The NHIAA field hockey tournament begins on Thursday, with Mascenic near the top of Division III once again and Conant looking to lock in for a playoff run. 

The Orioles and Vikings clashed at Conant’s senior game on Wednesday, a 6-0 Mascenic victory that showed both teams what they’ll need to focus on for the postseason.

Vikings forward Hailey Saari, who scored the opening goal against Conant, said consistent communication is the key.

  • Mascenic’s Silvana Manzi and Conant’s Mabel Bergeron go for the ball during the Viking field hockey team’s 6-0 win over the Orioles in Jaffrey on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Conant head coach Ashley Lingerman talks to her girls during the Mascenic field hockey team’s 6-0 win over the Orioles in Jaffrey on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic head coach Selena Shaw instructs her team during the Viking field hockey team’s 6-0 win over the Orioles in Jaffrey on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Conant’s Mia Lambert and Mascenic’s Iris Traffie pursue the ball during the Viking field hockey team’s 6-0 win over the Orioles in Jaffrey on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Conant’s Sirii Sulin fires the ball during during the Mascenic field hockey team’s 6-0 win over the Orioles in Jaffrey on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Conant’s Reagan Boudreau put this ball in net, but the goal was waved off during the Viking field hockey team’s 6-0 win over the Orioles in Jaffrey on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)

“Our communication, it’ll slow down and then we’ll pick it back up and it’ll slow down,” Saari said. “But it needs to be  a constant thing, and we have been working in that all season. It is kind of a struggle of ours.”

For Brianne Dupuis and the Orioles, it’s a matter of desire. 

“We’ve really just got to get hungry,” Dupuis said. “I feel I feel like we don’t get hungry enough for the ball like we should. So I think getting hungry and getting to the ball and really making it our game. A lot of times we play to other teams, but playing our own game, I think that’s what would help us get further.”

The Vikings scored six times on 25 shots on Wednesday, with Kiahna Farrey and Iris Traffie scoring two goals each and Olivia Klebes adding another to go with Saari’s strike. Mascenic’s Evelynn Shippee made seven saves in goal.

After beating Newport 9-0 in the regular-season finale on Thursday, Mascenic enters the playoffs on an eight-game win streak and a 25-0 goal differential in their past four shutout wins. Last year’s D-III runners-up finished this regular season at 12-1-1, with only a tie against Gilford (14-1-1) and a 2-1 loss to Hopkinton (12-2-0) besmirching their record.

The Vikings will be the No. 2 seed and take the week off before hosting a playoff game on Oct. 26. 

“We’re ready for playoffs,” Saari said. “We have improved incredibly. We all want it with our whole hearts. We really want it. And we have definitely improved everything on the field. We have worked on it and we’re putting it into games, and every single person has improved so much.”

Conant (6-8-0) finished as the ninth seed and awaits the NHIAA bracket release to determine Thursday’s first-round opponent, likely to be a road game.

Amid flowers, chocolate chip cookies and family hugs, senior Orioles Mia Lambert, Nakaya Muhonen and Dupuis soaked up the atmosphere at their final home game. 

“It was very emotional knowing that after all my four years of hard work, this is our last one on this field,” Dupuis said.