Tons of great prep hockey action took place last weekend in a plethora of holiday tournaments.
The best part of it all is the movement in these rankings.
Milton Academy's win in the Flood-Marr Tournament catapulted it up the rankings, but a few other teams benefited from great performances in tournaments.
Here are my latest rankings.
1. Avon Old Farms (9-0-0) ​
The Winged Beavers have been flat-out dominant en route to an undefeated start through nine games. The Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic champions have won six of their nine games by three or more goals. John Gardner’s team has outscored its opponents 43-8. Seniors Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.) and Charlie Gollob have been the drivers on the top line while newcomer Stephen Peck has been a brick wall in net.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Avon's win over Loomis Chaffee in the Christmas ClassicÂ
2. Cushing (5-0-3)
The Penguins captured the Groton/Lawrence Christmas Tournament and remained undefeated to start the season. Paul Pearl’s team has gotten dynamic offensive play from its top line of Emerson Marshall (Gloucester, Mass.), Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass.) and Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.). Cooper Rautenstrauch has been solid in net after coming in as a new senior.
3. Salisbury (7-2-1)
The Crimson Knights have traditionally started off slow and ramped up to peak at the right time. This year looks no different. An early season upset loss against Taft and another loss to Kent had some people mumbling. Three dominant wins at the Flood-Marr were only marred by a 1-1 draw against eventual champion Milton. Andrew Will’s team has succeeded with a scoring-by-committee approach. Only '07 sophomore Liam Kilfoil has a point per game.
4. Milton (6-1-1)
The Mustangs captured the Flood-Marr Tournament, thanks in large part to the stellar goaltending of Sam Caulfield (Needham, Mass.). He posted a .981 save percentage in three starts at the Flood-Marr. Seniors Mikka Kelechian and Jacob Pohl and junior Ryan Shea have led the way offensively.
CHAMPS: Standouts from Milton Academy's win over Kimball Union
5. Nobles (6-1-1)
After an unexpected loss to Hotchkiss in a game that Nobles clearly took lightly, Brian Day’s team won the next three, including a 3-2 victory over Kimball Union. It has become clear that the Bulldogs will need to rely on sophomore Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.). He’s the best young goaltender in prep hockey and can be a difference-maker for his team. A trio of sophomores, Teddy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.), Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) and Ethan Cox (Westboro, Mass.) are leading the team in scoring.
6. Kimball Union (7-3-0)
The Wildcats lost twice at the Flood-Marr, but like Salisbury, I expect Tim Whitehead to have his team going in the right direction once back from the holiday break. The only caveat is this is a younger team than usual in Meriden. RPI commit Jackson Kyrkostas (Windham, N.H.) has been the catalyst offensively.
7. Kent (6-4-0)
The Lions were without their top two defensemen for the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic, which made things difficult for Dale Reinhardt’s team. Kent will get better as the season moves along. Junior center Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt.) has been the early season storyline, posting 11 goals in just 10 games. He had college interest heading into the prep campaign, but that is heating up in recent weeks.
8. Frederick Gunn (8-2-0)
Craig Badger’s team started 8-0, but lost the last two games at the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic. If it hadn’t been for those two games, Frederick Gunn would have been higher in these rankings. Frederick Gunn has had plenty of success without a true superstar. The team has gotten production from a lot of different sources. One good story is junior Alex LoGuercio (Monroe, Conn.), who transferred from Phillips Andover. He scored seven points in 26 games last season. He’s already tallied 14 points in just 10 games this season.
9. Brunswick (4-3-0)
The Bruins struggled out of the gate, getting off to a 2-3 start, but went undefeated en route to a championship at the Kevin Mutch Christmas Tournament. Mike Kennedy’s team had some injuries, but will bring a formidable top-six forward grouping to each game when fully healthy. Leading the team in scoring is Harvard commit Drew DellaSalla. Senior goaltender Brendan Holahan gave up just four goals in three starts in the tournament, including a 27-save shutout against St. Sebastian’s in the final.
TAKEAWAYS: Brunswick's journey to winning the Kevin Mutch Christmas Tournament
10. Belmont Hill (4-2-1)
The Sextants have had their ups and downs this season, as they’ve had to deal with some significant losses to graduation and early departures to the NTDP and USHL. Freshman JJ Thibodeau (Waltham, Mass.) has given up just eight goals in five games. Up front, Jake McManus (Winthrop, Mass.) and Dane Carter (Concord, Mass.) are tied for the team lead in scoring.
11. Tilton (9-1-0)
After a season-opening loss to Stanstead College, the Rams have rattled off nine consecutive wins. Their last was a 4-2 triumph over Lakes Region rival New Hampton that propelled the Rams to a championship at the Brooks/Pingree Christmas Tournament. Brooks McQuade’s roster has been boosted by the addition of a handful of experienced players out of the MIAA, including forwards Braden O’Hara (Xaverian), Danny Storella (Stoneham) and Joey O’Brien (Wakefield).
COACHES POLL: Check out how the coaches rank the teams in prep hockey
12. Dexter Southfield (4-3-1)
Danny Donato’s team lost to Cushing in the final of the Groton/Lawrence Holiday Hockey Tournament. There’s no shame in that, but Dexter Southfield has struggled with its lack of depth. Most of the team’s scoring has come from a trio of forwards, Cullen Emery (Reading, Mass.), Connor Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.) and Nate Porter (Hingham, Mass.).
