The 2023 Vermont high school field hockey playoff primer and predictions
The 2023 Vermont high school field hockey playoffs have arrived.
Teams from across the state’s three divisions will play for a title and the honor of being Vermont’s best.
The championships for Division I and III are tentatively slated at the University of Vermont's Moulton Winder Field on Saturday, Nov. 4. While D-II will take to UVM on Nov. 3.
Champlain Valley, Woodstock and Montpelier, all of which snagged high seeds this year, are your defending champions.
Let’s get into it!
DIVISION I
► What to know: The Metro League was as competitive as ever this season and after nailing each pick of the D-I tourney last year, my odds of repeating that feat are slim. A quartet of Chittenden County teams claim championship aspirations this year. No. 1 South Burlington (13-1) went undefeated all season before falling by a goal to Champlain Valley in the regular-season finale. The Wolves moved Sabrina Brunet to the midfield and Ella Maynard filled the opening seamlessly on the forward line. SB only allowed eight goals this year behind junior goalie, Amber Rousseau. … No. 3 CVU (10-3-1) graduated a ton this year and dropped two of its first five games (Rice and SB). They finished the final month strong and stayed clean in the loss column, while adding wins over Essex, Burr and Burton, SB and drew Colchester. … No. 2 Rice (11-2-1) is young (four freshmen; seven sophomores) and yet, so talented. As the clear second-ranked team this season, the Green Knights knocked off CVU twice in a pair of 2-1 finals and haven’t allowed a goal in nearly a month. … Under the direction of first-year coach Shawn Lefebvre, No. 4 Colchester (9-3-2) has righted the ship this season and added three wins over last year’s total. The knock, if there is one, on the Lakers is goal-scoring. Colchester hasn’t managed three goals in a game this season. The Lakers host No. 5 Bellows Falls (9-4-1) in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal contest that ended in 1-0 OT win for the Terriers.
Related: 'I stopped breathing': Rice's Lucy Stillman defies odds, returns to sidelines
Playdowns
No. 9 Burlington over No. 8 Rutland
Quarterfinals
No. 1 South Burlington over No. 9 Burlington
No. 4 Colchester over No. 5 Bellows Falls
No. 2 Rice over No. 7 Mount Mansfield
No. 3 Champlain Valley over No. 6 Essex
Semifinals
No. 1 South Burlington over No. 4 Colchester
No. 3 Champlain Valley over No. 2 Rice
Championship
South Burlington 2, Champlain Valley 1: The Wolves avenge last year’s championship loss to the Redhawks with their second title in three years.
DIVISION II
► What to know: The top two seeds No. 1 Hartford (12-2) and Woodstock (12-1) seem to be on a crash course to meet again in the championship after the Wasps won 1-0 last fall. … The Hurricanes can score. The trio of Madison Barwood, Kamryn Brower and Madison Willey accounted for at least 57 goals this year as Hartford downed D-I’s Bellows Falls and knocked off 11-win U-32 4-0. … Second-seeded Woodstock is powered by Free Press’ all-state forward Hannah Gubbins and Co. The Wasps lone loss came vs. Burr and Burton in the season-opener. After the loss the contenders outscored the opposition 30-2 and grabbed wins over BF and Hartford (2-1 final). … No. 5 Burr and Burton (8-4-2) rounds out the Southern Vermont League contenders as the Bulldogs pulled out a win against Bellows Falls and battled CVU to a 2-1 decision. No. 3 Spaulding (11-2) and No. 4 U-32 (11-2-1) hail from the Capital Division and aim to break through the Final Four ceiling that has stymied the pair the last two seasons.
Playdowns
No. 8 Mount Abraham over No. 9 Brattleboro
No. 7 St. Johnsbury over No. 10 Middlebury
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Hartford over No. 8 Mount Abraham
No. 5 Burr and Burton over No. 4 U-32
No. 2 Woodstock over No. 7 St. Johnsbury
No. 3 Spaulding over No. 6 Otter Valley
Semifinals
No. 1 Hartford over No. 5 Burr and Burton
No. 2 Woodstock over No. 3 Spaulding
Championship
Hartford 1, Woodstock 0: Hartford reverses last year’s result with a fourth quarter goal to edge the Wasps.
DIVISION III
► What to know: The title might be No. 1 Montpelier’s to lose. The Solons (12-2), the division’s defending champions, only dropped to U-32 and Spaulding this season and beat second-seeded North Country. Of course, it is playoffs and upsets happen. The Falcons (7-3-3) are still contenders, but will need more scoring after managing just 16 goals this season. No. 3 Windsor (7-6) is D-III’s darkhorse from the much tougher SVL. A title win for Montpelier would be the program’s eighth all-time.
Playdowns
No. 8 Harwood over No. 9 Milton
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Montpelier over No. 8 Harwood
No. 5 Stowe over No. 4 Fair Haven
No. 2 North Country over No. 7 Missisquoi
No. 3 Windsor over No. 6 Lyndon
Semifinals
No. 1 Montpelier over No. 5 Stowe
No. 3 Windsor over No. 2 North Country
Championship
Montpelier 2, Windsor 0: The Solons run to their second straight title.
Become a member of the Vermont Varsity Insider Facebook group at https://bit.ly/2MGSfvX.
Contact Jacob Rousseau at JRousseau@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter: @ByJacobRousseau.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont H.S. field hockey: 2023 playoff primer and predictions
