When the puck drops on Thursday night, it will be 50 years for the Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament.
Last season's was a thriller. The big matchup was Holderness taking down Cushing, 2-1, on the second day and then winning the championship with a big win over Groton on that Saturday.
Holderness was a top-10 lock for the rest of the season and finished as the No. 5 seed in the Elite 8.
The dance will look a little different this season, as Dexter Southfield was replaced by St. Andrew's College.
Here's how the landscape breaks down by division.
Jonathan Choate Division: Groton, Proctor, St. Andrew's College, Thayer
Robert Kullen Division:Â Cushing, Holderness, Lawrence Academy, Pomfret
And here's the full schedule:
All games played at Groton School and Lawrence AcademyÂ
Thursday, Dec. 19Â
- Game 1 | 4:30 p.m. | St. Andrew’s College vs. Groton | at Groton’s O’Brien Rink
- Game 2 | 5:30 p.m. | Pomfret vs. Holderness | at Groton’s Pratt Rink
- Game 3 | 6:30 p.m. | Thayer vs. Proctor | at Groton’s O’Brien Rink
- Game 4 | 8 p.m. | Cushing vs. Lawrence Academy | at Lawrence Academy
Friday, Dec. 20Â
- Game 5 | 2 p.m. | Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser | at Groton’s O’Brien Rink
- Game 6 | 3 p.m. | Game 2 loser vs. Game 4 loser | at Lawrence Academy
- Game 7 | 4 p.m. | Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner | at Groton’s O’Brien Rink
- Game 8 | 5 p.m. | Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner | at Lawrence Academy
Saturday, Dec. 21Â
- Game 9 | 9 a.m. | Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser | at Lawrence Academy
- Game 10 | 9:30 a.m. | Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner | at Groton’s Pratt Rink
- Game 11 | 10 a.m. | Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser | at Groton’s O’Brien Rink
- Game 12 | 11 a.m. | Championship game | at Lawrence Academy
Let's dive into a team-by-team breakdown.
Cushing
The Penguins had a tough start to the season when they were outscored by Andover and Dexter, 9-3. They've since gained stability with four-straight wins over Winchendon, Stanstead College, Williston Northampton and The Hill School.
There was quite the vacuum left on offense after last season, but seniors Max Dineen (Brentwood, N.H.) and Alex Gomes (Ludlow, Mass.) have filled it nicely. Dineen has five goals and 13 points, while Gomes has four goals and nine points. Junior Axel Favreau (Auburn, Maine) has stepped up his production with eight points and senior Eric Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.) is tied for the team-lead in goals with five. An intriguing '09 to watch this weekend will be sophomore Joseph Covelluzzi (Wakefield, Mass.), who has three goals and five points so far.
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Cushing's strength has undoubtedly been its defense. Senior Ryland Randle, an Arizona State commit, has two goals and eight points. Junior Tommy Bleyl, a Michigan State commit, has four assists. So, too, does senior Kristopher Richards, a St. Lawrence commit. Senior Tyler Russo (Hamilton, Mass.) has a goal and serves as a shutdown force. Sophomore Oliver Svoboda, an '08, has shown lots of promise for the future.
Junior Maksim Corovic has been strong between the pipes with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound netminder is uncommitted, so this should be a good showcase for him to get some legitimate attention.
Groton
Groton's had an odd start to the season. Its wins have come against North Yarmouth Academy and Roxbury Latin, while it fell to Deerfield, 9-1, and Rivers, 7-4.
The key this weekend will be getting stable goaltending. Sophomore '09 Alex Wang has had a rough start to his prep career. Still, the Concord, Mass., native has the ingredients to be an impactful goalie in prep hockey. Junior Wes DiModica (Holliston, Mass.), however, is fresh off a nice job in mop-up duty against Rivers, making 20 saves on 21 shots.
The biggest strength of this team is on defense. Junior Elliot Wood (Newton, Mass.) is super physical and has three assists, and junior Connor Wig (Holliston, Mass.) has two points. Junior Alejandro Hassan is a great, two-way defenseman who moves pucks well and Kaiden Donia (Townsend, Mass.) is a strong shutdown force.
Up front, senior Zach Baker (Williston, Vt.) leads the way with five points. A handful of '08s have made an impact as well. Owen Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) has one goal and four points, while Rafael Aberbach (Wellesley, Mass.) and Nate Moons have three points each. Junior KJ Ni also has three points.
Holderness
This is a big weekend for the reigning tournament champs. Holderness had no issue crushing Hebron, Pingree, Brewster Academy and Vermont Academy, but fell to Tilton, 1-0, on Friday.
Eight players are at or over a point-per-game pace. Senior Tanner Petalas (Brentwood, N.H.) leads the way with nine points, while postgrad Connor Dozois (Grafton, Mass.), senior Eli Chilicki (Berwick, Maine), junior Viktor Samal and sophomore Henry Colbert have eight apiece. Seniors Jacob Duval (Andover, Mass.) and Brayden Wade both have five.
On defense, senior Jeremy Poirier (Salem, N.H.) leads the way with a goal and seven points, while senior Will Rob (Montpelier, Vt.) has four assists. Senior Gabriel Ruiz and junior Henry Prowse have been impactful, with four points each. Postgrad Graham Newton and sophomore Tegan Gregory, an '08, have two points apiece.
Despite lots of new faces throughout the lineup, the forward group and defensive core were always going to be strong. The big question was going to be in net.
Junior '07 Mark Bierwirth (Chelmsford, Mass.) has taken hold of the crease, sporting a sparkling 0.46 GAA and a .975 save percentage. This should be a big weekend for him to showcase himself to college and junior coaches.
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Lawrence Academy
The Spartans have struggled for offense to open the season, scoring a combined four goals in their losses to Choate, Tabor and Belmont Hill. A bright spot was a 5-2 win over Milton Academy last Wednesday.
Senior forward Ty Wood (Gloucester, Mass.), an '05, leads the team with two goals and six points. Juniors Chase Field (Centerville, Mass.) and Brady Matheson, as well as senior Laz Giardina (Reading, Mass.), have two points apiece.
If Lawrence is to make a run this weekend, it will be because of its defense. That starts with Aiden MacIsaac (Andover, Mass.), who is one of the top shutdown defenders in prep and has two points. Sophomore Matas Janulis (Lincoln, Mass.), an '08, has been a great addition with his one goal and three points. Three other names to watch are Colby and John Mara (Bedford, Mass.), two '07s, as well as Gavin Holland (Topsfield, Mass.), an '08.
Senior Kolin Beliveau has been solid through four games with a 2.72 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
Pomfret
Pomfret has been a pleasant surprise to open the season. The Griffins opened with ties against Nobles and Phillips Andover, two strong teams, and have since followed it up with wins over Proctor, Loomis Chaffee, Portsmouth Abbey and Pingree.
Head coach Matt Goethals' team is older, with seniors and juniors hitting their stride. Senior forwards Matthew Itzkovitz and Luke Corrigan lead the team in points with nine each. Itzkovitz has been a breakout prospect after posting 20 points last season. But Corrigan, who's from Hudson, Mass., had 18 goals and 41 points. Juniors Will Norton (Lynnfield, Mass.) and TJ Swinson have six points each and senior Timothy Russell and Rich Cavanagh (Warwick, R.I.) both have five.
Pomfret has a strong defensive core led by senior Cole Leblanc (Burrillville, R.I.), who was a standout for Xaverian in the MIAA last season. Senior Tyler Milrad (Hamden, Conn.) is another leader back there, too. Juniors Ian Sherman (Brooklyn, Conn.) and Sean Farrell (Burrillville, R.I.) are both intriguing prospects who should get some college attention this weekend.
Junior Joey Mitchell, an '07, has shouldered the bulk of the load in net with a 1.67 GAA and a .943 save percentage. Opening the season by holding Nobles and Andover to two goals each was incredibly impressive.
Proctor
The Hornets have had a solid start to the season with wins over Albany Academy, St. Paul's and Vermont Academy. They have, however, lost to Pomfret and Kimball Union.
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Postgrad Colby Jewell (Gloucester, Mass.) and senior Beckett Homlish lead the offense with four points each. Senior Ryan McInnis (Bridgewater, Mass.), juniors Tim Sullivan (Lynnfield, Mass.), Axel Black and Colin Maher (Lebanon, N.H.), and sophomore Dylan Jordan, an '08, are expected contributors as well.
Head coach Mike Walsh's team has gotten nice production from his top defenders. Senior Kevin Delaney has two goals and three points, while junior Edouard Belval-Tourmel has two assists.
Junior Brodie Farren has seen all the time in net with a 3.50 GAA and an .888 save percentage.
St. Andrew's College
St. Andrew's College enters as one of the immediate favorites. The Ontario-based high school has been playing since late August and participates in several showcases throughout the season. So far, SAC is 18-2-1.
The roster features seven players who are already committed to Division 1 schools. Michael Dec, a Cornell commit, leads the team in goals (22) and points (46). The 5-foot-9, 152-pound player always seems to make an impact. The same can be said for Harvard commit Aidan Lane, who has 41 points. Other commits are Kieren Dervin (Penn State), Lucas Prudhomme (Quinnipiac), Luke Sinclair (Princeton), Sebastian Dell'Elce (Quinnipiac) and Oliver Turner (Colgate).
This team is good. But they are beatable. Last season, they were in the Kevin Mutch Tournament and got tripped up by Brunswick, 5-3. Other New England prep schools who beat them were Salisbury and Kimball Union.
If a team in this tournament can beat them, it will help their stock quite a bit.
Thayer
After falling to St. George's 8-4 in the first game of the season, head coach David Hymovitz's team has rebounded well. The Tigers beat Governor's Academy, Rivers and Winchendon and lost to Andover. All were one-goal games.
While senior Mason Shea leads the offense with six points and senior Tommy Anderson (Braintree, Mass.) has three, it's been a slew of '08s that have had a huge impact. Michael Federico (Hanover, Mass.) and Tommy Wilkinson both have five points. Sophomore Ty Hymovitz (Needham, Mass.) has two goals and three points. Defenseman Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.), who transferred from Catholic Memorial in the MIAA, has produced immediate dividends with a goal and two assists.
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The defense is strong with seniors Peter Luecke and Declan Devin (Norwell, Mass.), and juniors Cooper Shea and Matthew MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.). Shea and MacDonald are tied for fourth on the team in points with three.
Junior Tyler Moschella (Braintree, Mass.) has seen the most time in net with a 2.73 GAA and a .907 save percentage.
