For the first time since the East Bay girls' high school hockey collaborative began some 14 seasons ago, a city player skated with the Eagles this past winter.

And East Providence High School's Sydney Olson not only was a participant, the freshmen led the local contingent in scoring as East Bay wound up with a 4-10-0-0 record and in sixth place in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League's girls' division.

The finish was good enough for the Eagles to qualify for the playoffs, but their stay in the postseason was a brief one. East Bay lost its best-of-three, quarterfinal round series of the league championship tournament in two games to third-seeded and eventual state runner-up LaSalle by the scores of 9-0 and 7-0.

"The season as a whole was a positive one. As a coaching staff we could not have asked for the girls to show more effort or enthusiasm to learn to the game and give their best effort every practice or game no matter the circumstances," said East Bay head coach Brie Rondeau, who is assisted by Matt Rondeau.

East Bay originally began as a collaborative between the girls' hockey programs at Barrington High School and Mt. Hope (Bristol-Warren) in time for the 2010-11 season. Players from Portsmouth joined the next winter.

As for Olson, the precocious forward posted team-bests in goals, 11, and total points, 16, to pace the Eagles. Olson had five assists. Mt. Hope senior forward Arden Wilkes netted 10 goal and five helpers for 15 points. Portsmouth junior forward Margaux Boneu led the Eagles with 10 assists while adding four goals for 14 points. Another city-based player, Providence Country Day sophomore forward Charlotte Pudloski, chipped in two goals and two assists for four points.

"Sydney made sure she was always in the best positions possible to help her teammates and was always ready to play in any situation we asked of her," Rondeau said of Olson. "We expect her to continue to progress in that role in the upcoming years and to continue to improve."

Olson and Pudloski were the only solo representatives of their schools on the club. Wilkes was one of three Mt. Hope players on the team with members from Portsmouth and seven from Barrington.

First-place and undefeated Smithfield went on to win the 2023-24 state championship with a 3-2 victory over LaSalle in the final game played Sunday, March 17, at Providence College's Schneider Arena.

The Sentinels finished with a 15-0-0-1 combined league mark, including their victory over the Rams for the title. Smithfied shut out fourth-seeded Cumberland 4-0 in the semifinals.

LaSalle edged second-seeded South Kingstown 3-2 in its semifinal game. Cumberland also won its quarter series in a two-game sweep of fifth-seeded Burrillville, 2-0 and 2-1.