There's just about a month to go in the girls prep hockey regular season, and the playoff race is only getting tighter by the day.
One of the biggest storylines to watch right now? BB&N.
In November, we ranked the Knights 17th in our preseason Next 15. Much of that was due to the sheer amount of talent that graduated last season, including collegiate players like Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass./Yale), Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass./Harvard), Lexi Mara (Winchester, Mass./Northeastern), Izzy King (Bedford, Mass./Providence), Brenna O'Reilly (Burlington, Mass./Providence) and Savana Littlewood (Braintree, Mass./Williams).
BB&N held onto No. 17 in our mid-season Next 15 at the holiday break, too, and it wasn't all that long ago that Jori Balsam's group wasn't even in the top 16 of the JSPR rankings.
We knew if the Knights were going to make a push, upperclassmen forwards Anika Singh (Lexington, Mass./Brown), Kate Glantz (Burlington, Mass./Brown), Molly Halloran (Belmont, Mass.) and Mary Murray (Hingham, Mass.), as well as defenders Zoe Beck (Lincoln, Mass./Johnson & Wales), Aislin VanVliet (Belmont, Mass.) and Aggie Grant (Brookline, Mass.), would be at the forefront. That's been the case. The same goes for junior goalie Barbara Ma (Cambridge, Mass.), too. Young players stepping up include defenders Serena Mohsen (Newton, Mass.) and Sydney Young (Needham, Mass.), as well as forward Cali Littlewood (Braintree, Mass.).
Now, the Knights are ninth in the JSPR and pounding on the door of Elite 8 contention. As a result, BB&N has stormed into this week's rankings.
What about the rest of the top 10? There was more turnover to keep track of this week.
Let's dive in.
1. Williston Northampton (13-1-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: at Westminster, Jan. 28, 3 p.m.
Williston continued its stranglehold of the top spot after beating former No. 3 Dexter Southfield, 2-1, and Kent, 6-0. Brenna Ziter (Williston, Vt.) and Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.) powered the win over Dexter with a goal each, while River Grady (Bedford, N.H.) and Olivia Arsenault each stood tall in net. Against Kent, Ashley Anderson (Wilmington, Mass.) scored twice, while Brooke Schlutter had three points (one goal). The Wildcats will take an eight-game winning streak into a busy week. Trips to Westminster and Hotchkiss bookend a home tilt with Winchendon. Williston is No. 1 in the JSPR.
MIDSEASON REPORT: Taking stock of a deep field ahead of the stretch run
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: at Cushing, Jan. 28, 5 p.m.
Andover continued to roll with a pair of wins, shutting out Lawrence Academy, 5-0, before outlasting Thayer, 4-3. The Big Blue have now won seven straight. Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) each had three-point games in the two wins. Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) had three points (one goal) against Thayer, too. A trio of high-end matchups awaits Andover this week. They'll visit Cushing on Wednesday and BB&N on Friday before hosting Deerfield on Saturday. Andover is currently fourth in the JSPR.
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: vs. Lawrence Academy, Jan. 28, 4 p.m.
Nobles jumped back into the top three after a pair of wins, extending their win streak to five in a row. The Bulldogs rolled past Berwick, 7-0, and took a top-10 win over Phillips Exeter, 5-2. Catherine McCool (West Roxbury, Mass.) had a hat trick against Exeter, while Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) scored twice and added an assist. The latter had four points (three assists) against Berwick, and Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.) had three (two goals). A key week in the ISL is on deck as Nobles hosts Lawrence Academy on Wednesday and St. Paul's on Saturday. Nobles is second in the JSPR.
4. Loomis Chaffee (13-2-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: vs. BB&N, Jan. 28, 5 p.m.
The Pelicans ground out a pair of 2-1 wins last week, taking down Taft on the road before then-No. 8 Tabor at home. Emily Hosman stood tall with 24 saves against Tabor, and Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.) scored in both wins. Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) had two assists against Taft. Carly Dann (Hanover, N.H.) scored against Taft, and Easton Pramuka scored against Tabor as well. Two tough matchups lie ahead this week. Loomis will host BB&N on Wednesday and Cushing on Saturday. The Pelicans are No. 5 in the JSPR.
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Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Maggie Taverna
Next game: vs. Tabor, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
Dexter fell out of the top three after a 1-1-0 week. The Shields came up short in a tight loss to No. 1 Williston before bouncing back with a big 6-1 win over Thayer. Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) scored in both games, and Leah Hafer (Winchester, Mass.) scored twice against Thayer. Elizabeth Allen (Brookline, Mass.) also scored twice against Thayer. Dexter has a pair of ISL matchups this week. They'll host Tabor on Friday before visiting Brooks on Saturday. Dexter is third in the JSPR.
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Next game: at Pomfret, Jan. 28, 5 p.m.
The Big Green have won eight in a row and picked up three strong wins last week. Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) had a first-period hat trick in a 7-0 win over Taft after Erin Dunne scored the game-winner in a 2-1 win over New Hampton. Sophie Frost (two goals) and Peyton Wierl (two goals) helped lead the way in a 6-1 win over Choate. Deerfield will visit Pomfret on Wednesday before a massive road tilt at Andover on Saturday. The Big Green sit at No. 6 in the JSPR.
Previous rankings: 8
Head coach: Kelli Mackey
Next game: vs. Groton, Jan. 30, 5:30 p.m.
The Big Red bounced back from a pair of losses with a 2-0-1 week. SPS fought to a high-scoring, 4-4 tie with Cushing before breezing past Kimball Union, 7-2, and Pomfret, 5-2. Against KUA, Maggie Berleth (Manchester, N.H.) scored a hat trick, while Malin Wilde (Shelburne, Vt.) notched her first career goal. Chelsea Bell (Barre, Vt.) had three points (one goal) against Cushing and was one of four different goal-scorers for the Big Red. Two critical matchups lie ahead this week. SPS will host Groton on Friday before visiting Nobles on Saturday. The Big Red are No. 11 in the JSPR. They have a chance to make a big jump if things go their way.
What will go a long way in those matchups is the return of Kelsey MacPherson (Hopkinton, Mass.), who was back in the lineup over the weekend. The freshman had 10 points (three goals) in five games before going down with an injury before the Harrington.
GOALIE DUEL: 13 standouts from No. 7 Tabor’s tie with Thayer
8. BB&N (7-4-1)
Previous rankings: NR
Head coach: Jori Balsam
Next game: at Loomis Chaffee, Jan. 28, 5 p.m.
Eighth might seem high as the Knights debuted in the top 10 for the first time this season, but after going unbeaten in six straight, BB&N leapfrogged Tabor, Exeter and Groton after each took losses last week. Balsam's group has hit its stride in recent weeks. They beat Rivers, 3-1, last week before settling for a 2-2 tie with St. Mark's. Singh had two goals and an assist against Rivers, and Littlewood scored in both games. This latest run also includes wins over St. Mark's, then-No. 10 Groton and New Hampton. Ma has been phenomenal in net of late as the Knights have surrendered just three goals in six games. She has a .972 save percentage during this streak.
The upcoming slate is about as much of a "prove it" week as the Knights can get. They'll visit Loomis Chaffee on Wednesday before hosting Andover on Friday.
9. Tabor (8-3-2)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Eric Long
Next game: at Milton Academy, Jan. 28, 4 p.m.
Tabor went winless last week, going 0-1-1. The Seawolves clawed their way to a 1-1 tie at Thayer before battling to a tight loss at then-No. 5 Loomis. Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.) scored against Thayer, and Giuliana Polcari (Marshfield, Mass.) scored against Loomis. Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.) gave Tabor a chance to win in each game with 30 and 31-save outings. The Seawolves have a chance to get back in the win column against Milton Academy on Wednesday before a huge test at Dexter on Friday. They'll also host Westminster on Saturday. Tabor is No. 7 in the JSPR.
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Sally Komarek
Next game: vs. Tilton, Jan. 28, 4:30 p.m.
Exeter also fell. The Big Red went 1-1-0 last week, shutting out Holderness, 4-0, before falling to then-No. 4 Nobles, 5-2. Dominique Reiher and Maria Gray each had a pair against Holderness, while Erin Sears (Cornwall, Vt.) and Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.) had the goals against Nobles. Exeter is clinging to the No. 8 spot in the JSPR, and they have a busy week on tap. They'll host Tilton and Rivers before heading to St. George's. Two or three wins would go a long way for the Big Red, especially against Rivers and St. George's.
COMEBACK WIN: 14 standouts, takeaways from Groton's overtime win over NYA
Dropped out: Groton (9-4-0; 10)
In the hunt: Groton, Governor’s (9-3-3), Cushing (8-4-2), Rivers (8-5-2), Thayer (7-6-2), Choate (6-5-1), Berkshire (7-4-1), Taft (7-6-0)
