The Hanover High girls hockey team follows meticulously a very familiar script every year — overwhelming offensive play with a stingy defense and a strong goaltender. The formula has worked well for John Dodds’ squads, and for the seventh straight season it produced yet another expected ending.
The Marauders defeated Berlin-Gorham, 4-1, in the NHIAA Division I state championship game at Manchester’s Verizon Wireless Arena on March 19, producing yet another state title to an already jam-packed trophy case. Hanover has won eight crowns in nine seasons since the NHIAA began recognizing girls hockey as a sanctioned sport and has not lost a game against a New Hampshire opponent in four years.
“Even with winning the past three years, it’s different every year,” said Hanover’s Northeastern-bound senior forward, Matti Hartman, after the championship game. “The girls are different. You just have to adjust. This never gets old every single year.”
Berlin-Gorham made the Marauders earn it in the first two periods of the state title game, as goaltender Chelsey Caron stonewalled Hanover’s high-powered offense for the first 30 minutes of play. But in the third period, Hanover broke through with Julia Montgomery on a fast break, opening the floodgates with a four-goal third period. Hartman, Cate Wagner and Kelly Brigham all scored in the victory.
Hanover (20-1-2, 18-1-2), like many of its previous seasons, spent most of its time this year overwhelming its opponents on the scoreboard. The Marauders finished with 183 goals, compared to only 24 allowed by Hanover freshman goaltender Cici Barton and her Danish exchange student partner, Freja Sturup.
Leading the offensive charge was Hartman, Hanover’s dynamic first-line center. She finished with 49 goals and 41 assists on the campaign, ending her career just shy of the career program scoring record with 250 points. Hartman was also honored as the NHIAA Division I girls hockey player of the year by the New Hampshire High School Hockey Coaches Assocation. Josie Fisher, a Hanover graduate and now an assistant coach with the team, holds the program record with 257 points.
But Hanover’s offensive prowess was generated by a deep, experienced forward core, with several upperclassmen leading the charge.
Senior Eliza Laycock was second on the team offensively with 25 goals and 27 assists, notching two goals and four assists in three postseason games. Senior Kelly Brigham finished with 16 goals and 20 assists, senior Julia Montgomery had 19 goals and 12 assists, and senior Ella Williams finished with 14 goals and 13 assists. In all, Hanover’s senior class accounted for 123 of the Marauder’s 183 goals.
“They’re all remarkable individuals and hockey players,” Dodds said of his team’s seniors after the championship win. “I’m not sure we’ve ever had a group that’s that strong and that passionate about the game, about the team and about our program. They’re just getting rewarded for it. It was a good way to go out.”
But with such a strong forward group will come plenty of holes to fill next season. Returnees J.J. Taube, Clare Gardner, Leslie McNamara, Maddie Lyons, Sarah MacCormick and Mahler Meyerrose will all take the reins of a program that has dominated New Hampshire — and teams from neighboring states that are willing to take on the challenge.
“We’re losing some of our strongest players, which is going to be hard,” Barton said after the title game. “But I still think, for next year, I want to prove we’re still a strong team even without them. It’s just going to be difficult, but I think everyone on this team contributes to making them great.”