Success of Pembroke High girls hockey outweighs accolades for record-breaker Jen Birolini

PEMBROKE – Jen Birolini often finds the back of the net.

The word "often", perhaps, doesn't do it justice. The Pembroke High girls hockey star scored 40 times as a sophomore last year, and 26 as a freshman the year before.

But it all came together this month when, unsuspectingly, Birolini had just been playing as she always does, not cognizant of the looming big picture. Then the accolades came rolling in.

The junior center, and catalyst for the red-hot Titans (12-1), eclipsed both 100 career goals and 150 career points in a 7-1 win over West/East Bridgewater on Jan. 10.

One week later, in a 6-0 victory over Wellesley on Jan. 17, she uprooted the program's all-time scoring record with her 104th career goal, surpassing the mark of 2014 graduate Jane Morrisette.

“I don’t know how aware she was of it. It was just sprung upon her," head coach Bill Flynn said. "But then it was, ‘boom, boom, boom.’ It’s been exciting.”

“Going into the season, it’s all about going to TD Garden and going to the state championship with the team," Birolini said. "I never really thought about the individual stuff until it came up.”

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Birolini is headed towards earning her fourth straight Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic nomination this year, after she won co-MVP of the Patriot League Fisher Division as a sophomore last winter. She entered this season with 82 goals and 42 assists dating back to her varsity debut in eighth grade.

“I expect nothing less of her," senior defenseman Alexa Lewis said of Birolini's new records. "She puts so much work in. She makes amazing plays on the ice. She’s always in the right spot. It doesn’t surprise me. ... She’s definitely one of the best (I’ve played with).”

Birolini has scored in every one of the Titans' 13 games this season, with her loudest outburst coming in a thrilling 4-3 overtime win over Sandwich on New Years Eve in which she tallied all four of the team's goals. She is up to 24 goals and 11 assists on the campaign.

“She has such a good hockey IQ. That’s the term that comes up most often when I think of her," senior defenseman Ava Dunphy said. "She knows where everything is on the ice. She knows all the right plays to make. She’s just a great teammate and great hockey player as well.”

“She has a heart of gold," Flynn said. "She’s more supportive of her teammates (than of herself). Yes, she’s the one with the goals. Yes, she’s the one with a lot of the assists. But, talking to her, her teammates come first. That’s what really makes her the person she is."

For Flynn, the memories all trace back to the first time he saw Birolini skate – during an alumni game her older sister, Carly, a 2019 Pembroke High graduate, was playing in as a sophomore. Birolini was in sixth grade at the time, and the varsity coaching staff was blown away at her grace.

“We were always waiting – ‘When’s Jen coming?’ – because of the day we saw her," Flynn said. "Now, we’re going on four years with her. It’s been fun.”

“We’ve always known Jen is the real deal since the first moment she stepped on the ice," senior forward Maria Cantino said. "From playing with her in U10's to now, we’ve always known she was going to be a good one. And, she definitely is.”

Pembroke (12-1) moved up to No. 3 in the MIAA's latest Division 2 power rankings, which is loaded with local flavor at the top with Duxbury at No. 1, Canton at No. 7 and Milton at No. 8. The former two advanced to the state final last year, and these Titans, who are nearly matching their win total from all of last winter (14-7-1), are hoping to add themselves to that list.

“This is the highest we’ve ever been ranked since I’ve been on the team," Lewis said. "I really want to get to the Garden. We’ve been working the past five years to get here.”

Birolini spearheads the team of just four seniors, and a flurry of productive underclassmen in key roles: sophomore Hannah D'Angelo (8 goals, 4 assists), eighth grade forward Ella Skieber (11 goals, 12 assists), sophomore Lauren Perry (5 goals, 6 assists), freshman Payton Sowersby (2 goals, 3 assists) and sophomore goaltender Emily LaVallee (1.80 goals-against).

“They all deserve credit for where the team is. I think Jen would agree with that, too,” Flynn said with a laugh. “I’m sure she told you that.”

She certainly did.

"Everyone on the team is amazing, and makes me want to come here more to play," Birolini said. "It feels good because we're showing it. We're doing really well and all of the hard work is paying off."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Pembroke's Jen Birolini found her place in school hockey history