The holiday tournaments are the first time we get to see who is truly for real in New England boys prep hockey. The fun begins this Thursday and runs through Sunday.
But we must take stock of the best teams in the region before the tournaments get underway.
The top two squads remained the same from last week. They've been rolling.
After that? The deck was reshuffled quite a bit, which wasn't the case last week. Spots 9 and 10 changed again, with two new teams entering the fray.
Before the madness of the holiday tournaments begins, let's dive into the latest top 10.
1. Kimball Union (8-0-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: vs. St. Paul's, Dec. 15, 6 p.m.Â
The Wildcats continued to roll this week, beating Proctor, 9-4, and Brewster, 12-1. Senior forward Jackson Davies (Meriden, N.H.) tallied two goals to beat Proctor, while seniors Jackson Kimelman and Josh Phillips, as well as junior Alexis Gagne all posted four points each against Proctor. Junior forward Conal Mulkerrin (Hingham, Mass.) posted two goals and an assist to beat Proctor. KUA has a big week with a very good St. Paul's team on Monday and then the Flood-Marr Tournament.
2. St. Mark's (6-0-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Carl Corazzini
Next game: vs. Kents Hill, Dec. 19, 5 p.m.Â
Just like Kimball Union, St. Mark's steamrolled opponents this last week. It started with a 10-3 win at Worcester Academy before taking down BB&N, 10-0, and Brooks, 8-1. Uncommitted senior forward Evan Nee (Arlington, Mass.) had a hat trick to beat Worcester Academy. He tallied two more goals and an assist against BB&N. He scored two more goals to beat Brooks. Corazzini notched his 200th win on Saturday against Brooks. St. Mark's enters the Barber Tournament as the heavy favorite.
3. Dexter Southfield (5-1-1)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Danny Donato
Next game: vs. Portsmouth Abbey, Dec. 19, 11:45 a.m.Â
After a rough showing at the Exeter Invitational, Dexter rebounded nicely with an 8-3 win over Phillips Exeter and a pair of wins at Northwood Prep. Northeastern commit Owen McHale (Charlestown, Mass.) posted a hat trick and senior forward Jack Fitzpatrick (Canton, Mass.) had a three-point night to beat Phillips Exeter. Senior Jake Assad (Franklin, Mass.) had a goal and a helper to beat Northwood, 5-3, in the first game. Dexter took down Northwood on Sunday, 3-1.
READ MORE:Â Top boys prep performers from the first week of the season
4. Avon Old Farms (5-0-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Mark Naclerio
Next game: vs. Kent, Dec. 18, 5 p.m.Â
The Winged Beavers moved back into the No. 4 spot after a statement week. They beat Taft, 5-2, on Wednesday, and then took down Trinity-Pawling, 6-4, and Deerfield, 6-1, this weekend. Sophomore forward Ethan Gingeleskie had a huge week. After assisting on a goal against Taft, the West Hartford, Conn., native posted two points against Trinity-Pawling and tallied a hat trick against Deerfield. Senior forward Liam Donnelly also had a big week, putting up six points across the three games.
Good performances in the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic would be a huge boost for Naclerio's team entering the Christmas break.
5. Salisbury (4-0-0)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Canterbury, Dec. 17, 2:30 p.m.Â
The Crimson Knights (and Brunswick) should probably move up more, but the top four teams are pretty rigid. Will's team took down Millbrook, 5-2, on Monday and then got a big win over then-No. 3 Kent, 5-3, on Saturday. In the win over Kent, senior forward Luke Walkauskas had two goals and an assist, junior forward Greyson Espenshade had a goal and two assists, and junior forward Landon Klein had three helpers. It's a big week for Salisbury, with No. 10 Canterbury on Wednesday and then the Flood-Marr this weekend.
6. Brunswick (4-2-0)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: vs. Rivers, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.Â
Like I just said, Brunswick should probably have moved up a bit more, but oh well — one spot is still great. The Bruins took down then-No. 3 Kent and Westminster with 5-2 final scores. Senior forward Ben Taylor (Greenwich, Conn.) had two goals and an assist, while senior forward Keegan Kazan (Wilton, Conn.) had three helpers to beat Kent. Against Westminster, senior forward Ben Lombardi (Cos Cob, Conn.) broke out with two goals and three points and Princeton commit Hampus Vandenberg (Riverside, Conn.) had a goal and two assists to take down Westminster.
7. Kent (4-2-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Dale Reinhardt
Next game: vs. Avon Old Farms, Dec. 18, 5 p.m.Â
The Lions had a tough week. While they beat Frederick Gunn, 4-1, they fell to then-No. 7 Brunswick and then-No. 6 Salisbury. Kent still has such a strong top line and stout, shutdown defenders, so I don't see Reinhardt's team falling out of the top 10. That said, a strong performance at the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic this week will be huge.
READ MORE:Â The oral history of the glory days of Matignon hockey
8. Cushing (3-2-0)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Dan Fontas
Next game: at Lawrence Academy, Dec. 18, 8 p.m.Â
The Penguins had a get-right week, beating Williston Northampton, 2-1, on Wednesday before taking down The Hill School, 4-1, on Saturday. Senior forward Jeff Swartz factored into both goals in the win over Williston, scoring one and assisting on the other. Maine commit Joe Covelluzzi (Wakefield, Mass.) posted the same stat line in the win on Saturday.
9. Holderness (5-0-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: vs. Pomfret, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m.Â
While many teams on the outside of the top 10 have been up and down, Holderness has taken care of business. This week, the Bulls beat Brewster Academy (7-0), Tilton (4-1) and Vermont Academy (6-1). Senior forward Viktor Samal has led the way with four goals and nine points in his team's first five games. This past week, senior goalie Mark Bierwirth (Chelmsford, Mass.) stopped 40 of 41 shots between the wins over Brewster and Tilton, while junior goalie Vincent Vitale made 21 stops to beat Vermont Academy.
READ MORE: Full schedules, results for holiday tournaments
10. Canterbury (4-0-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Paddy McCarthy
Next game: vs. Salisbury, Dec. 17, 2:30 p.m.Â
This may seem like an off-the-board pick for No. 10, and I wouldn't disagree. While there might be better teams on paper who are in the hunt, Canterbury's been getting the job done consistently. The Saints opened their season on Dec. 3 with a 6-1 win over Millbrook and a 3-2 victory against Hotchkiss on Dec. 6. This past week, Canterbury got a huge win over then-No. 9 Berkshire, 3-2, before beating Loomis Chaffee, 7-3.
Senior goalie Cody Hew was big in both wins, making 30 stops to beat Berkshire and 29 to take down Loomis. Canterbury was also fortunate to get a four-point game from senior Seamus McMakin against Loomis.
Dropped out:Â Berkshire (5-2-0; 9); Belmont Hill (3-1-0; 10)
In the hunt:Â Berkshire, Belmont Hill, Pomfret, Choate, St. Paul's, Thayer, Deerfield
