Highlander Girls Hockey pulls talent from the region
March 6, 2021 | From Staff Reports 
The Highlander girls hockey team is breaking new ground this season with a reach across Central Vermont to include high school players from Harwood Union, Northfield, Williamstown and Randolph.
The team graduated a fair amount of talent last season, and lost some key players to other various programs. This year, roughly half of the athletes on the roster are new to the sport of hockey with little to no prior skating experience.
Head Coach Mike Vasseur is assisted this year by Scott Hunter and Katie Martin.
The short season is quickly headed to an end. In their final regular-season home game at The Ice Center on Wednesday, the team celebrated its five senior players -- Hailey Brickey, Kaylee Cameron, Clara Griffin, Amelia Nordle and Molly Yacavoni. Flowers and photos with parents were outside as COVID-19 protocols still don’t allow spectators inside at games.
The Harwood/Northfield Highlanders soon got to work against the South Burlington Wolves giving fans viewing on livestream from the rink a heart-stopping treat.
The first period was busy as Louise Thomsen and Clara Griffin got on the board but South Burlington did twice as well with 4-2 lead as the period ended. The rest of the action was packed into the third period. By the time it was all over, Rachel Fernandez knocked in two more and Haley Brickey got another on the board. Kaylee Cameron had nine saves in goal and Jordan Hunter saved 18.
Harwood/Northfield kept South Burlington goalkeeper Taylor Tobrocke busy - she saved 27 but it wasn’t enough as the Highlanders pulled off a storybook come-from-behind 7-5 win.
The team heads to Brattleboro today for a 4:45 p.m. match. Next week has the final game of the regular season against Spaulding High School, scheduled for Wednesday, March 10, at 4 p.m. at the BOR arena in Barre.
Here are recaps from this season’s games.
Feb. 13
Harwood 1, Kingdom Glades 9
Their first match came on Feb. 13 at the B.O.R Ice Arena in Barre against another combined team, the Kingdom Glades, from the Northeast Kingdom. The Glades came out fierce from the start, scoring their first of many goals in the first period. Harwood tried hard to successfully break the puck out of their defensive zone, but was unsuccessful against the Glades’ defenders.
Harwood freshman goaltender Jordan Hunter started and swapped with senior Kaylee Cameron after the second period and after having made 34 saves despite four goals against her.
Martin looked past the 9-1 loss at the big picture. “It was our first game of the season. So we saw what things worked, and what things need to be worked on in upcoming practices. Every practice and game we’re learning and teaching our newer players where we can improve,” she said.
Feb. 17
Harwood 0, Essex 4
Harwood hosted Essex in their first home game of the season on Feb. 17, where the Highlanders gave up four unanswered goals.
Essex scored twice in the first period and again in the second when they also received two penalties, one for holding and another for a slash, giving Essex two penalty-kill opportunities for Harwood to score. Harwood failed to capitalize on the power play, and the score remained 3-0 going into the third.
Essex put the nail in Harwood’s coffin with their fourth and final goal in the third period leaving Harwood 0-2-0 in search of a win.
Feb. 20
Harwood 5, Rutland 4
Harwood traveled to Rutland on Feb. 20 and when it looked as if the game was over, the Highlanders turned it into a comeback-kid story, winning 4-3.
Rutland came out early, scoring all of their goals in the first period, ending it 4-0. Harwood woke up in the second, earning their first goal 11 minutes in when captain Hailey Brickey scored from the point off a pass from Louisa Thomsen.
The third period brought a lot of power play opportunities for the Highlanders, as Rutland received three penalties in the span of five minutes, the first being a five-minute misconduct penalty for a trip that sent one Highlander player into the Rutland net. That was followed by a two-minute penalty for hooking that gave Harwood a five-to-three on-ice advantage -- and the momentum to score two goals. Thomsen scored after linemates Clara Griffin and Rachel Fernandez passed her the puck. Brickey would score again from the point, this time unassisted.
At 4-3, Harwood picked up the pace with Thomsen notching in her second goal of the game, tying it up 4-4 and sending the game into overtime.
Excitement running high, both teams regrouped before the start of OT that lasted barely over a minute when Hailey Brickey sent the puck up to Thomsen who carried it into the Rutland zone, getting a quick shot off and scoring the game-winner. Brickey earned her first hat trick of the season, and the first Harwood victory, giving the team a 1-2-0 record.
Feb. 25
Harwood 0, Spaulding 4
Harwood hosted Spaulding High School on a double header night at The Ice Center of Washington West on Feb. 25. Spaulding came off the bus ready, getting on the scoreboard early in the game.
In the opening minutes of the game, Spaulding got around the Highlanders defense for a shot right over the Highlanders’ goalie glove hand. Spaulding made five shots on net, Highlanders 10.
In the second period, Spaulding took advantage of Harwood’s inability to clear the puck out of their zone and they sunk two more goals, getting the score to 3-0 going into the third where Spaulding added one more. Harwood goaltender freshman Jordan Hunter had 31 saves in the game; Spaulding had 21.
Harwood 4, Middlebury 3
Harwood hosted Middlebury at the Ice Center on Feb. 28 in a close match-up where a hat trick by Highlander Lousia Thomsen pulled the Highlanders through.
In the first period, a scramble in front of the Harwood net gave Middlebury a chance to send a shot off from their defensive point but Harwood defender Moly Yacavoni made a glove catch of the puck, clearing it from Harwood’s defensive zone.
Harwood got their first goal in the first period, an unassisted shot past Middlebury’s goalie by Lousia Thomsen.
In the second period, both teams had power plays. Harwood capitalized on theirs as Rachel Fernandez scored, assisted by linemate Clara Griffin.
Middlebury regained momentum, scoring two goals in the second period. Starting the third period, Harwood led 3-2. Middlebury tied the game with 13:21 on the clock and the Highlanders answered with their fourth and winning goal – Thomsen’s third – for a 4-3 win.