The Reading senior and NEPSAC’s top-ranked goalie anchored a 3–1 win on January 3, continuing a standout season defined by consistency, focus, and leadership
Submitted article by Kim Tauro, Photos by Nolan Pitta, Nicolle Renick
Reading, MA – Before Austin Prep Girls Hockey even took the ice against North Yarmouth Academy on Saturday, January 3, senior assistant captain and goalie Alexandra Herbert of Reading had already reached a milestone few goalies achieve. Earlier in the season, Herbert recorded her 1,000th career save, a marker of consistency and durability that reflects her growing reputation as one of the top netminders in NEPSAC.
Currently ranked as the No. 1 goalie in the league, Herbert has faced 264 shots this season, stopping 256 of them for an impressive 97 percent save percentage. An Endicott College commit, she has become the backbone of an Austin Prep team that entered Saturday’s matchup riding a 7-1-0 record and coming off a first-place finish at the St. George’s Christmas Tournament.
Against North Yarmouth Academy, a familiar rival from Southern Maine, Herbert delivered once again. The two programs have met multiple times over the past two seasons, including losses for Austin Prep in the Vaillancourt Conference Championship in both 2023 and 2024. That recent history only heightened the stakes.
“I wanted to win,” Herbert said. “We didn’t beat them at all last season and I just went into it thinking I need to have a good game. I need to lock in and make sure that these guys don’t score.”
Her focus showed. Herbert turned aside 31 of 32 shots, anchoring the Cougars to a 3-1 win at MPG Memorial Arena and helping push their record to 8-1-0.
The game itself was tightly contested. In the second period, NYA junior Aurora Blier opened the scoring with an unassisted goal. Austin Prep responded after penalties on NYA’s Capucine Daniel and Isabelle Hinkley gave the Cougars a double power play. Senior captain Sarah Sampson, who currently leads NEPSAC in points, scored to tie the game, assisted by Adia Murphy and Kayleigh Norton. Still on the power play, Norton followed with an unassisted goal that gave Austin Prep the lead. Murphy added an insurance goal in the third period, assisted by Norton and Sampson.
“I think this win showed us that we can play and beat hard teams when we’re playing our best,” freshman Sarah Driscoll said after earning Player of the Game honors.
While the scoring sealed the outcome, Herbert’s performance in net set the tone. Head coach Kerry Brennan has seen it repeatedly.
“[Herbert is] the backbone of the team,” Brennan said. “After every single game, the opposing coach, in the handshake line, always says something about Alex and how good she played.”
What separates Herbert, Brennan added, is her work ethic. After games and practices, she often heads straight to goalie-specific sessions or shooting clinics, even when others are finished for the day. She also studies opposing teams closely before games, paying particular attention to tendencies and shot patterns.
Her path to becoming an elite goalie was not a straightforward one. Herbert did not begin playing the position until eighth grade and nearly quit hockey altogether. After spending years on all-boys teams through seventh grade, she began enjoying the sport less. A turning point came when her brother’s coach noticed her playing goalie during practice and encouraged the switch.
“So then my dad bought me some goalie pads and I joined the Islanders for my U14 season,” Herbert said. “Then [Reading High] swooped me up in eighth grade because they needed a goalie, and I started from there.”
Despite making a significant jump from peewee hockey to high school competition, Herbert started games in her very first year as a goalie. She later transferred to Austin Prep, where she has been skating for the Cougars since her sophomore season.
Off the ice, Herbert is just as much a presence within the program. Known most commonly as “Herbie,” a nickname that stuck after a locker room introduction during her club hockey days, she is also a varsity softball player for Austin Prep, earning her the additional nickname “AH” from teammates.
Team chemistry has played a major role in Austin Prep’s success this season, something Herbert and Brennan both emphasized.
“We have a lot of girls that pump each other up on the bench,” Brennan said. “That gets us a long way, especially in big games like this.”
“The bench energy is always great,” Herbert added. “If everybody’s cheering loudly, it makes everyone, in my personal opinion, play better.”
With momentum building and Herbert continuing to anchor the team from the crease, Austin Prep appears well-positioned for a strong remainder of the season, guided by a goalie who has already etched her name into the program’s history.
