The prep school hockey schedule ramped up in a big way in New England over the past week, but this season’s 11th edition of the New England Hockey Journal Coaches Poll actually saw a tight race at the top.Â
The top seven teams from last week’s poll remained, but two other teams jumped back into the rankings after being absent in recent weeks.
Salisbury and Avon Old Farms continued their battle for No. 1 as both extended winning streaks. This week, Avon is just one point back of top spot, and actually got more first-place votes.
And, showing it's not a two-team race, Lawrence actually got more first-place votes than either Salisbury or Avon.
Seven teams outside of the top 10 also received votes from at least one coach. (Teams receive 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, eight for a third-place vote, etc.)
The NEHJ Prep School Coaches Poll is released every Tuesday during the season on staging.hockeyjournal.com. Please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in participating in our polls throughout the winter.
1. Salisbury (16-2-1)
108 points - 3 first-place votes
Last week: 1st
The Crimson Knights ran their winning streak to four games after defeating Taft, 2-1, and Loomis Chaffee, 4-1. Matthew DeBoer and Cole Vallese scored goals while Max Donoso stopped 18 of the 19 shots against the Rhinos. In the Loomis game, DeBoer, Samuel Deckhut, Lucas Mercuri and Jarod Crespo all registered multiple points and Nicholas Haas made 28 stops.
2. Avon Old Farms (19-2)
107 points - 4 first-place votes
Last week: 2nd
Avon also swept a pair of games this past week to remain right near the top of the New England rankings, toppling Gunnery, 9-0, and Deerfield, 5-2. J.P. Turner (East Falmouth, Mass.) scored two goals while seven other teammates found the goal column against Gunnery.
Turner added another goal in the Deerfield game, but the multipoint scorers were Tabor Heaslip and Drew Tsakounis who netted a goal and an assist each. Connor Callaghan earned both wins, including his fifth shutout of the season with 19 saves against Gunnery.
3. Lawrence (18-2-1)
99 points - 5 first-place votes
Last week: 3rd
The Spartans are coming off a week in which they skated to a 2-2 tie with Thayer and earned one-goal victories over St. Sebastian’s, 3-2, and St. Paul’s, 4-3 in overtime. Ryan Meagher and Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.) lit the lamp in support of Tomas Pientka’s 38-save performance against Thayer.
Duran beat Sebs with a third-period goal two days later after James Broderick (Wellesley, Mass.) and David Sacco (Middleton, Mass.) found the net in the second frame. Broderick (1-1-2) and John Riggins (0-2-2) both had multipoint games against St. Paul’s, with both assisting on Meagher’s overtime winner. Pientka made 32 and 30 stops, respectively, in the wins.
4. Dexter Southfield (19-4)
87 points
Last week: 4th
Dexter Southfield slipped in its lone game of the week, a 7-4 loss at New Hampton. Despite the loss, it was a strong offensive day for several players as John McElaney (Walpole, Mass.) logged a goal and two assists, Matt Copponi (Mansfield, Mass.) scored twice and Connor Blanchard (Waltham, Mass.) also found the back of the net.
5. Kimball Union (21-5-1)
62 points
Last week: 5th
The Wildcats were busy over the last seven days, defeating Andover, 7-0, Holderness, 5-1, and Vermont Academy, 10-1, and losing to New Hampton, 6-3. Fifteen players recorded points during the grueling stretch, with Sullivan Mack and Tomas Mazura finding the scoresheet for multiple points in all four games.
Mack totaled 10 points, including a hat trick against New Hampton, and two goals against Andover, and Mazura did him one point better on one goal and 10 assists. Zach Whitehead (Meriden, N.H.) scored goals in three games and added a pair of helpers, while Adam Fantilli, Bryce Bollman, Grant Eastwood and Paul Dore each scored two goals. Zak Brice started all three KUA victories, posting a 16-save shutout against Andover and 25 stops to defeat Holderness.
50 points
Last week: 6th
Four was the magic number for the Bearcats this week as they scored four goals in each of their victories against Westminster, 4-1, Taft, 4-1, and Loomis Chaffee, 4-0. Jeremy Abraham led the way with a pair of goals against Westy, while Brian Haywood (Shelton, Conn.) and Jon Horn (Southbury, Conn.) logged two helpers each.
Against Taft, Karsen Dorwart scored a goal and added two assists, and Gavin Puskar (Lakeville, Conn.) finished a two-goal game in the third period. Henry Wilder (Needham, Mass.) won all three games, finishing the week with a 32-save shutout during which Dorwart and Bodie Molnar each scored twice and Puskar had three assists.
39 points
Last week: 7th
The Bulldogs earned their fourth straight road victory with a 3-2 overtime win at Governor’s before their streak was snapped by a 6-2 loss to Milton. Against Govs, Casey Severo and Jack Cronin (Hamilton, Mass.) each logged a goal and an assist before Robert Lapsley (Needham, Mass.) scored the winner in overtime. Marc Smith (Hanover, Mass.) made 40 saves in the overtime victory. Severo and David Jacobs (Needham, Mass.) each contributed a goal and an assist during the Milton game.
8. Brunswick (15-6-2)
22 points
Last week: 9th
The Bruins split their two decisions last week, defeating Gunnery, 5-2, before losing to Berkshire, 5-3. Matthew McGroarty (Westport, Conn.) led the Brunswick offense with a goal and two assists while Connor Welsh (Greenwich, Conn.) posted the reverse line and was also one of three goal scorers in the Berkshire game. Alexander Rohlf started both games, making 28 saves in the victory.
9. Cushing (17-6-3)
21 points
Last week: Not ranked
Cushing's five-game winning streak vaults them into the rankings this week. Their two latest victories came against St. Mark’s, 5-3, and Canterbury, 3-0. C.J. Zezima (New Canaan, Conn.) capped off a four-goal run with the game-winning tally against St. Mark’s, finishing the game as one of five goal scorers. Robbie Barletta (Walpole, Mass.) had two assists in that game before he, Connor Wood (St. Albans, Vt.) and Jackson Dorrington (North Reading, Mass.) scored in the team’s first shutout of the season. Jackson Irving (Newbury, Mass.) earned both victories, including a 14-save shutout against Canterbury.
10. St. Sebastian's (15-6-1)
14 points
Last week: Not ranked
The Arrows jumped back into the ranks after winning two of their last three games. After shutting out archrival Belmont Hill, 4-0, they lost 3-2 to Lawrence and bounced back to beat Hoosac, 10-2. Timmy Delay (Hingham, Mass.) and Nolan Joyce (Dedham, Mass.) scored a goal and an assist each against Belmont Hill as Luke Garrity (Duxbury, Mass.) pitched an 18-save shutout.
Joyce and Jayden Grier (Needham, Mass.) each scored in the loss to Lawrence.
Liam Connors (Westborough, Mass.) and Cam Collins (Raynham, Mass.) were both multi-goal scorers against Hoosac, and Connors added a pair of assists as well. Brendan Gorman (Arlington, Mass.) notched three points on a goal and two assists.
Others receiving votes: New Hampton, Berkshire, St. Mark’s, Millbrook, Groton, Thayer, Loomis Chaffee.
