PEABODY — The Peabody/Lynnfield girls hockey team continues to raise the bar season after season.
Last year the Tanners set a program record for wins and were Northeast Hockey League co-champions with Masconomet after finishing at 17-5-2. Peabody ended the year with a loss to Methuen/Tewksbury in the quarterfinal of the Division 1 tournament.
“Obviously when I took over (in 2015-16) we wanted to be able to stabilize the program and really build a foundation,” Peabody coach Michelle Roach said. “That was the focus the first couple years. Since then we’ve done a little bit better each season. We’ve really worked to build identity and one of our goals was to be seen as a competitive team. I think it’s safe to say we have accomplished that.”
Roach and the Tanners hope their recent success is just the beginning. They’ll head into this year looking for even more improvement.
“Every year is a new year,” Roach said. “We always start by looking at what we have and building from there. We don’t necessarily look ahead at (the state tournament). After each game, each practice, we have things we point to and try to improve. Then, hopefully all those things add up at the end of the year and we’re in a good spot.”
Peabody is already in a good spot skill wise. Sammie Miralsolo returns for her senior season and leads an offensive group rounded out by fellow NHL all star, Paige Thibedeau, Elise Staunton and Jenn Flynn
“We have a good cast of returners on our top lines,” Roach said. “We also expect to have three to five new players as well that will be fighting to get some time. They’re are in the mix, which is a great problem to have as a coach.”
On defense Catherine Sweeney, Carolyn Garofoli, Reilly Ganter all return. The Tanners graduated an amazing goalkeeper in Abby Buckley, but are fortunate to have another experienced goalie in Jeny Collins.
“We would switch Jeny and Abby frequently last year,” Roach said. “(Jeny) is a very capable goalie, they were almost interchangeable.”
Collins, Flynn, Garofoli and Mirasolo will co-captain the Tanners, who boast a strong group of senior leaders, this season.
“These seniors are my second full class of players,” Roach said. “It’s been awesome to see them all grow as players. Sammie is one who is a great player and she’s really coming into her own style, especially as a leader. She’s really stepped into that role as a captain. And I honestly believed there’s still room for her to grow this season.”
The Tanners may have earned a co-league title last season but it didn’t come easy. Roach isn’t expecting that to change this season.
“We have a very tough league,” Roach said. “Last year it came down to right at the end. We ended up tying with Masco after Winthrop beat them at the end of the season. It came down to the wire. It was nice to be co-champions, but we’re obviously looking to have that by ourselves this year.”
Peabody will be tested with a pair of league games right off the bat. The Tanners start the season versus Masconomet at Haverhill Valley Forum Saturday (7:15), then have another league game Wednesday (8:30) against Marblehead at Salem State’s Rockett Arena.
With a tough slate of games right from the start, Roach is hoping for her team to hit the ice with the right work ethic from the jump.
“We’ve had a few practices so far and there’s a lot of energy,” Roach said. “The girls are really upbeat. I think one thing that helped us last year was team chemistry. We are looking to get people on the ice together who work well and work hard. We’re a talented team but want to be hard-working too.”
