ESSEX – Rice Memorial’s Finley Strong took home MVP honors last month, wrapping up the high school hockey season at the 39th Rotary All-Star Classic.
Strong dished an assist as her Austin girls team fell to the Harris squad 7-3. Spaulding’s Laine Thayer earned top honors for Harris, lighting the lamp twice in the win. Strong, a senior all-star defenseman, led Rice to a 10-10-1 record this past winter. The multi-sport star will trade her skates for cleats this spring as she looks to slug the Lady Green Knights to back-to-back Division II Final Four appearances. She is the daughter of former Hazen Union baseball standout Jeff Strong, and the granddaughter of Wildcat coaching great Jack Strong. Her brother Jackson was named Vermont’s Mr. Hockey and was 2023 Player of the Year in Division I as a senior at Rice and is currently attending North Carolina State.
