The Mascenic field hockey team is back in the NHIAA Division III semifinals after surviving a tough test from Derryfield to open its playoff run on Monday. 

The Vikings finished second in the division and were favored to win over the No. 7 Cougars after beating them 4-0 in the regular season. But as head coach Selena Shaw and her seasoned team know, once you’re in the postseason, it’s a whole new ballgame.

“We came in with confidence that we were going to win this game,” Shaw said after Mascenic’s 3-1 victory. “But playoff hockey is playoff hockey, so we knew that it was going to be a battle. We knew that they were going to bring their very best. And they did.”

  • Mascenic’s Reese Alix gets a high ball during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Kiahna Farrey and keeper Evelynn Shippee defend the goal from a shot by Derryfield’s Rosie Blake during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Mallee Aho and Derryfield’s Katherine Stan go for the ball during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Eleanor Haavisto goes for the ball during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Evelynn Shippee locks in during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic celebrates a Reese Alix goal during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Reese Alix celebrates her goal during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Reese Alix shoots and scores during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Reese Alix and Derryfield’s Titi Latinwo go for the ball during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)
  • Mascenic’s Kiahna Farrey and Derryfield’s Juliana Cataldo go for the ball during the Viking field hockey team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Cougars in the quarterfinal round of the NHIAA DIvision III tournament in New Ipswich on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. BEN CONANT / For the Ledger-Transcript)

Mascenic (13-1-1) had five different players with 10 or more goals this season, an unusual distribution that goes to show the Vikings’ unselfish teamwork. One of those double-digit goal scorers is freshman Reese Alix, who has gone from a new starter in a new role to one of Mascenic’s best all-around players.

And it was Alix who opened the scoring for the Vikings, putting one in off a Madi Farrey pass in the second quarter and tipping another in in the third. 

“I’m very impressed with Reese,” Shaw said. “Her coachability and the way that she just fits in with the team, the ball movement. She just understands the game of hockey, so it’s not just that she knows how to score — she also knows how to be part of a team and how to pass a ball and how to get it back.”

The Vikings were up two and in control in the fourth period when Derryfield’s Titi Latinwo knocked one in past Mascenic goalkeeper Evelynn Shippee off a corner. The Cougars (9-5-1) had new life breathed into them, but it was only another two minutes before Mallee Aho took out their air with an insurance goal to seal the deal. 

“I really trust my team,” Shippee said. “I think that all around we are a very competitive team, and I know that we’re not just going to be let down like that. So if there is a goal, I know that they are going to fight their hardest to get it back.”

The Vikings’ quest to return to the finals now moves on to Thursday night’s semifinal contest against No. 3 Kearsarge at Exeter High; Mascenic did not face these particular Cougars during the regular season.

After last fall’s wild playoff run that included multiple overtime games, the Vikings are hoping to take care of business as the No. 2 seed while No. 1 Gilford and No. 4 Hopkinton punch each other out in the other semifinal game. A tie with Gilford and a loss to Hopkinton were the only two games the Vikings didn’t win this year. 

“Last year, I felt like the end of our season was super competitive and we went in with overtime games coming into it,” Shaw said. “Our quarterfinal game was in overtime. The semifinal went to overtime. And so I just felt like it was a lot more hectic feeling.

“This time, it feels more composed. I feel like we’ve matured, like we’re ready to go in there and dominate, whereas the last time it felt like, ‘Oh man, let’s just get it done.’ So much more planned out this year and much more confident.”