When USA Hockey gathers teams to represent the country in international tournaments, it is generally a melting pot of players from around the U.S.

When coach Caitrin Lonergan looks out onto the ice during any of the Lovell Academy girls hockey team’s practices or games, she sees something very similar.

You might wonder what the connection between the two is. It all has to do with three players who attend the Rockland, Massachusetts, prep school who also played in January on the international stage. This weekend, that trio is leading Lovell in the 2025 Chipotle-USA Hockey High School National Championships in Irvine, California.

Those players are Chyna Taylor, Sydney Stoughton and Annabelle Lovell, a set of 15-year-old sophomores at Lovell Academy who were some of the youngest on the U.S. roster for the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship. The Americans earned a silver medal at the tournament in Vantaa, Finland.

Taylor was the first player from Kentucky to represent the U.S. at an IIHF event, while Stoughton hails from Ohio and Lovell is from Massachusetts. 

Lonergan already had national connections from her days playing at Boston College as well as USA Hockey experience, highlighted by a roster spot on the national team for the 2018 Four Nations Cup. When Lovell hired her, Lonergan worked to extend the program’s reach beyond the Boston-area.

“The training and the resources that they get at this age, it's unlike any other program around the country,” Lonergan said. “A big thing for Lovell is, yeah, we definitely want the best players, but we're also willing to take kids that need work and kids that we see a lot of potential in and willing to help them get there. When we look at all three of those players, like they all definitely needed something to elevate their game.”

All three — who have been in the Lovell program for years — bring a different set of skills to the ice. 

Taylor, who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, is a strong defender who is just now starting to unlock some of her offensive potential. Lonergan and her staff knew they had a player with terrific athleticism, yet raw hockey skills. With the improvement in her game, Taylor has built confidence and developed into a player her teammates gravitate to.

“I don't think we ever thought that she would make the national team at 15,” Lonergan said. “Just the development that she put in the past three years has been something super-fun to watch and really fun to talk about because it's just a player that just keeps getting better and better.”

Stoughton is a high-scoring forward from Mason, Ohio. Lonergan said Stoughton — whose grandfather played in the NHL — already possessed a “very elite shot” when she arrived as an eighth grader. Stoughton scored 50 goals in her first season. Additionally, she is very protective when possessing the puck and has been a captain during her time at Lovell.

“At that age, when you have a shot like that and then the size and the body type for a national team, we knew that she was someone that if she worked on her skating, that she could be there immediately,” Lonergan said. “She completely changed her stride and her explosiveness and how she skated when she got to Lovell. That was kind of the big piece that she was hoping to work on when she got here and that's been the piece that got her to the national team.”

Annabelle Lovell has grown up in a hockey family in Hingham, Massachusetts. Dad Tim not only had a terrific college career as well as several minor-league stops, but her two older brothers also play, both earning Division I scholarships. Lonergan shifted Annabelle Lovell from defense to forward last season and she made an immediate impact for a team needing goals. She still occasionally shifts back to defense when needed.

“She's dynamic at both positions,” Lonergan said. “In terms of versatility, she's able to play defense for us and make a massive impact. And if I need to put her at forward, then she can score goals and make plays. She's just incredible but has put a lot of work in for longer than just these three years. The amount of time that she's worked with her family and the skill staff and then Lovell was an added bonus, and she just keeps getting better, which is fun.”

Lovell Academy is off to a 2-0 start at nationals, in large part thanks to the dynamic trio — Lovell, Taylor and Stoughton have combined for 23 points in the two wins. 

While achieving such accolades at a young age, Lonergan said all three have remained humble, knowing they still have much to work on in order to keep playing at international tournaments. Lonergan said the trio share what they learn with their teammates while also taking strides themselves, particularly in leadership.

For those reasons, Lonergan said all three could one day be wearing USA jerseys on the biggest international stage.

“I think if they continue to progress the way they are that all three of them are going to be on the national team for a long time,” Lonergan said. “The Olympics, I know for all three of them, is a dream for them and I think it's very, very likely that they'll get there if they continue to put the work in.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.