If the cliche, “Practice makes perfect,” retains even a bit of truth, foes of Concord High’s girls ice hockey beware.

When CHS took the ice on Tuesday, Jan. 8, it marked the Crimson Tide’s first practice session in roughly one month, said coach Tom Ackerson, who acknowledged persistent snows and consistent scheduling conflicts as roadblocks to the usual Tuesday and Thursday practices at St. Paul’s School.

Yet the Concord girls are 3-1- 0 heading into a matchup with another strong Division I crew – St. Thomas Aquinas of Dover – on Saturday, Jan. 12, at Everett Arena in Concord.

“Their effort,” said Ackerson, “has been awesome, but they don’t have the experience yet.”

Still, Concord produced a 3-1 win over a solid Lebanon team in New Hampshire’s first varsity girls ice hockey match, then followed that Dec. 8 victory with an 8-0 shutout of host Exeter three days later.

The team’s most recent contest, a 5-0 triumph against visiting Bishop Guertin on Jan. 2, showcased the Crimson Tide’s exceptional goaltending and team depth.

Julia Coffin, a senior, turned aside each of the 13 shots she faced in net, and Ackerson said Concord is blessed with a feeder program that should ensure a continued supply of stingy backstops. Meanwhile, five different players scored, and four others earned assists.

Senior Grace Hirshon tallied first, taking a pass from sophomore Melissa Lehtinen 1 minute, 14 seconds into the contest. Senior Erica Simpson extended the lead 5:45 into the second period, depositing a short-handed goal on an assist from sophomore Paige Hansen. Nineteen seconds later, Lehtinen’s short-handed score, assisted by classmate Meridith Foote and junior Hilary Kane, made it 3-0.

Two more tallies in the third – one from sophomore Jackolyn Haydon, off a feed from freshman Brittany Premo, and another from sophomore Ashley Liotti, assisted by Foote – capped the scoring. That’s at least one point from every class – the vast majority from underclassmen.

“I think we can compete (this year),” said Ackerson, who added Hanover, an 8-1 winner over Concord on Dec. 18, has played against and beaten Vermont challengers for years and is clearly the class of New Hampshire’s Division I girls hockey scene. “We want to do well this year, but we’re also looking to set ourselves up for the future.”

Ackerson pointed to those to-date elusive practices as an opportunity to improve in certain areas, including proper positional hockey, consistency and conditioning; though Concord outshot BG in the final period, 11-1, Ackerson said his team suffered too many defensive breakdowns.

“Right now they’re mostly good athletes,” said Ackerson, who expects to witness the program’s transformation from largely a group of fine athletes playing hockey to a group of hockey players who happen to be good athletes.

“Going (to) varsity (status) means so much. It keeps the (middle- school) girls motivated to represent their high school.”