Seacoast standouts Maggie Farwell, Diana Pivirotto named to girls hockey all-state first team
Seven players from Seacoast-area teams made a Division I girls hockey all-state team for the recently completed 2022-23 season, including two first-team selections.
Maggie Farwell, a senior defenseman for Oyster River/Portsmouth, and Diana Pivirotto, a senior goalie with St. Thomas/Winnacunnet/Dover, were both placed on the first team.
Farwell, a natural center who played defense for the ClipperCats, had 15 goals and 19 assists this season and surpassed the 100-point career milestone. It is the second straight season Farwell was named a first-team all-state selection.
"(Farwell) is a powerful skater and uses her stickhandling ability to work her way up the ice and score or set up big goals," Oyster River/Portsmouth coach Jamie Long said.
It is the third straight year Pivirotto was an all-state first-team selection. The St. Thomas Aquinas senior posted a 1.91 goals against average, including two shutouts.
"(Pivirotto) was typically the first player on the ice before practice," STA head coach Al Oliveira said. "She's a quiet, reserved young lady that is respected by all her teammates, and when she speaks everyone listens. I've been coaching this age of girls for 28 years, and she's the most talented goalie I have ever coached. She's the reason we won some of our games this season."
Pivirotto has accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy with plans to play hockey at the academy.
Oyster River/Portsmouth, which advanced to the Division I championship game against Bishop Guertin, also saw senior Kelly Zhang honored as a second-team forward, and senior Amelie Coweison as an honorable mention goalie.
Zhang, an assistant captain with the ClipperCats who will play next year at MIT, led the team with 22 goals and had 19 assists.
"She's one of the fastest players on the ice and combines very good stick-handling ability with a quick, hard shot," Long said. "She's is a smart player and sees the ice well. "
Cowieson had a 1.28 goal against average with a state-high seven shutouts on the season.
The Saints had two more selections joining Pivirotto. Junior forward Julianna Grella was a second-team forward, and senior McKenzie Wessling was an honorable mention defenseman.
Grella had 14 goals and 15 assists on the season, leading the Saints with two power-play and three short-handed goals.
"(Grella's) leadership style is to lead by example," Oliveira said. "Her work ethic both on and off the ice sets a high bar for the rest of the team. She'll remain on the ice after practice for 15 to 20 minutes working on improving her skills. She has the respect from everyone on the team and when she speaks everyone listens. Juliana sees and reads the ice better than most players and has the ability to put a puck where her teammate will be arriving to make a play. She plays with passion and will always put her team's needs before her own. She's a key part of both the power-play and penalty kill, plus is outstanding at faceoffs."
Wessling, who will play hockey next year at Endicott College, had six goals, and seven assists this season for the Saints.
"(Wessling) is a solid defenseman who isn't afraid to carry the puck end to end," Oliveira said. "When she does go deep she has the skating ability to get back defensively. She has great passing skills and the ability to read the play to make a great pass while skating. She's an exceptionally hard worker in practice and expects her teammates to also work hard."
Exeter junior forward Lilyan Blood had 20 goals and 11 assists and was an honorable mention selection.
"She's one of the hardest workers that I have coached, she is not a flashy player but gets the puck in the back of the net and is a force on the ice," Exeter coach Andrea Nichols said.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH All-State girls hockey: Farwell, Pivirotto named to first team
