Girls hockey preview: Williston Northampton, Pope Francis prime for big seasons again

Williston’s Zola Piekarski (7) celebrates after scoring against Tabor in the NEPSAC girls hockey quarterfinals last season at Lossone Rink in Easthampton.

Williston’s Zola Piekarski (7) celebrates after scoring against Tabor in the NEPSAC girls hockey quarterfinals last season at Lossone Rink in Easthampton. STAFF FILE PHOTO

By RYAN AMES

Staff Writer

Published: 12-20-2024 7:50 PM

The journey back to the NEPSAC title game has begun for the Williston Northampton girls hockey team, as the puck has dropped on the Wildcats’ 2024-25 season.

Williston lost to top-seeded Noble & Greenough in the Chuck Vernon Elite Division championship game last March. The Wildcats had taken home the NEPSAC trophy the prior two seasons before their 3-1 loss a year ago.

Head coach Christa Talbot Syfu has Williston back on track early on this season with a 4-1 record, and expectations are high once again with much of the roster returning. The Wildcats beat Westminster 5-1 in the annual Harrington Invitational Tournament at Nobles on Friday, and play two more games there on Saturday.

“We returned 15 of our 19 kids and have a lot of experience coming back,” Talbot Syfu said. “Our new kids are young but eager and talented, so my expectation is that we would be in a good place and have a lot of strengths given our experience.”

First and foremost among experienced Wildcats is senior goalie Olivia Ferebee, who recently committed to play hockey at Cornell.

“She’s been a rock back there and somebody that we’ll rely on a lot for experience,” Talbot Syfu said.

Zola Piekarski will be a key figure of Williston’s offense, per Talbot Syfu, while Nina Coffee and Catie Putt, all juniors, will anchor the Wildcats blue line. Putt committed to New Hampshire for hockey earlier in the fall.

“We have some juniors that are in big roles and are definitely contributing a lot,” Talbot Syfu said.

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Williston has appeared in the Elite Eight for nine seasons in a row and are striving to be a top team in the NEPSAC once again.

“The league has shown great parity, which is awesome,” Talbot Syfu said. “In the early stages, there have been a lot of scores that show that lots of teams have depth and have grown. I would say that we’re going to be competitive with the top group of schools and just hope to be as consistent as possible.”

AREA ATHLETES STAR FOR POPE FRANCIS – The Cardinals welcome back a majority of last year’s group this winter that made a run to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 MIAA Division 1 state tournament, which includes numerous players from Hampshire County.

Amherst resident Felix Goeckel is Pope Francis’ goalie/co-captain and is arguably the Cardinals’ most important player. Goeckel has starred for Pope Francis for four years, taking home the Aldo Altobelli Rookie of the Year in 2023 as part of the annual Amo Bessone Awards.

“She is not only an amazing player on the ice, but she is an amazing leader off the ice,” Cardinals head coach Chris Connors said. “Her calm presence rubs off on our whole entire team.”

Sarah Tatro, from Ludlow, is Pope Francis’ other co-captain and has been a mainstay on its back end for four years. Rounding out the Cardinals leadership core is assistant captains Giada Musa, of Southampton, and Cam Rogowski, formerly of Frontier Regional.

“Our leadership group, the four of them, are four-year returning veterans, so they know what is expected,” Connors said. “They know the culture that we’ve created and so far they’ve done an amazing job welcoming all of our new players and getting the team to bond at these early stages of the seasons.”

Elise Musa, Giada’s younger sister, also plays for Pope Francis and Connors has them skating together on the team’s “gold line.”

Connors also mentioned Keighley Gworek, of Holyoke, and Nolan Craven, of Easthampton, as two players to keep tabs on.  Gworek has a “tremendous skill-set,” according to Connors, while Craven “has been a pleasant surprise thus far and plays with an edge.”

Several players attend Hopkins Academy in Hadley, including Natalia Elson, Cassie Dion and Maddie Labrie. Maceo Walsh of Northampton, Bella Bramucci of Hadley, Maylee Champigny of Granby and Alia Rosenblum of Ludlow, highlight the other local talent for the Cardinals.

“It speaks volumes of their dedication and their work ethic,” Connors said. “Because of that, the deep appreciation of their work ethic and positive attitude, that’s been the lifeblood of building our program.”

In just five years since its inception, Pope Francis has become one of the most respected girls teams in the state. The Cardinals regularly test themselves against the best in Massachusetts, traveling all across the state throughout the regular season.

“Our team, to gain visibility, we play the best teams throughout the whole entire state,” Connors said. “Malden Catholic, St. Mary’s of Lynn, Archbishop Williams, Duxbury, I just feel it’s important for our girls to play the best possible competition not only to get them visibility, but also to get them battle tested for the state tournament as well.”

Connors formerly coached the boys team at St. Mary’s of Lynn, before accepting the Pope Francis post.

The Cardinals had a 1-1 record heading into Saturday’s game at Marblehead.