No matter the year, the Flood-Marr Tournament can always be counted on to deliver. The historic showcase always has great teams, top prospects and riveting action.
This season’s Flood-Marr is the 57th annual. For a great history lesson and tribute to the Flood-Marr, check out this New England Hockey Journal TV episode that does a deep dive into the event.
Games begin Friday, Dec. 16 and roll through Sunday, Dec. 18, with games played at both Nobles and Milton Academy. The two hosts were in last year’s championship, with Nobles emerging as the winner.
There are two divisions of four teams each.
Harding Division
- Deerfield
- Milton Academy
- Phillips Andover
- Salisbury
Owen Division
- Hotchkiss
- Kimball Union
- Nobles
- Westminster
Here’s the full schedule:
Friday, Dec. 16 (at Nobles)Â
- 9 a.m. - Nobles vs. Hotchkiss
- 11 a.m. - Kimball Union vs. Westminster
- 1 p.m. - Deerfield vs. Milton
- 3 p.m. - Andover vs. Salisbury
- 5 p.m. - Nobles vs. Kimball Union
- 7 p.m. - Hotchkiss vs. Westminster
Saturday, Dec. 17 (at Milton)Â
- 9 a.m. - Milton vs. Andover
- 11 a.m. - Salisbury vs. Deerfield
- 1 p.m. - Westminster vs. Nobles
- 3 p.m. - Hotchkiss vs. Kimball Union
- 5 p.m. - Milton vs. Salisbury
- 7 p.m. - Andover vs. Deerfield
Sunday, Dec. 18 (at Nobles)Â
- 8 a.m. - Seventh-place game
- 10 a.m. - Fifth-place game
- 12 p.m. - Third-place game
- 2 p.m. - Championship game
Now that we know the schedule, here’s a full breakdown of every team competing in the Flood-Marr.
Deerfield
Deerfield kicked its season off with three straight wins over Groton, Northfield Mount Hermon and Choate, outscoring the opposition 12-4. Most recently, Deerfield fell to Avon Old Farms, 6-3.
Junior forward Tom Molson scored two goals in his team’s first game and hasn’t looked back, leading the team in both goals (5) and points (8). Tied with Molson in points is postgrad forward Nate Heithoff, who has four goals and four assists in four games. Junior forward Jakub Kohn has been key up front as well, notching three goals in four games.
On defense, junior Ben Cook (Concord, Mass.) leads the way with a goal and four points. Postgrad defenseman Connor Barrett (Warwick, R.I.) and senior defenseman Will Richards (Stamford, Conn.) both have a goal each.
Video: Behind the scenes at the Flood-Marr TournamentÂ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj1QRJ4GpoY
Junior goalie John Tolve has owned the net, playing every game and posting a 2.50 goals against average with a .909 save percentage. He’s stopped 100 of the 110 shots sent his way.
Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss has only played in three games, going 1-2-0. The lone win came against Canterbury, while the two losses came against Salisbury and Frederick Gunn — two very good teams.
Junior forward Brennan Cail (Chesire, Conn.) leads the team in points with four. Senior forward Zach Bye (Greenwich, Conn.) is also averaging a point per game. Senior forwards Shayne Bjorn and Brendan Bullock and junior forward Jake Owens all have two goals each.
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Hotchkiss has 10 goals. It’s gotten some solid contributions from defensemen, as junior James Mackey has a goal and an assist, while senior blueliners Adam Marcink and Michael Gallary have an assist each.
The net has been split between senior Grant Kloeber and sophomore Connor Towle (Fairfield, Conn.).
Kimball Union
While Kimball Union opened its season with two straight losses to Northwood Junior and Stanstead College, the Wildcats enter the Flood-Marr on a five-game win streak. Those victories came against The Hill School, Rivers, Kent, St. Paul’s and Brewster Academy.
Senior forward Jackson Kyrkostas has proven why he’s an RPI commit. The Windham, N.H., native has six goals and 11 points in seven games. Junior Kyle Murray-Smith (South Stafford, Vt.) has also been a top contributor, potting four goals and eight points.
Forwards Sam LeDrew, AJ Noel (Maynard, Mass.), Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) and Mike Sullo are all averaging a point per game or more.
Kimball Union has enjoyed quite a bit of production from the back end. Junior Jack McMinn has a goal and four assists. Junior Luke Clarner (East Burke, Vt.) has four helpers. Defensemen Andrew O’Sullivan and Tom Valentin-Lagarde both have a goal and two assists. Senior defender Matej Svoboda has a goal.
Head coach Tim Whitehead has Vermont commit Dan Heroux in net. Heroux has a 2.60 GAA and .917 save percentage in 249 minutes of work. But, Whitehead has given junior Colby Boyce two starts and he’s won both of them.
Milton Academy
The Mustangs have had a great start, going 3-1-0 with wins over St. Mark’s, St. Sebastian’s and Governor’s Academy. The lone loss came to Lawrence Academy.
Head coach Paul Cannata has gotten lots of scoring from his senior class. Leading the way is Mikka Kelechian with three goals and seven points. Brendan Maher has three goals and five points, while Jacob Pohl has two goals and two assists.
Senior defender Mason Chen already topped his offensive output from last season (four points in 20 games). The Toronto native has two goals and three assists in four contests. Also helpful on the back end has been Jackson Faughnan, Chris Amodeo and Dylan Hunt (Marlborough, Mass.).
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Cannata has split the net between senior Harrison Brown and sophomore Sam Caulfield, but the younger netminder has better numbers. Caulfield has a 1.50 GAA and .957 save percentage.
Milton lost to Nobles, 2-1, in last year’s Flood-Marr final. Speaking of last year’s champs…
Nobles
Nobles enters this year’s dance without a loss, as it’s taken down Pomfret, Belmont Hill and Dexter Southfield. It tied Tabor, 4-4, on Dec. 7.
Head coach Brian Day has enjoyed scoring from all over the lineup, as nine different players are averaging over a point per game. Sophomore Ted MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) has been terrific so far, posting three goals and six points in four games. Forwards Liam McCarthy (West Barnstable, Mass.), Austin Tasca (Hope, R.I.) and Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) are right behind MacAusland with five points each.
On defense, senior Matt Tully (Foxborough, Mass.) has two goals and four points, while senior Will Brophy (Worcester, Mass.) has four assists. Defensemen Brian Grant (Mansfield, Mass.) and Tuck Gilbane (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) both have a goal and an assist each. Lou Munger (Dedham, Mass.) and Jack Hartwell (Cohasset, Mass.) have both been contributing members of the back end.
It’s been business as usual for Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.) in net. Last year’s Flood-Marr MVP has stopped 60 of the 63 shots sent his way in the two-and-a-half games he’s played.
Phillips Andover
Phillips Andover enters the tournament at 3-3-0 with wins against Thayer, Brewster Academy and Groton. The losses came to Albany Academy, Tabor and New Hampton in overtime.
While the scoring numbers haven’t been as flashy as some of the other teams on this list, head coach Paul Tortorella’s team has enjoyed production from Grayden Robertson-Palmer with six points, and Joey Zheng and David O’Neill with four apiece.
On defense, postgrad Bobby Falvey (Hingham, Mass.) has been important on the back end, notching four assists. Senior defenseman Robert Corkery (Providence, R.I.) has three assists and fellow senior Daniel Rekoske has two goals.
In net, it’s been all about junior Ben Skowronek who has a 1.97 GAA and .946 save percentage in 219 minutes of action. He earned top goalie from an Independent school honors from New England Hockey Journal for his play last week.
Salisbury
Salisbury is a squad colleges and NHL scouts always have circled due to its long history of producing great players for the next levels. This year is no different even though it’s a younger group.
The Crimson Knights enter the tournament at 3-2-0 with wins against Williston Northampton, Millbrook and Hotchkiss. The two losses came against Taft in overtime and Kent.
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For head coach Andrew Will’s team, it’s been the defensemen leading the way offensively. Senior defenseman Quinn McCall has two goals and three assists, while fellow senior defender Alex Zakrzewski has a goal and three helpers.
Up front, one player to watch is '07 Liam Kilfoil, who has four assists in five games. A big stage like this would be the perfect place for the highly-regarded prospect to shine.
Postgrad Matt Alberti has spent the most time in between the pipes. He’s stopped 68 of the 74 pucks sent his way.
Westminster
While Westminster has only played three games, the Martlets have won all of them. Those victories came against Northfield Mount Hermon, Choate and Brunswick in overtime.
The overtime win over Brunswick was particularly thrilling, as junior defenseman Matt Hanscom (Hadley, Mass.) scored a buzzer-beating one-timer to tie the game, 3-3. Junior forward Ryan Shaw (East Longmeadow, Mass.) scored the winner in overtime.
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Shaw leads the team in goals (4) and points (7). Hanscom and fellow junior defender Patrick Dotson have both been vital with their four points apiece. In total, seven different players are averaging at least a point per game.
Junior goalie Matteo De Luca, who was a New England Hockey Journal honorable mention for top goalie in the Housatonic last week, has been terrific so far, sporting a .923 save percentage and 2.30 GAA.
