Matt Williams: Kick Saves girls hockey column: Uncommon roster size gives Peabody strength in numbers

Jan. 6—It's said that when you mess with one hockey player, you're going to have to deal with them all.

No team brings that to life more then Peabody High's girls, who have taken the phrase strength in numbers to a whole new level so far this winter.

A total of 21 players have a goal or an assist through six games for the Tanners (4-1-1). That's more than the number of rostered players, total, for most girls hockey teams in Massachusetts.

Factor in that two goalies have wins, and just about every single player that's been allowed to dress has contributed.

"Our coaches encourage us to work together as a team, not individually," captain and defenseman Catherine Sweeney said. "We're stronger when we work together. A perfect example was our last game against Masco; we were missing some key players but other kids stepped up and we had one of our best games of the season."

Depth is a luxury, but it can be tough to navigate. Playing three forward lines instead of two means less ice time, and potentially fewer scoring chances, for the top six forwards. Peabody's leaders on the ice have done an admirably job embracing depth rather than fighting it, and it's been a particularly welcoming atmosphere for the 10 freshman skating regular shifts.

"We've seen it as exciting getting to know the new ones," said junior winger Hannah Gromko. "We're all getting along really well. We're promoting the environment of working hard but also still having fun and keeps the culture up."

Freshman Sarah Powers has been a wizard with the puck and leads the North Shore with nine assists and 13 points. Junior center Jenna DiNapoli has six goals while sophomore speedster Catie Kampersal has seven points. Junior Chloe Considine has been reliable at center along with freshman Ava Buckley.

Avery Bird, Ella Chase and Gromko all have multiple assists on the year. Danielle White, Caroline Burton, Shirley Whitmore ... the list goes on.

"We're also stressing versatility," said veteran coach Michelle Roach, who hasn't settled on specific lines or power plays both because its early in the year and because she has so many options. "We want to be adaptable to whatever a certain game or situation might call for. The kids have embraced that."

Sweeney, a four-year starter and big-time leader on defense, scored her first goal of the year last week. Defenseman Penny Spack also chips in offensively and freshman D Leah Buckley has excelled on the back end.

"Anytime I score a goal its a big rush of adrenaline," Sweeney said. "Communication is a big factor when it comes to finding open lanes and shots. We've done good with puck movement and that's essential to opening things up."

Peabody, which co-ops along with Lynnfield High and North Reading, has 31 players on its roster. There's a concerted effort to keep them all feeling engaged and involved no matter how often they play, which leads to a good atmosphere off the ice and team cohesion.

"The team's as close as we've ever been before, maybe closer," said Sweeney, who started playing hockey when she was seven years old. It's her favorite sport and she's more than happy to help it remain that way for the young Tanners she might be mentoring.

"Playing hockey has always made me feel powerful," she said. "I've always loved playing physical so defense has been a perfect fit. Coach Michelle brings out the best in me and I just love being part of this team ... I would've give it up for anything."

Recognizing success also helps Peabody maximize its depth. It's not just goals that get rewarded, but key passes, faceoff wins, blocked shots, collected pucks, managing the team's cell phone box ... each kid feels like they're contributing, which makes it fun for everyone.

"My favorite thing about hockey is how much fun we have," said Gromko, who's a teammate of her sister, freshman Chloe. "I've made so many good friends through this sport and even when we're working so hard, it's fun. We wouldn't keep coming back if it wasn't."

Thus the tough thing to handle for Peabody's opponents is the defensive strategy. It's impossible to focus on shutting down one player, or one line, because there are two, or even three, more than that put the puck away. It's also a big ask to expend a lot of energy on any matchup because the Tanners are going to have fresh legs at the end of the most periods, and games.

Any chef knows that if you mix as many as 24 ingredients, something might not taste right. But when you get the exact right mix and you turn that many parts into one amazing whole ... that, the Tanners believe, is the recipe for success.

----The final score of Tuesday night's 7-2 loss at Austin Prep didn't show how well Bishop Fenwick played for stretches of the game. The Cougars (6-0) are probably the state's top team right now and hadn't allowed a goal in their previous five games; the Crusaders (2-2-1) were the first team to score on them.

Zoe Elwell's power play goal in the second period made it a 1-1 game and Lauren Dirarian had a goal plus an assist. Before being outscored 3-0 in the third, Fenwick put in a pretty good battle.

----A little bit of Masconomet program history was made in last Friday's loss to Peabody. The two youngest players in Chieftains' lore recorded points — on the same goal.

On a second period power play, Kailyn Willa scored assisted by classmate Bella Campbell to notch the first two points by 7th graders by Masco skaters.

Masco has seventh graders on its roster for the first time this winter; when they had co-op partners, middle school skaters were often limited to eighth graders.

Some programs have had players as young as the sixth grade participate over the years. Two famous examples that come to mind: Sydney Cresta for Marblehead, and current pro goalie Katie Burt, who tended the net for Winthrop/Lynn English as a sixth grader.

----A look at some of the North Shore products now skating in college:

Ipswich's McKinley Karpa, who had 153 points in three seasons for Beverly, is one of the most productive skaters for Colby College. The Mules are 7-2 and Karpa had eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in those nine games.

Over at Endicott College, ranked No. 10 in the country, Peabody's Mady Hentosh, who played for St. Mary's Lynn, is a top-pair defenseman with a plus-9 rating and nine assists in 12 games. Freshman Chloe Shapleigh of Lynnfield and Peabody High's co-op program, made her blue line debut for the Gulls this season, too.

Swampscott's Sydney Cresta is skating for Connecticut College in her first full season since last winter was limited by the pandemic. Danvers' Foster triplets — Brittany, Tiffany and Sydney — all play at William Smith and have combined for four goals this winter.

At Sacred Heart, Newburyport's Molly Elmore, a Salem News Player of the Year in goal at Masconomet, earned her first two collegiate wins.

Who else is out there playing well at the next level? Let us know on Twitter or via e-mail this week.

Kick Saves, a column on North Shore girls hockey, appears in The Salem News each Thursday during the winter season. Contact Matt Williams at MWilliams@salemnews.com and follow along on Twitter @MattWilliams_SN.