Elizabeth LePage of Swansea recently completed her first year as a member of the Portsmouth Abbey girls' ice hockey team. And it's safe to say that season was a rousing success.
A repeat junior who transferred from Joseph Case High School to Portsmouth Abbey for this school year, LePage capped her ice hockey season by helping the Ravens to the Eastern Independent League playoff championship this past Saturday at Warrior Arena in Boston. The EIL is part of the New England Prep School Athletic Conference.
In the EIL playoffs, the Abbey defeated Pingree 3-2 in the semifinals and this past Saturday topped Berwick 3-2 in overtime in the final. In the two playoff games, LePage, a defenseman, registered two goals and three assists. A year ago, LePage played for the Bishop Stang co-op team and was named The Herald News ice hockey player of the year.
Kurt Carter, her Portsmouth Abbey head coach, described LePage as a "fantastic athlete" and a Division 1 college prospect.
"Coming to Portsmouth Abbey will help create a bit more recruiting exposure for her," Carter wrote in an email. "Because the D1 programs are a few years further ahead on recruiting age groups we may be walking a tight line here but I believe she is a D1 talent. She is a complete defenseman. She is a shut down defenseman with the ability to create offense."
LePage, 18, showed put her offense on display emphatically in scoring the first goal in the championship game, on an ice-length rush, a toe-drag and fake, and a big-time backhand under the crossbar.
The Ravens finished their season 10-1 in the EIL and 10-12-1 overall in the NEPSAC. LePage, known in hockey circles as Lulu (a nickname father Bob LePage gave her early in her career), had 12 goals and 8 assists.
"I don't believe I have ever seen a player with better ice vision and (who) has an incredible feel and sense for the game giving her a very high hockey IQ," Carter wrote. "She is the type of player every coach dreams of coaching....a great talent with a work ethic second to none. She leads by example and after only one season has been elected as one of Captains for next season by the outgoing seniors. We treat this process as the outgoing seniors leaving their legacy buy ensuring the following year's team is in good hands and Lulu was a unanimous choice to lead the program next year."
A commuter student, LePage moved from Case to Portsmouth Abbey largely due to hockey.
"I wanted a school with a really good hockey environment," she said on Tuesday night.
She said being a repeat junior, at a new school, was a challenge, but not for that long. Welcomed warmly by teammates and classmates, LePage said started to feel at home after two or three weeks, even with the Abbey tradition of school (half day) on Saturday.
"Nothing's better," she said with a laugh, "than going to school six days a week."
Email Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.