin the team took on MassConn United, where the game went to OT and Alyssa Jankowski ended it with only 6 seconds left in OT to clinch the 4-3 win.

The Wings ended round robin in 2nd place in their division and faced the Boston Americans in the quarterfinal. Defense and goaltending took center stage in this game. Behind the goaltending of Zeaske and the entire defense, the Wings kept the game close through the middle frame when Alyssa Jankowski notched her 4th goal of the tournament to tie the game up at 1. In the third, play was down in the Americans end most of the period and it was Kelsey Partridge who put the game winner away with 9 minutes left. Zeaske shut the door, and the win propelled the team on to the semi-final.

In the semi-final, it was a matchup with the #1 nationally ranked Northeast Generals. In what was ultimately a tight game with back-and-forth chances from both teams, Sam Toomey broke through on the rush and put in a goal to give the Wings an early lead. The Generals tied it up later in the first and the game stayed that way through the third period. In 5 on 5 OT, it was Bree Lawrence who forced a turnover and finished over the Generals goaltender’s shoulder to send the Wings into the final.

It was a matchup of top 10 nationally ranked teams in the final, as the Wings looked to avenge the 2022 State Final loss to the #7 nationally ranked Boston Jr. Eagles, who entered the game 5-0 on the weekend. The first two periods were back and forth, with opportunities at both ends, but both goalies stood tall. In a physical game filled with 14 penalties, it was the Wings who capitalized first on the power play at 11:41 of the third period as Jankowski capitalized from the high slot. The lead would not hold though, as at 8:08 of the period the Eagles responded. The teams traded power plays, and the Eagles took advantage of theirs, with a goal at the 2:50 mark. This would mark all the scoring, and the Eagles took the State Championship with a 2-1 victory.

With the strong showing, the finalist Wings earned an automatic berth in USA Hockey Nationals in Cleveland, Ohio April 2-6, 2025.