ADDISON COUNTY — As the local high school field hockey regular season concluded last week Mount Abraham and Otter Valley each split two games, efforts good enough to nail down top-four seeds in Division II, while Middlebury dropped a contest.
The Vermont Principals’ Association was set to announce D-II playoff pairings on Monday morning. The Eagles and Otters will host quarterfinals this weekend, while the Tigers could host a first-round game on Tuesday or Wednesday.
EAGLES
On Thursday the Eagles blanked host U-32, 4-0, a result that clinched the No. 1 seed for the Eagles.
Evan Laurent led the way with a goal and an assist, and Molly Laurent, Abby Hoff and Jalen Cook also found the back of the cage. Eagle goalie Chessley Jackman made one save, and Abigail Latour stopped 18 shots for the Raiders.
On Saturday D-I host Colchester completed an 11-0-3 regular season by edging the Eagles, 1-0. Laker goalie Ciera Morse stopped six shots, and Jackman made four saves.
The 8-3-3 Eagles will apparently host either No. 8 MUHS or No. 9 Springfield this weekend in a quarterfinal before remaining tournament games are played on neutral turf-field sites.
OTTERS
On Wednesday the Otters blitzed host Fair Haven, 13-0. Brittney Jackson (four goals), Alia Edmunds (three goals, two assists), Sophie Markowski (goal, four assists), and Morgan LaPorte and Livia Bernhardt (two goals apiece) led the attack. OV goalies Ellie Ross (one save) and Jamie Dube-Bordeau (two) split time, while Fair Haven’s Jordan Howard stopped 27 shots.
On Saturday Windsor, D-III’s top seed, knocked off the visiting Otters, 3-1. OV finished at 9-5, good for the No. 4 seed in D-II. The Otters could host No. 5 Brattleboro in a weekend quarterfinal, and the winner of that game will most likely meet the Eagles in a semifinal.
TIGERS
On Thursday the Tigers lost, 8-1, at D-I Essex, which improved to 10-3. For the Hornets Hannah Neddo scored three times, goalie Kaylan Ferreira was credited with 11 stops, and a defender made a save.
Maeve Hammel scored the Tiger goal, and Cassie Bettis stopped 16 shots. It appears the 1-11 Tigers could earn the No. 8 seed and host No. 9 Springfield (2-11) in a play-in game.