The Pope Francis girls’ hockey team experienced another memorable season, as the program made its fourth consecutive MIAA Division I state tournament appearance by reaching the Round of 32 against Reading in February.
The Cardinals were paced by an experienced senior class of Giada Musa (12 goals and five assists), Sarah Tatro (five goals and six assists), and goalie Felix Goeckel (305 saves).
Those efforts were recognized by their peers and community, as Pope Francis earned three individual awards at the 59th annual Amo ‘Betts’ Bessone Committee award ceremony in April.
Tatro earned the Kacey Bellamy Award for Girls MVP, while Elise Musa was one of three combined winners to claim the Aldo Altobelli Rookies of the Year award. And lastly, the Cardinals’ Chris Connors earned the Joe Buccholz “Coach of the Year” Award.
Regardless of their departure, though, Pope Francis is prepared for another successful winter.
With assistance from Connors, MassLive created its second annual “Starting Six” article to give fans an idea of who might light up the lamp, make a game-changing save this winter, and who will be an essential supporter inside the huddle due to a previous season-ending injury.
The Cardinals will open the season against Nauset on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Charles Moore Arena (Orleans). Pope Francis will also look to end its two-game losing streak against the Warriors, as the puck is scheduled to drop at 5:10 p.m.
Below are the mentioned players:
Nolan Craven, Forward
Craven is a big-game player.
As a freshman, she finished the season with 12 points: four goals and eight assists, which included a game-winning goal against the perennial Connecticut powerhouse in East Catholic High School.
Craven is also a big, strong, physical power forward who possesses a hard and accurate shot. Her positive energy is not only on display on the ice but off the ice as well.
Natalia Elson, Forward (co-captain)
Elson finished last season with 15 points, which included five goals and a team-high 10 assists.
Elson would have been in the “starting six” this year, but the senior will miss the entire season with an injury that was sustained during the soccer season. Regardless, though, her relentless work ethic will be missed on the ice.
But Elson understands her role of leading our team off the ice this season. Elson is also committed to continuing her hockey career at the D-III level for Salem State University next season.
photo by J. Anthony Roberts
Keighley Gworek, Defenseman
Gworek is a sleek skater and a highly skilled defenseman, who is a three-year returning veteran on the blue line. Gworek eats up a lot of minutes and plays a physical style.
She will be relied upon to mentor and stabilize the young defensive core. Aside from that, though, Gworek’s relentless work ethic is on display at every practice and every game, which is the lifeblood of the Lady Cardinals program.
Sophia Larsen, Defenseman
Larsen is an extremely talented defenseman who possesses speed, skill, and a big-time shot. The sophomore finished last season with four goals and five assists.
The bigger the game, the more Larsen shines. Larsen’s game resembles that of the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy, as her physical style can shut down opponents in our defensive zone, but she is also offensively gifted.
Ava Moltenbrey, Forward (co-captain)
Moltenbrey is a three-year returning varsity player and is considered the team’s “Swiss Army Knife.”
Her high hockey intelligence quotient and compete level are so valuable to the team, as she eats up a lot of minutes on the penalty kill and in key-game situations.
Moltenbrey is a natural leader off the ice and is well respected by the entire team and coaching staff. The senior will look to build off her five-goal and four-assist effort from last year.
Elise Musa, Forward
Musa is a highly skilled forward who is a natural playmaker and is extremely strong on her skates.
The sophomore plays the game in overdrive and wins 99% of the one-on-one battles all over the ice against players twice her size. Musa finished last year with 12 points (five goals and seven assists).
Pope Francis is expecting big things from Musa this season.
Avery Savage, Goalie
Savage is an extremely talented goalie who started in six games last season as a freshman. The sophomore played like a seasoned veteran against some of the top teams in Massachusetts, like Duxbury High School and Malden Catholic.
In both those games, Savage stood on her head and drew praise from multiple veteran coaches. The netminder also has the size, athleticism, and skillset to keep opponents off the scoresheet.
The sophomore will have some big skates to fill, as she is scheduled to replace former Pope Francis standout goalie Felix Goeckel. Connors, though, has remained confident that Savage will seize the moment.
