That fall, Mary started her junior year at Nobles after attending Acton-Boxborough in her freshman and sophomore years. Elizabeth graduated from A-B and headed to Harvard. The family moved to Milton last year.
Next fall, the pair will be reunited on the ice as teammates, when Mary joins Elizabeth on the women’s hockey team at Harvard.
“I’m so excited about Harvard,’’ said Mary. “I still know it will be a big step, but I think Nobles prepares all the students really well to make that jump into college, both academically and athletically.’’
Elizabeth, a sophomore forward who has netted five goals for the 12-6-1 Crimson this season, said: “I’m really excited she’s coming here. We play so well together. We always know where each other is on the ice. I love playing with her.’’
The two, notes their older sister, Julianne, have been best friends since they were little.
“They were definitely close before they started playing hockey, even when they were little,’’ said Julianne, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania who plays club hockey.
“Elizabeth was always protective of Mary. They’re only two years apart, but Elizabeth was like a mom figure to Mary.
“They always did everything together. I think hockey just coincided with them [being so close]. Growing up, everyone thought they were twins because they were so close.’’
Their bond, already strong, matured on the ice, and through their dedication, they developed into talented players, earning invites to national development camps.
“We’ve always trained together,’’ said Mary. “[We always] have healthy competition against each other, [we’re] always trying to make each other better, and always try to have fun doing it.’’
The national development camps “have helped my game enormously,’’ said Mary.
