2026 MIAA Girls Ice Hockey State Championships: Methuen/Tewksbury Caps Unbeaten Season; Milton Ices First Championship

The tradition of Championship Sunday at TD Garden in Boston continued on March 15, with two Girls Ice Hockey championship games as the conclusion to the MIAA 2026 Winter season.

One team capped an unbeaten season with its second state championship, while the other reached the top for the first time after falling short a year ago.

Division 1

Senior Lydia Barnes made 20 saves and junior Sammy Ryan scored the only goal she would need as the No. 6 seed Methuen High School/Tewksbury Memorial High School co-op secured the state championship with a 2-0 victory over No. 5 seed Archbishop Williams High School.

Barnes was locked in a scoreless duel with her Archbishop Williams counterpart, junior Maggie Shea, until Ryan broke the stalemate with 4:36 remaining in the middle period.

It stayed that way into the final minute when, with Shea out of the Bishops net for an extra skater, junior Lyla Chapman poked the puck free from the defensive zone and all the way ahead toward the empty net. Senior Ella Duffy won the race and poked the loose puck home with 57 seconds to play for the Red Rangers.

For Methuen/Tewksbury, it was the second title in program history in three tries, with the other coming in 2019.

Archbishop Williams was at TD Garden for the first time in program history.

_{METHUEN/TEWKSBURY 2, ARCHBISHOP WILLIAMS 0}

_{SECOND – Methuen/Tewksbury: Sammy Ryan (unassisted) 10:24.
THIRD – Methuen/Tewksbury: Ella Duffy (Lyla Chapman) en 14:03.
GOALIES – Archbishop Williams: Maggie Shea (19 saves, 1 GA); Methuen/Tewksbury: Lydia Barnes (20 saves)
RECORDS – Archbishop Williams 18-8-1; Methuen/Tewksbury 23-0-2}

Division 2

Senior Sabrina Stone and freshman Maeve Lovett scored in the second period and No. 2 seed Milton High School held on from there to earn the program’s first state championship with a 2-1 victory over No. 5 seed King Philip Regional High School.

Stone’s goal came shorthanded and started as freshman Mia Cataruzolo broke up a play in the defensive zone and streaked up the left side of the ice. With Stone getting ahead of the King Philip defense, Cataruzolo slid the puck across and Stone flipped one past King Philip senior goalie Kiki Lynch.

Lovett’s goal less than three minutes later doubled the lead for the Wildcats, who fell on this stage a year ago.

Playing in their first state final, the Warriors made it interesting as junior Ella Morgan cut the deficit in half at 5:50 of the third period. But sophomore goalie Caera Hart and Milton held the fort the rest of the way.

Lynch finished with 36 saves for King Philip.

_{MILTON 2, KING PHILIP 1}

_{SECOND – Milton: Sabrina Stone (Mia Cataruzolo) sh 6:05; Milton: Maeve Lovett (Mairin Hart) 9:00.
THIRD – King Philip: Ella Morgan (Grace Lehan-Allen) 5:50.
GOALIES – Milton: Caera Hart (6 saves); King Philip: Kiki Lynch (36 saves)
RECORDS – Milton 25-1-1; King Philip 23-3-1}