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High Performance Festival
Posted on July 4, 2018
Neutral Zone was in attendance for the girls High Performance Festival in St. Cloud, Minn. from June 9-14. Over the course of the week, players competed against one another for their chance to stand out during the fourth phase of the High-Performance program. There were six teams total, representing girls from all over the state….
Q&A: Carmen Merlo, Union Recruit
Posted on June 19, 2018
Carmen Merlo grew up in Missouri and left to attend Shattuck St. Mary’s. The ’01 recently committed to Union, where she will matriculate in the fall of 2019. Neutral Zone chatted with Merlo about her youth hockey experience, her recruitment process and more. Neutral Zone: How and when did you start playing hockey? Carmen Merlo:…
Q&A: Kelly Souza, Berwick Coach
Posted on April 24, 2018
Independent private schools (prep) are also options for secondary schooling for student-athletes. While NEPSAC schools are prep schools, they can vary significantly in factors like size, location, day or boarding, mission and academic expectations. Kelly Souza attended Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, Mass., and played college hockey at New Hampshire and Boston College. She…
2018 USA Hockey Tier 1 Nationals U16
Posted on April 20, 2018
On April 5-9, Neutral Zone was in Marlborough, Mass., for the USA Hockey Tier 1 Nationals. The staff scouted U14, U16, and U19 divisions for the entire five days. Every team is represented in our report, however, based on scheduling and the success of a given team, some teams were scouted more times than others….
Kaltounkova and Jandusikova Share the Long Journey from the Czech Republic to Vermont
Posted on April 15, 2018
by Jashvina Shah Kristyna Kaltounkova and Klara Jandusikova both play for Vermont Academy. They’ll both graduate in 2020. But the similarities between the two players extend far beyond their prep school and class year; it extends across an ocean. Both Kaltounkova and Jandusikova came to the U.S. from the Czech Republic to pursue hockey. And…
MAA: LLFHL Championships
Posted on April 13, 2018
On Saturday March 23rd and Sunday March 24th, Neutral Zone Scouts were in Toronto at Westwood Arena for the Lowe Lakes Female Hockey League MAA Championship. The teams attending were Sudbury Lady Wolves, Stoney Creek Sabres, Waterloo Ravens, and the Markham-Stouffville Stars. Markham-Stouffville defeated Sudbury 5-2 in the championship game, while Stoney Creek took the…
Bantam AA: LLFHL Championships
Posted on April 12, 2018
From Friday March 23rd to March 25th, Neutral Zone was in Toronto at Westwood Arena for the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League Championships. The teams attending were Ancaster Avalanche, Brampton Canadettes, Cambridge Roadrunners, Durham Lightning, Kingston Wolves, and Mississauga Chiefs. The weekend brought great competition and exciting games all around. Mississauga clinched the championship 2-1…
Q&A: Hannah Milan, NAHA Alum
Posted on April 4, 2018
With the growth of women’s hockey, there has been an increase in secondary schooling options for girls. Each option offers a unique opportunity for both hockey development and college preparation. While more choices are a benefit for the game, navigating this process can be complicated. To help players understand the options available, Neutral Zone reached…
Os Spring Festival 2018
Posted on April 3, 2018
The weekend of March 23-25th, the Os Spring Festival was held in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It played host to some of the best elite girls teams from around the state, as well as the Anaheim Lady Ducks. Due to how many teams were playing and game times coinciding we were not able to see every…
Gwen Eichfeld’s Path From Virginia to Colgate
Posted on March 12, 2018
by Jashvina Shah When Gwen Eichfeld was just four years old, she went to a learn-to-skate event at the Washington Capital’s practice facility. On their way, Eichfeld and her dad stopped to watch the team practice. “I can do that,” Eichfeld told her dad. She did do that, playing local hockey and skating for the…
