This is my third year of doing weekly New England boys prep hockey rankings. This feels like one of the craziest weeks to rank ever.
The holiday tournaments are always agents of chaos. Naturally, teams drop some games they normally wouldn't.
But this year felt different. St. Sebastian's and Hotchkiss won the Kevin Mutch and Flood-Marr Tournaments, respectively. Choate made it to the Lawrenceville Tournament final. Rivers and Deerfield upset other teams to reach the Kevin Mutch and Flood-Marr Tournament championships, respectively.
There were also teams at those tournaments (and others) that had fantastic showings. For some, it was the opposite.
Wild times.
Let's dive into the top 10.
1. Dexter Southfield (7-1-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Danny Donato
Next game: vs. Thayer, Jan. 2, 11 a.m. (at Cushing)Â
Through the fog of the tournaments this weekend and with Kimball Union falling out of the top spot, Dexter moves back into No. 1. Dexter got two wins at the St. George's Christmas Tournament, taking down Portsmouth Abbey, 6-2, and St. George's, 7-2. Dexter will have to defend the No. 1 spot when it comes out of the Christmas break to take on teams at the Watkins Tournament.
2. St. Mark's (9-0-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Carl Corazzini
Next game: at Berwick, Jan. 9, 5:30 p.m.Â
It was another week of St. Mark's bringing nuclear weapons to knife fights. The Lions torched the competition at the Barber Tournament, taking down Kents Hill, 12-1, then-No. 10 Canterbury, 8-2, and Middlesex, 11-1, in the championship. Five players on the roster are at or well above the two-point-per-game threshold, highlighted by Providence College commit Caiden Pellegrino (Uxbridge, Mass.) with a whopping 11 goals and 29 points in nine games.
READ MORE: Longtime Avon Old Farms head coach John Gardner dead at 73
3. Avon Old Farms (8-1-0)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Mark Naclerio
Next game: at Taft, Jan. 10, 2:30 p.m.Â
The hardest call in the rankings this week was whether to move Avon Old Farms up to No. 1. What kept the Winged Beavers only moving up one spot was a tournament-opening, 2-1 loss to then-No. 7 Kent. The Winged Beavers, however, responded with a huge showing in the rest of the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic with a 3-2 win over Tabor, a 3-1 win against St. Paul's and a 4-1 victory against Frederick Gunn in the championship. Outside of that Kent loss, Avon has done nothing but take care of business.
4. Kimball Union (10-3-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: vs. New Hampton, Jan. 7, 5 p.m.Â
After beating St. Paul's last week and opening the Flood-Marr Tournament with a 2-1 win over Westminster, the Wildcats slid the rest of the tournament. They fell to Hotchkiss, 2-1, in overtime before tying Milton, 2-2, and losing to Phillips Andover, 2-1, in the third-place game on Sunday. Senior forward Josh Phillips and senior goalie Cam Ingram were the all-tournament representatives from Kimball Union.
5. Phillips Andover (6-4-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Paul Tortorella
Next game: at St. George's, Jan. 7, 4 p.m.Â
At first glance, this might seem like a stretch. But Andover had a phenomenal showing at the Flood-Marr. In four games, the Big Blue took down Salisbury (4-2), Kimball Union (2-1) and Nobles (2-1). The lone loss came against Deerfield. Senior goalie Edouard Lord got the nod in all four games, making a statement with 34 saves to beat Salisbury and 36 to take down Kimball Union. Sophomore defenseman Jack O'Dell was the talk of the tournament. More on him later this week.
6. Salisbury (7-1-1)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Cushing, Jan. 14, 4:30 p.m.Â
With Salisbury being in the fifth-place game for the Flood-Marr, it'd be easy to think the Crimson Knights would fall further than just one spot. Even though they lost to Andover and tied Deerfield, 1-1, the Crimson Knights took down then-No. 10 Canterbury before the Flood-Marr, and then beat Nobles and Milton Academy in the tournament. Salisbury's roster is good enough to expect them to be in the Elite 8 at the end. Its record is, too.
READ MORE:Â Check out all the results from the boys prep hockey holiday tournaments
7. Brunswick (6-3-0)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: at Belmont Hill, Jan. 2, 9 a.m.Â
Brunswick's lone loss at the Kevin Mutch Tournament came against Rivers. But the 3-0 final was a bit deceiving, as the Bruins outshot the Red Wings, 40-13, and outplayed them the whole game. Kennedy's team followed that up with a 1-0 win over Williston Northampton and a 6-0 victory against Albany Academy. Sophomore forward Colton Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) notched two goals and an assist in the win over Albany Academy.
8. Holderness (7-1-0)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: vs. Pingree, Jan. 7, 5 p.m.Â
The Bulls came oh-so-close to winning the Groton/Lawrence Tournament, falling to St. Andrew's College, 3-2, in the championship. Before that, they beat Pomfret, 2-1, and then-No. 8 Cushing, 5-4. Senior forwards Jack Welby and Viktor Samal had big games against Cushing, both posting a goal and an assist. Samal also scored against Pomfret.
9. Cushing (5-3-0)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Dan Fontas
Next game: vs. Canterbury, Jan. 2, 3:15 p.m.Â
There was nothing wrong with the performances the Penguins turned in at the Groton/Lawrence Tournament. They beat Lawrence Academy at Lawrence in a rivarly game, 4-2, and also crushed Thayer, 7-1. Cushing only fell one spot due to its loss to Holderness. The best development for Fontas' team was that the offense came alive.
READ MORE: 11 standouts, takeaways from Hotchkiss' win over Deerfield in the Flood-Marr championship
10. Hotchkiss (3-2-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Mike Doyle
Next game: vs. Millbrook, Jan. 9, 5 p.m.Â
Hotchkiss made a statement this weekend, winning the Flood-Marr Tournament. But the Bearcats didn't just beat Kimball Union, Westminster and Deerfield. They proved their talent is deep and talented enough up front and on defense to compete with other top teams. But Hotchkiss' biggest advantage is junior Neilan Johnson in net. He won Flood-Marr Tournament MVP — and rightfully so.
Dropped out:Â Kent (6-4-0; 7), Canterbury (6-2-0; 10)
In the hunt:Â Kent, Berkshire, Choate, St. Sebastian's, Deerfield, Rivers, Frederick Gunn, Tabor, Belmont Hill, Thayer, New Hampton
