Vermont
40th Rotary All Star Classic features shootout to determine senior game
A shootout to determine a high-scoring girls game highlighted the 40th Rotary All Star Classic featuring the state’s top high school senior hockey players at Essex Skating Facility on Saturday, March 21.
Chittenden Charge’s Hadia Ahmed scored the lone goal in the shootout, leading the Harris girls to a 7-6 victory over the Austin squad. In the nightcap, the Austin boys staked to a 3-0 lead in the second period on their way to a 4-2 triumph over Harris.
Ahmed was named team MVP for the Harris girls. Gabrielle Griffith was selected the MVP for the Austin girls. On the boys side, South Burlington’s Christian Butler and Rice’s Colton Riberia were their team MVPs for Austin and Harris, respectively.
Game details from Saturday’s doubleheader are below. Scroll down below the hockey results for details on the VBCA senior games.
Girls game: Harris 7, Austin 6 (shootout)
Harris: Hadia Ahmed 3G, 2A. Gabbie Fraties 2G, 1A. Gracie Lunt 1G. Grace Raleigh 2A. Jillian Smith 1A. Marley Clark 8 saves, Dahlia Steele 10 saves.
Austin: Gabrielle Griffith 2G, 1A. Alexis Moody 2G. Jackie Henderson 1G. Lillianna Fournier 1G, 1A. Alexis Audsley 1A. Morgan Rivard 1A. Lucia Minadeo 1A. Ella McAllister 15 saves.
Note: Austin took a 4-3 lead into the second period. Fraties and Ahmed had second-period tallies for Harris and Austin’s Moody also scored for a 5-all game entering the third. Harris’ Lunt and Austin’s Henderson traded third-period goals to forge overtime. After a scoreless extra period, Ahmed had the lone goal in the shootout.
Boys game: Austin 4, Harris 2
Austin: Christian Butler 2G, 1A. Eli Herrington 1G, 1A. Garret Carter 1G. Milo Lavit 1A. Gavin Benoit 1A. Brady Jones 1A. Tommy Barnes 8 saves, Alex McCabe 5 saves, Ryan Philbrook 10 saves.
Harris: Colton Ribera 2G. Chais Lyford 1A. Drew Laprade 1A. Ethan Fortin 6 saves, TJ Baron 5 saves, Dominic Palazzo 6 saves.
Note: Butler, Carter and Herrington gave Austin a 3-0 lead into the second period.
North sweeps South at VBCA senior showcase at Windsor
The state’s top boys and girls basketball seniors convened at Windsor High School for the long-running Vermont Basketball Coaches Association all-star event on Saturday, March 21. Among the all-day festivities, the North claimed all four games vs. the South, while year-end awards were handed out, including a lifetime achievement honor for Dave Fredrickson, the VBCA’s former executive director and Mount Anthony boys basketball coach.
The North now leads the all-time series 63-33.
For stats from Saturday’s game courtesy of the Rutland Herald, see below:
D-III/IV girls: North 46, South 42
North: Lynsey Lavely 7 points.
South: Hayley Raiche 10 points. Natalie Perry 7 points. Braylee Phelps 7 points.
D-III-IV boys: North 90, South 83
North: Jack Lafayette 14 points. Nick Mascitti 13 points. Sebastian Eldred 13 points). Tej Stewart 12 points.
South: Jayden Huntoon 14 points. Brody McGaffigan 8 points. Ryker Mosehauer 8 points. Chase Razanouski 8 points.
D-I/II girls: North 76, South 66
North: Zoey McNabb 15 points. Addie Nelson 12 points. Alyssa Small 11 points. Marlie Bushey 10 points.
South: Charlotte Jasmin 18 points. Reese Croutworst 11 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals. Bayleigh Clark 8 points.
D-I/II boys: North 82, South 66
North: Vinny Wagoner 12 points. Byron Robertson, Jr. 11 points. Oli Avdibegovic 11 points. Paul Comba 10 points. Colby Hall 9 points.
South: Noah Jenks 14 points. Ryan Murphy 14 points. Kole Fotion 8 points. Cooke Riney 8 points.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
Vermont
Women’s Lacrosse Bested in Burlington by Vermont – University at Albany Great Danes
Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14
Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.
Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)
Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.
Key Stats
- Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.
- Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.
- Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.
- Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.
- Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.
How It Happened
- The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.
- Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.
- The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.
- Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.
- Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.
- Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.
- The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.
Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.
Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.
Vermont
Vermont lands two cities in America’s top 15 happiest list
Is creativity the missing key to better health?
Research suggests creative activities like art, music and crafts may benefit mental health as much as other key health habits.
Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.
Plus, it has another within the top 15.
Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.
The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.
To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.
Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.
South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11
South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15
Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.
Happiest cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Fremont, California – 74.09
- Bismarck, North Dakota – 73.11
- Scottsdale, Arizona – 71.36
- South Burlington, Vermont – 70.15
- Fargo, North Dakota – 69.36
- Overland Park, Kansas – 68.45
- Charleston, South Carolina – 68.44
- Irvine, California – 67.99
- Gilbert, Arizona – 67.96
- San Jose, California – 67.79
- Burlington, Vermont – 67.54
- Madison, Wisconsin – 66.35
- Columbia, Maryland – 66.28
- Chandler, Arizona – 65.69
- Seattle, Washington – 65.62
- Plano, Texas – 65.34
- San Francisco, California – 64.99
- Lincoln, Nebraska – 64.90
- Portland, Maine – 64.59
- Tempe, Arizona – 64.30
- San Diego, California – 64.30
- Raleigh, North Carolina – 63.47
- Peoria, Arizona – 63.38
- Durham, North Carolina – 62.84
- Huntington Beach, California – 62.80
Least happy cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 least happy cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Detroit, Michigan (#182 overall) – 29.55
- Memphis, Tennessee (#181 overall) – 34.39
- Shreveport, Louisiana (#180 overall) – 34.93
- Cleveland, Ohio (#179 overall) – 36.50
- Huntington, West Virginia (#178 overall) – 37.20
- Toledo, Ohio (#177 overall) – 37.21
- Augusta, Georgia (#176 overall) – 38.24
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (#175 overall) – 38.66
- Dover, Delaware (#174 overall) – 39.08
- Akron, Ohio (#173 overall) – 40.11
- Baltimore, Maryland (#172 overall) – 40.28
- Birmingham, Alabama (#171 overall) – 40.37
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (#170 overall) – 40.47
- Columbus, Georgia (#169 overall) – 40.61
- Montgomery, Alabama (#168 overall) – 41.35
- Gulfport, Mississippi (#167 overall) – 41.65
- Charleston, West Virginia (#166 overall) – 42.18
- Jackson, Mississippi (#165 overall) – 42.60
- St. Louis, Missouri (#164 overall) – 43.53
- Knoxville, Tennessee (#163 overall) – 44.04
- Wilmington, Delaware (#162 overall) – 44.34
- Little Rock, Arkansas (#161 overall) – 44.48
- Mobile, Alabama (#160 overall) – 44.85
- New Orleans, Louisiana (#159 overall) – 45.19
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (#158 overall) – 45.33
Where New England cities ranked
Here are the 12 happiest cities in New England, and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- South Burlington, Vermont (#6 overall) – 70.15
- Burlington, Vermont (#11 overall) – 67.54
- Portland, Maine (#19 overall) – 64.59
- Nashua, New Hampshire (#27 overall) – 62.49
- Manchester, New Hampshire (#51 overall) – 59.10
- Boston, Massachusetts (#63 overall) – 56.88
- Warwick, Rhode Island (#66 overall) – 56.59
- New Haven, Connecticut (#95 overall) – 54.14
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (#96 overall) – 54.01
- Providence, Rhode Island (#98 overall) – 53.52
- Worcester, Massachusetts (#116 overall) – 50.12
- Lewiston, Maine (#145 overall) – 47.28
Vermont
Tornado with winds up to 90mph touches down in Vermont amid storms
A tornado touched down in Vermont Thursday, when a strong storm system moved through the area, the National Weather Service said.
Winds are believed to have hit 90 mph when the tornado churned through Williamstown at about 9:15 p.m., the agency said Friday. That makes it an EF1 tornado on the Fujita Scale, which goes from 0 at the weakest to 5 at the strongest.
Lasting three minutes, the twister traveled for more than four-tenths of a mile, with a maximum width of 100 yards, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary assessment. It damaged a pair of buildings and numerous trees, shearing tree tops. Golf ball-sized hail was also reported in the area.
Severe thunderstorms popped up across the North Country Thursday night, including in central Vermont — Williamstown is south of Montpelier.
The town thanked its road crew, firefighters and locals who spent hours in the wake of the storm cleaning up.
“We appreciate all that you do to keep the town functioning though an emergency situation,” the town said.
People in the area told NBC affiliate WPTZ that the storm was shockingly powerful, and National Weather Service staffer Marlon Verasamy said that while tornadoes in Vermont are rare, they’re even rarer in this part of the state.
“Generally, when we do see tornadoes around the area that they’ve been in Addison County and not here, so it make it really, really unique to get a tornado in this kind of terrain in this part of the state,” Verasamy said.
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