The end of the New England boys prep hockey season usually features a few twists and turns. But this season feels different.
Take last week as an example.
Kimball Union lost twice. So did Berkshire and Avon Old Farms. All three have been top-10 mainstays. On the other side, Holderness responded to a KUA loss on Feb. 7 by beating Tilton and then trouncing the Wildcats this past week.
Cushing looked like a safe bet for the Small School Tournament early last week. Come this past weekend, the Penguins sit in the No. 7 spot if the Elite 8 were to begin today, according to USHR.
Let's dive into the latest rankings.
1. Dexter Southfield (18-2-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Danny Donato
Next game: at St. Paul's, Feb. 19, 4:30 p.m.Â
Sure, Dexter Southfield tied Portsmouth Abbey, 2-2, on Saturday. Is that enough to knock Dexter from the No. 1 spot? Absolutely not. Donato's team took down New Hampton, 4-2, the game before. There isn't a clear, runaway candidate for Defenseman of the Year in prep, but Dexter sophomore Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.) has a legitimate case. His two goals and one assist over the last week advanced his point total to 29, which ranks him sixth in New England.
2. Deerfield (16-4-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Tim McVaugh
Next game: at Taft, Feb. 19, 4:45 p.m.Â
Deerfield continued to flex its biceps this past week, scoring a 3-1 win at Loomis Chaffee and then a 3-0 victory at then-No. 9 Avon Old Farms. Junior goalie Elliot Lennon has quietly been having an outstanding season with 25 saves against Loomis Chaffee and a 30-save shutout to beat Avon. Deerfield has won eight straight games and looks like a sure thing for a top seed in the Elite 8.
3. St. Mark's (18-3-2)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Carl Corazzini
Next game: vs. Rivers, Feb. 19, 4 p.m.Â
The Lions fell one spot after losing to Cushing, 3-1, on Friday. However, a 10-2 win at Brooks and a 3-2 win at Middlesex bookended the loss. Sophomore forward Caiden Pellegrino (Uxbridge, Mass.) continued a great first season in prep with two goals and four points against Brooks before assisting on his team's one goal at Cushing. He's tied for second on St. Mark's in points with 29. The Lions have a big matchup with Rivers this Wednesday.
COACHING NEWS: Nobles boys coach Brian Day to retire at end of the season
4. Brunswick (21-7-2)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: at Salisbury, Feb. 19, 5 p.m.Â
While Brunswick lost to Cushing, 5-0, on Wednesday, the Bruins rebounded well with a 9-4 win over Frederick Gunn and a 3-2 victory against then-No. 7 Berkshire. Harvard commit and junior forward Joe Salandra continued his torrid season with two goals and five points against Frederick Gunn. He even notched his team's first goal against Berkshire, bringing his season point total to 61 — good for best in the region.
5. Salisbury (17-5-3)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Westminster, Feb. 17, 4 p.m.Â
Salisbury stayed firmly in the middle of the top 10 after beating Taft, 4-3, and getting a 6-3 victory over Loomis Chaffee. Senior forward Oliver Morris seems to be getting hot at the perfect time, as he scored a goal and assisted on two in the win against Taft. He followed that up with two more assists against Loomis Chaffee. After facing Westminster Monday, Salisbury has a chance to shoot up the top 10 even more with matchups against Brunswick and Avon Old Farms.
6. Cushing (16-7-2)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Ryan Bourque
Next game: vs. Phillips Andover, Feb. 19, 5 p.m.Â
What a way to get back into the top 10. The Penguins were unstoppable last week, getting a 5-0 win over No. 4 Brunswick, a 3-1 victory against then-No. 2 St. Mark's and a 3-2 win at Canterbury. Senior goalie Zach White, who has been in while junior Maxsim Corovic has been out due to illness, was sensational. He made 20 saves to shut the door on Brunswick before turning away 31 shots against St. Mark's. He completed his week with 28 saves against Canterbury.
BEST OF THE BEST: Top boys prep performers from Feb. 5-11
7. Rivers (17-5-1)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Freddy Meyer
Next game: at St. Mark's, Feb. 19, 4 p.m.Â
Due to the turmoil in spots 6-10, Rivers moved up to No. 7. The Red Wings got a big, 6-3 win over St. George's and followed that up with a 6-3 victory at Roxbury Latin. Don't sleep on junior forward and Merrimack commit Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.). He tallied an incredible six (yes, six) assists against the Dragons before posting a goal and two more helpers to beat Roxbury Latin. If Rivers can pull off the upset of St. Mark's this Wednesday, it will greatly help its chances of making the Elite 8.
8. Belmont Hill (19-4-3)
Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Brian Phinney
Next game: at Milton, Feb. 19, 5:15 p.m.Â
The Sextants took care of business in all three of their games this past week, beating St. Sebastian's, 5-1, Thayer, 3-1, and BB&N, 6-0. While the Sextants would be the No. 8 seed in the Elite 8 if the tournament started today, they bump up to No. 5 for the projected final tournament. The biggest game left on Phinney's team's schedule is Nobles on Feb. 21. They also can't let matchups with Milton, Tabor and Westminster be trap games.
9. Nobles (15-6-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Brian Day
Next game: at BB&N. Feb. 19, 5:15 p.m.Â
The Bulldogs got two big ISL wins over the last week, beating Governor's Academy, 3-0, and Milton Academy, 4-3. Freshman goalie Justin Lee (Newton, Mass.), an '09, has settled in nicely to Nobles' crease. He earned a 30-save shutout against Governor's Academy and made 18 more stops against Milton. Senior forward and Yale commit Kyle O'Leary (Medfield, Mass.) continued his outstanding season with two goals against Milton and another against Governor's.
RECRUITING: 10 takeaways from college hockey recruiting over the past few months
10. Holderness (17-4-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: at Winchendon, Feb. 19, 3:30 p.m.
Full props to Holderness. As I mentioned above, the Bulls lost to Kimball Union, 5-2, on Feb. 7. Thompson's team answered that by beating Tilton, 5-2, and then taking down KUA, 7-2. Postgrad Connor Dozois (Grafton, Mass.) and senior Tanner Petalas (Brentwood, N.H.) both came up huge in the win over Kimball Union as they each notched three points. While Holderness isn't currently in the Elite 8, the Bulls are projected to be the No. 6 seed.
DROPPED OUT:Â Kimball Union (21-7-2; 6); Berkshire (18-6-0; 7); Avon Old Farms (13-7-0; 9)
IN THE HUNT:Â Kimball Union, Berkshire, Phillips Andover, Avon Old Farms, Governor's Academy, Tilton
