Everything to know about the 2023-24 Chittenden County girls hockey teams

What you need to know for the high school girls hockey programs in Chittenden County —Burlington/Colchester, Champlain Valley/Mount Mansfield, Essex, Rice and South Burlington — with key returnees, key newcomers and season outlooks for the 2023-24 season.

This winter's campaign kicked off earlier this month and the regular season wraps no later than Feb. 21. Tournament play is slated to start as early as Feb. 23, with championship tilts scheduled for early March at the University of Vermont's Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Vermont Principals' Association winter guides for all sports can be found on the VPA's website.

More: The top returning Vermont high school girls hockey players? Our 2023-24 watchlist.

The outlooks:

BURLINGTON/COLCHESTER

•Coaches: Molly Beauregard (10th season), Jamie Rozzi (ninth season)

•Last season: 15-6-2; lost to Spaulding in Division I championship

•Key returnees: Camryn Poulin, forward, senior; Norra Moody, defense, senior; Holley MacLellan, forward, junior; Leah Boyd, goalie, junior; Brooks DeShaw, forward, senior; Fiona McHugh, forward, junior; Hanna Coughlin, defense, senior; Abbie Wheeler, defense, senior; Annabelle Lekstutis, forward, junior

•Key newcomers: Madison Bean, forward, freshman; Austen Fisher, forward, freshman; Ellie Young, defense/forward, sophomore; Marzie Schulman, defense, freshman; Ana LaBelle, forward, freshman

•Outlook: Burlington and Colchester enter their 10th season as a cooperative program this winter, and the Sealakers aim to celebrate their cohesiveness with a potential championship run. Reaching the title game in three of the last four seasons, Burlington/Colchester has a deep squad of 17 skaters and a goalie in Boyd ready to have a breakout junior campaign. The captain Poulin, a BFP all-state second team selection, and MacLellan combined for 43 goals and 17 assists last winter and are set to lead the first and second lines, respectively. On the blue line, the Sealakers will have five rotating defensemen in front of Boyd, who had a 91% save percentage in six appearances last winter. "The upperclassmen have definitely stepped up and shown strong leadership," Beauregard said. "We have a lot of competitors on the team who want to win. They want to have a good year, be strong and hopefully go back to the championship game."

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY/MT. MANSFIELD

•Coach: Matt Bunting (first season)

•Last season: 12-8-1; lost to Spaulding in Division I semifinals

•Key returnees: Kerribeth Aldrich, forward, junior; Sophie Brien, forward, junior; Miles Brien, defense, junior; Clark Clark, defense, junior; Ella Gilbert, goalie, sophomore; Mackenzie Rivard, forward, junior; Megan Rivard, forward, junior

•Key newcomers: Too early to tell

•Outlook: Rebuild and development are the key buzzwords for the CougarHawks, who lost a big, productive class to graduation and welcome the program's third head coach in as many seasons. "We are really focused on getting people fired up to play for the CougarHawks. That’s the main agenda this year," Bunting said. With 17 players, the cooperative team will have enough to roll three lines. Their team's talent rests on the blue line and with a goalie whom Bunting said is "brave and aggressive." A batch of juniors will also get their time to showcase their abilities after sitting behind last year's senior class. "Everything that we want to do as a team they seem to get and they want to put 100% effort into it, and I can’t ask for much more than that," Bunting said. Former University of Vermont women's hockey associate head coach Jess Koizumi will serve as Bunting's top assistant.

More: The top returning Vermont high school boys hockey players? Our 2023-24 watchlist.

ESSEX HIGH SCHOOL

•Coach: John Maddalena (19th season)

•Last season: 6-13-1; lost to CVU/MMU in Division I quarterfinals

•Key returnees: Malissa Erickson, forward, senior; Emma Airoldi, forward, junior; Emily Stempek, defense, junior; Zuzu Rooney, forward, junior

Abby Smith, forward, senior; Dylan Line, forward, senior; Cassidy Daniels, defense, senior; Ashleigh Gernander, forward, senior

•Key newcomers: Too early to tell

•Outlook: Nearly half of Essex's 22-player roster are freshmen. And of the remaining dozen, only one is a senior. "It's exciting in a way, with lots of new energy coming into the mix," Maddalena said. "But it's also a little intimidating because you need to integrate a lot of new players." To that end, Maddalena said he will rely on the captains and co-captains to get younger players to understand the team's culture and daily approach. "Last year we took way too many penalties, gave up way too many goals. We need to be more disciplined and be more creative in the offensive zone," Maddalena said. "A lot of that is working within our systems and getting buy-in. That's really what I'm looking for." If the team's youth develops, one of them might be the Hornets' top scorer by the end of the season, Maddalena said. "We are going to have to grind all season," the longtime coach said. "I've seen big improvements in first three weeks. If we can continue to develop at that pace, we can be competitive."

RICE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

•Coach: Tom Rugg (fourth season)

•Last season: 7-11-3; lost to Kingdom Blades in Division II quarterfinals

•Key returnees: Becky Penney, defense, junior; Finley Strong, defense, junior; Emeri Rascoe, forward, sophomore

•Key newcomers: Cassidy Skoda, forward, junior; Kate Kozachuk, forward/defense, senior

•Outlook: Rice's team speed and aggressive style will produce goals. That's been clear in the early going with a five-goal effort in a 7-5 loss against Division I reigning champion Spaulding. The team's size — 23 skaters are the most in Rugg's tenure — gives the Green Knights additional hope for depth and future promise. "I'm bullish on their potential," Rugg said of the younger players, several of whom are new to the sport. Penney and Strong at not stay-at-home defensemen and are given flexibility to drive the Rice offense. Kozachuk, a exchange student from Italy, and Skoda, who previously played for Rice Prep, join a forward group that has balance. If the Green Knights can limit opponent chances, they stand to be among the contenders in Division II. "I really like my team," Rugg said. "We are certainly offensive minded and we push the puck. We are big, strong, fast and shoot hard. That leaves us vulnerable (defensively)."

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SOUTH BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

•Coach: Courtney Barrett (fourth season)

•Last season: 7-14; lost to Burlington/Colchester in Division I quarterfinals

•Key returnees: Sabrina Brunet, forward, senior; Kiley Burke, defense, senior; Jordan Larose, forward, senior; Ava Hershberg, forward, senior; Rosa DiGiulian, forward, freshman; Oli Roy, goalie, sophomore; Hadia Ahmed, forward, sophomore; Reese Gordon, defense, sophomore

•Key newcomers: Taylor Tobrocke, goalie, senior; Grace Landerman, defense, freshman

•Outlook: With a new practice schedule and weight room sessions building the team's camaraderie, the Wolves enter a new season with hope and competitive fire. "We have a solid core returning with these new additions. They are listening to everything we are saying," Barrett said. "They are really taking it all in. They have come in ready to work." Brunet, the BFP's field hockey player of the year this past fall, headlines South Burlington's top line, but Barrett said they must find ways to help Brunet to create balance and efficiency. Tobrocke, the goalie, returns to South Burlington after a stint at Rice Prep. Barrett also said the addition of a practice squad should help foster development for this year and beyond. "I'm hoping the strides we made really pay off in the win category this year," Barrett said. "Last year, we were in a lot of games, but we didn't have depth. Now we have that."

More: What we know for 2023-24 Vermont high school winter championship dates

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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Chittenden County H.S. girls hockey: Everything you need to know